If the new study is correct and half of all adults by 2030 are obese, then plastic surgery as we know it will have a different type of patient. Currently breast augmentation remains the most popular cosmetic surgery procedure followed by liposuction. Neither of these procedures are recommended for obese patients.Dr. O’Toole explains in the consultation thatbreast augmentation with or without implants is heavily dependent upon the existing breast tissue and fat each patient has. In some cases a breast reduction,is a better recommendation because it allows the patient to have breast tissue and fat removed for better shaping. The patient should be close to, or at ,their ideal body weight prior to surgery. Liposuction should also be reserved for those who are of normal weight. As the population become more obese, and the competition among plastic surgeons and non-plastic surgeons becomes more aggressive, obese patients may find physicians willing to do liposuction even if they are not a good candidate. According to the Los Angeles Times if obesity rates continue to climb in the U.S. as they’ve done in the past, about half of all men and women could be obese in 20 years, adding an extra 65 million obese adults to the country’s population.
The figures are from a study released Thursday in the journal the Lancet (part of a four-part obesity series) that used past trends to predict what the future might look like in the U.S. and the U.K. if people keep gaining weight at that rate. It’s not a pretty picture–along with expanding waistlines may come higher disease rates and, in turn, greater healthcare costs.
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