“I managed to lose weight…” This is how the happy story of patients coming to the OB CARE plastic surgery clinic starts. One of them is Ms. Tereza.
“I managed to lose weight…” This is how the happy story of patients coming to the OB CARE plastic surgery clinic starts. One of them is Ms. Tereza.
Tereza managed to decrease her weight from 133 kg to 74 kg and get her BMI to 25, i.e. the normal range.
“I've never been thin. But during the last 10 years I gained 50 kg,” says Tereza, who has tried to lose weight several times, but has always returned to her original weight. Then she underwent a procedure that changed her life. "It was one of the most important and best decisions of my life,” recalls Tereza.
"When Ms. Tereza got to us, her weight was 133 kg and BMI 44, which corresponds to severe obesity," says MUDr. Petra Šrámková, head physician of the OB clinic, where Tereza underwent bariatric surgery - so-called gastric plication surgery, which was fully covered by health insurance company, due to the severity of obesity.
“This operation will reduce the capacity of the stomach and its ability to accommodate larger portions of food, which also reduces the possibility of overeating. After surgery, the patient must follow a regular diet. However, complying with diet recommendations is easier due to the reduction in stomach size,” explains MUDr. Petra Šrámková.
After stomach surgery and radical weight loss, Tereza cooperated with plastic surgeons from the OB CARE clinic in Prague.
Unfortunately, the loose skin that remained after significant weight loss, after surgical treatment of obesity or even after delivery, could not be removed by regular exercise, diet or liposuction.
“Abdominal plastic surgery or abdominoplasty is often the only solution to remove excess sagging skin, which produces visible and very good results,” explains MUDr. Martin Skála, plastic surgeon at the OB CARE. It was necessary to stretch loose skin on some parts of the body. The skin was no longer elastic enough and was unable to contract after such radical weight loss.
Abdominoplasty is not intended to vacuum fat like liposuction, nor to lose weight, but to remove excess skin and contour a nicer silhouette. This is a major procedure where the physician - plastic surgeon removes excess skin in the upper and lower abdomen.
“Abdominal plastic surgery is an extensive procedure. We amend the skin in the entire abdomen up to the rib arches, which means a large wound that must be healed by the body. Contrary to popular opinion, abdominoplasty is not a very painful procedure. Only if we suture the diasthasis of abdominal muscles, the first week after the procedure can be a bit unpleasant,” says MUDr. Martin Skála from the OB Care in Prague.
Recovery usually takes 5-8 weeks. Miniabdominoplasty, on the other hand, is a simpler procedure where only the skin under the navel is removed. The postoperative period is shorter, approximately 4 weeks.
Abdominoplasty covered by the client or insurance company
“It is important to wear a compression belt, ensure care for sutured wounds and avoid physical activities after the abdominal plastic surgery. In addition, I recommend avoiding sitting for a longer time in the first weeks after surgery. In the case of miniabdominoplasty, the rules are similar, but the risks associated with the procedure are lower due to the smaller extent of the procedure,” adds MUDr. Martin Skála from the OB CARE.
Abdominoplasty is an aesthetic procedure. Therefore, it’s always the patients who pay for the procedure. The surgery is reimbursed by health insurance companies only at the departments of plastic surgery at the university hospitals. However, this is only possible if the procedure is indicated for medical reasons and approved by the insurance company.