American Society Of Plastic Surgeons Finds That Cosmetic Body Contouring Procedures Are Up 22% Since 2005, Dramatic Rise In Weight Loss Surgery

Main Category: Cosmetic Medicine / Plastic Surgery
Also Included In: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Article Date: 07 Aug 2006 - 0:00 PDT

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The increasing number of patients seeking weight loss surgery has fueled a sharp increase in the number of patients seeking out cosmetic surgeons for body contouring procedures. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), the number of cosmetic procedures performed to remove excess skin has increased 22%, since 2005.

The effectiveness of new weight loss procedures has caused patients to seek out cosmetic surgeons to help them complete their transformation. "When you have a person losing a large amount of weight in a short period of time, there is going to residual skin that does not retain its elasticity," says leading Manhattan bariatric surgeon, Dr. Dominic Artuso. This is where the plastic surgeon comes into play. "We are seeing a large number of people come into our offices after having gastric surgery and, while excited about the weight loss, they are still disheartened by the fact that the remaining skin folds prohibit them from feeling confident in bathing suites and similar clothing," added Dr. Stephen Greenberg, New York's leading cosmetic surgeon.

According to the ASPS the five fastest growing cosmetic surgeries are procedures done to remove excess skin. In 2005 alone there were some 68,000 body contouring procedures performed. These five procedures alone generated over $700 million dollars in surgeon's fees.

Due to the combination of societal acknowledgement of the weight loss epidemic and celebrity utilization of weight loss procedures, gastric bypass and laparoscopic procedures have skyrocketed. A decade ago only 16,000 procedures were performed to treat obesity. Last year there were 170,000.

Dr.'s Greenberg and Artuso are available for interview/comment on how this trend has affected their respective specialty, as are patients who have undergone surgery.

Dr. Stephen Greenberg
http://www.greenbergcosmeticsurgery.com

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