Weight loss surgeries not suitable for teenagers and adolescents

New technologies using stem cells and tissue regeneration techniques are set to revolutionize ‘beauty business' and offer more effective solutions for weight reduction, according to a leading local expert in plastic and reconstructive surgeries.

Liposuction techniques are some of the most frequently performed procedures in the field of aesthetic surgery, and are in high demand with patients in the Middle East. The procedures are extremely popular due to the requirement of only small incisions and a speedy recovery period.

“However, liposuction should not be considered a sole weight loss procedure and should certainly be discouraged in teenagers and adolescents,” says Dr Punam Bijlani, Consultant, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Ras Al Khaima Hospital. Liposuction is for body parts where, no matter how hard one tries, one cannot shed fat, she points out.

Dr Punam Bijalani was one of the key speakers at the sixth International Congress in Aesthetics, Anti-Ageing Medicine and Medical Spa in Dubai recently, where she presented the latest techniques for liposuction.

Experts no longer consider fat as just a storage organ; in fact, it is a metabolically active endocrine organ. Consequently, liposuction, especially in large volumes, is bound to have some effect on fat function. The question is how much, from where and what can doctors do to counteract the imbalance that may occur, she explained.

“Stem cells and tissue regeneration seem to be very promising; we are working at nano levels now and there is light at the end of the tunnel. The new technology will be a big leap for plastic surgery patients and the ‘beauty business' will be the collateral beneficiary of these advances,” Dr Bijlani pointed out.

Liposuction surgery improves the contour and proportion of the body by removing excess fat from a wide variety of areas. It slims and reshapes the body for enhanced self-image of the person undergoing the procedure.  According to Dr Bijlani, genders seeking liposuction in the Middle East are equally balanced. Men usually seek liposuction to minimise the size of the abdomen, thighs, gynaecomastia and chin, and women seek liposuction mostly for their abdomen, gluteofemoral areas and their back.

Areas most commonly treated with liposuction include the chin and neck, hips, stomach, inner and outer thighs, knees, ankles and buttocks. Liposuction is also used to treat a condition called gynecomastia, or male breast enlargement, which occurs among both teenage and adult men.

During liposuction, the fat cells are removed permanently, but it is important to understand that liposuction will not prevent further weight gains, Liposuction should never be seen as a cure to obesity, says Dr Bijlani.

“To keep your new shape and new weight after liposuction, you must follow a proper diet and exercise plan,” she says.

The medical weight loss plans recommended by her involve a thorough initial medical and lifestyle consultation with specific plans for long term planning and follow up. The Programs must look at individual nutritional and behavioral aspects related to eating problems, metabolic testing, review of individual medical conditions which either cause or are affected by weight and the development of individual exercise prescriptions, she points out.

The strategy is to incorporate individual weight history, genetic background, social situations and current stressors along with extensive traditional evaluations of medications, and concurrent medical concerns into a chronic disease approach, she says.