World Patient Safety Day: Why Safety Comes First in Post-Weight-Loss Surgery

Major weight loss can bring about many life changing effects, but it can also create new challenges for patients once they have reached their target weight. Patients who have lost large amounts of weight may be left with excess skin that can cause discomfort or restriction when moving, or even make them feel self conscious about their appearance.

While plastic and reconstructive surgery may help in dealing with the excess skin after significant weight loss, this is not necessarily the next step in the patient’s journey immediately following weight loss. In fact, the most important question for World Patient Safety Day on 17 September is whether the patient is ready physically, mentally and emotionally for surgery and whether it can be safely carried out.

Safety Starts with Choosing the Right Treatment for the Right Patient

According to Dr. Furkan Kurdal, an aesthetic, plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Erdem Hospital, safe care begins with understanding the individual patient.

“Two people of similar weight loss can have vastly different needs. One person may have excessive skin in the abdominal area that causes irritation, while another person’s main concern may be the skin of their arms. Both individuals need to have their concerns addressed, and their expectations managed regarding the outcomes of their surgery,” he says.

Until the patient’s weight has become stable and their nutritional status has reached an optimal level, any surgical intervention will not be in the best interest of the patient. There are also some medical conditions such as diabetes and anemia that need to be ruled out before any surgical procedure can be performed safely.

Some may believe that losing the most amount of weight in the shortest time period makes a person the best candidate for body contouring surgery after weight loss. This, however, is not always the case. Life-changing weight loss through several means such as diet and exercise, surgery or weight loss medication deserves serious attention to body contouring options. A lot of care must be given to the patient’s physical, mental and emotional health before moving forward.

“Patients usually get very excited about the idea of completing their transformation. That’s very understandable. However, a body contouring surgery should not be done in a rush. A patient that is still losing weight, with some nutritional deficiencies that could affect healing, needs to be told that it’s better to postpone the surgery for a safer outcome. That’s not a step back, that’s preparing the patient for the best results possible,” Dr. Kurdal underlines.

Follow-Up Is a Major Part of Patient Safety

Recovering from body-contouring surgery after weight loss needs to be taken seriously. Post-surgical patients require follow-up care in the first weeks following their surgery in terms of wound care and monitoring for signs of infection or other complications. They will also require clear instructions on how to move, wear compression garments to improve circulation and to exercise following their surgery.

Communication with the post-operative patient is important to highlight that while a procedure may have gone well in the operating room, recovery from the treatment can take longer than many patients expect.

Dr. Kurdal says emotional adjustment is of utmost importance. “A person’s comfort and body shape may change following plastic surgery. However, they may not immediately develop confidence and like themselves. Post-surgical expectations should be clearly discussed with patients in order to inform them of the realistic outcome they can achieve with their surgery,” he emphasizes.

One Journey, Several Tools

Another important thing to take into consideration is that body contouring surgery after major weight loss is not usually performed as a single operation to remove all excess skin. Depending on the areas that need to be contoured, it is usually necessary to contour more than one area. This can be done in a single operation or in separate stages of surgery.

“Doing more at once is not always better. Combining different procedures may mean longer and more complex surgery. In such cases, having the procedures in stages can be the best option for the patient as it allows for adequate time to recover between procedures. We are planning for the patient’s safety, not rushing for more surgery to be done,” says Dr. Furkan Kurdal.

World Patient Safety Day is observed annually on 17 September by the World Health Organization. In terms of safe patient care, its message is especially relevant: safety is not limited to one procedure or one appointment. It depends on making thoughtful decisions, preparing patients properly and providing consistent support throughout the entire journey.