For people who struggle with obesity losing weight can be a daunting task. For many, diet and exercise is not effective and not because of lack of trying. Many have tried every new diet and exercise program as they are introduced and marketed. Yet, try as they may are still unsuccessful at meaningful sustainable weight loss. For these people, they may find hope and a viable solution through reliable surgical procedures. These procedures can help in getting rid of unwanted fat.
Liposuction, lap band surgery and tummy tucks are the three most common weight loss surgical procedures sought out by people today. These procedures can help you achieve your goals but is necessary to understand the differences in order to determine which surgery is best for you.
For targeted problem areas of the body Liposuction is most likely the most popular and well known procedure. The procedure as most people know entails the suctioning of fat from certain body regions. For many who use this procedure diet and exercise alone just wouldn’t get rid of the target area like the thighs, stomach or back. This procedure can also be use for body contouring, during the Liposuction procedure the body can be sculpted into a leaner, desirable form.
Abdominoplasty or more commonly know procedure as “Tummy Tuck” is a combination of two procedures. The first involves minor liposuction to remove excess fat deposits from the abdomen. Next, the chief element of this procedure is the cutting and tightening of the abdominal muscles and fascia. When performed by trained medical professionals the procedure is designed to make the abdomen look tighter and firmer. The patient following post-surgical instructions can look forward to an abdomen that looks in shape.
Lap band surgery is most often used by those individuals who need to lose 100 pounds or more and have tried unsuccessfully other methods and have few remaining options available. This surgery is dramatically different from the prior two procedures because it not for cosmetic reshaping of select areas of the body. Rather, the surgery looks to modify the gastrointestinal tract by decreasing the size of the gastrointestinal tract thereby reducing food intake.
The cost of these procedures may not be covered by insurance, sot the following are the average cost for the procedures to help assist in budgeting for them:
Liposuction – $1,200 – $7,000 depending upon the region of the body and the amount of fat removed from the body.
Tummy Tuck ” This procedure can cost anywhere from $3,000 to $9,000 depending upon the surgeon and the expansiveness of the procedure.
Lap band procedures are generally covered by insurance because this procedure is generally recommended for individuals needing to lose more than 100 pounds; this is great as the cost can exceed $17,000 or more in most cases.
The time to complete recovery varies among procedures and it also depends on the person and their body. Recovering from liposuction usually takes up to 2 weeks, while a more minor procedure usually takes only 4 days. A tummy tuck usually ranges from one week to four weeks in recovery time. However, a lap band procedure, which is much more invasive, will take anywhere from a month to six weeks to recover.
These procedures are invasive and require much cost. Those that may balk at such options may wish to look into meal replacement supplements. However, those willing to engage in these procedures will find them quite helpful in terms of meeting their weight loss goals.
Dorthy Weatherbush is a health and fitness expert who has written many articles on the benefits of losing weight the healthy way: through diet and exercise. She recommends Medifast as a good way to diet and often uses the Medifast Diet Program to help her clients.
