Obesity Surgery

Obesity is defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) more than 30. Normal BMI is between 18.5 to 25. Patients who have a BMI between 25 to 30 are said to be overweight.

Obesity is associated with many severe medical problems such as hypertension, heart attack, arrhythmias, obstructive sleep apnoea, metabolic syndrome, osteoarthritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, urinary incontinence, polycystic ovarian syndrome, deep vein thrombosis, depression, low self esteem and increased risk of cancers.
The treatment for obesity includes:

- Lifestyle modifications which includes diet, exercise & behaviour modifications

- Medications. Egs: Sibutramine (appetite suppressant) & Orlistat (reduces fat absorption)

- Surgery:

1. Liposuction - A hollow stainless steel tube (cannula) with the assistance of a powerful vacuum is inserted into the patient’s abdominal skin to suck out the fatty tissue around his/her abdomen. Post liposuction, the patient might get some bruises from the liposuction site which will go away. This is a fast procedure which can be done under general or local anaesthesia. Complications include disfiguring skin irregularities and injury to abdominal organs if not done properly. Liposuction is usually done by qualified Plastic Surgeons only

2. Tummy Tuck (abdominoplasty) - This is a major operation done under general anaesthesia. The Plastic Surgeon will surgically remove a thick layer of fat from the lower abdomen, stretch down the skin from the upper abdomen and then create a new umbilicus for the patient. Post surgery, the patient will need at least 1 week to recover and the abdomen will look flat & trim post-surgery. However, there will be a long surgical scar at the lower waist which can be hidden under the patient’s pants.

3. Bariartric Surgery (Weight Loss Surgery) - a few methods are used but generally divided into "Restrictive" and "Malabsorptive". "Restrictive" surgery reduces the size of your stomach so the end result is you will eat less and then lose weight. The main types are “Gastric Banding”, "Balloon Gastroplasty" or "Sleeve Gastrectomy". "Malabsorptive" surgery is more complicated. Its function is to reduce the amount of intestine available to absorb fat. However, the gold standard is a combination of "restrictive" & "malabsorptive" surgery. Post-surgery, the patient will need at least 5 days to recover depending on the type of surgery. The indications for Bariartric Surgery are:

- Morbid Obesity; which is defined as BMI >40
- Obesity with severe medical conditions
- Failure to lose weight with non-surgical methods
- Medically compliant patient- Patient is medically fit to undergo the surgical procedure