As childhood obesity remains an issue in the United States, more and more children are getting healthier in order to lose the excess weight. But once those pounds are dropped, another issue emerges – what to do with all of the excess skin. Body contouring is the process – which may consist of many different procedures – in which plastic surgeons alter the shape of the body. This can be done to a number of areas on the body, including the abdomen, arms and breasts, and more adolescents are now requesting to have this done.

According to a recent report published in the medical journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, more adolescents are asking to have their bodies reshaped after having a bariatric procedure or undergoing substantial weight loss surgery. One of the most common surgeries for obese kids to have is a gastric bypass operation, which is well-known for its creation of a large amount of excess skin. Doctors studied adolescents who had this surgery as a part of their study.

What they found was that, of the 50 adolescents who were interviewed through a set of questionnaires, 91 percent felt that they are physically unattractive due to the amount of skin they have. This led to these respondents to inquire about body contouring procedures, with five already having undergone the operation. Those who were surveyed most commonly cited their arms and thighs as the problem areas they wanted taken care of.

If you are interested in going under the knife, be sure to schedule an appointment with Christopher Craft Cosmetic Surgery as soon as possible to learn more about the cosmetic surgery procedures we perform.