Liposectomy: Saving your life vs obesity

Obesity is a major risk factor in HPN (hypertension), diabetes mellitus, heart attack, stroke, atherosclerosis and even cancer. This means that if you remove obesity, you reduce the risk of having a heart attack, stroke, diabetes mellitus and even death.

I have been to a wake of a multi-talented director who had succumbed to a heart attack, which his wife attributed to his obesity. He, however, could have been saved by liposectomy.

Clinical studies have shown convincingly that obesity kills. And a program to address this malady should include direct surgical removal instead of temporizing it with diet, exercise and pharmacologic approaches which have a less chance of success than direct surgical removal.

But in surgery, both form and function should be resolved such that I have formulated a surgical program to remove excess fat without leaving shriveled skin hanging in front and at the sides of the abdomen (as seen in ordinary liposuction) held back only by an elastic bandage. It is called liposectomy.

And after two months’ post-op, a patient is placed in an exercise regimen and caloric restricted diet, to maintain the new sexy figure.

Liposuction had been in vogue for quite a time, but in practice, there is a lot to be desired since there are excess skin and striae marks still left. Such that in current practice, I opted to do a new liposectomy procedure to remove the unwanted fat as well as the excess skin and striae (stretch marks), giving the patient full satisfaction.

Patients are also amazed by the secondary effect of liposectomy, which is stronger cardiovascular health as evidenced by a decrease in easy fatigability and palpitation and a stronger aerobic endurance during workouts.

Others feel that they have more frequent orgasms than before. Some clinicians may attribute this to the placebo effect. But in surgery, there is no placebo effect, only results. Placebo or no placebo, you can’t ignore the improvement in the patient’s cardiovascular health and appearance.

What is paramount is the decrease in morbidity as well as in the patient’s mortality. Liposectomy has a very low morbidity rate and no mortality rate (meaning there is no death so far attributed to the procedure) as compared to other gastric removal and Roux in Y procedures to lessen the gastric absorption of the food taken (gastroplasty).

But I would suggest that a multi-center longitudinal study be done in this pioneering procedure to further validate its usefulness, effectivity, safety and cost-effectiveness. Another innovation that I want to add is the use of endoscopically guided laser resection for faster recovery, but economics prevent the additional cost to the patient.

Liposectomy is an anti-aging surgical procedure or what I call rejuvenatrics surgery because it prolongs the life of the patient by curtailing morbidity and mortality secondary to cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and atherosclerosis. We have a new surgical armamentarium to save the lives of people, in cooperation with internist-cardiologists.

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(The author is a noted cosmetic plastic surgeon and a pioneer anti-aging specialist. He is founder and president of the Philippine Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine Inc. and a charter member of the Philippine Society for Liposuction Surgery and Philippine Academy of Medical Specialists. He is also the founder of rejuvenatrics and rejuvenatology.

For inquiries, visit him at St. Luke’s MAB, Room 109, or at his Beauty Surgery and Longevity Center at 1823 E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue corner New York st., Cubao, Quezon City, tel. no. 721-2592.)