Is there a medical reason you should wait 12 months after a sleeve gastrectomy before having plastic surgery?

Hello dear, thanks for your question, If you are considering a cosmetic procedure after a gastric bypass, you should wait until reaching maximal weight loss with maintenance of that particular weight. This is usually 12 to 18 months post op. It is very important that you take your vitamins as recommended by your bariatric surgeon and keep up with your daily protein requirement for healthy wound healing.

Remember that selecting a Plastic Surgeon takes time and effort. The key is to choose a reputable, qualified and certified surgeon.

Good luck :)

Hello,I am a board-certified, fellowship-trained bariatric surgeon.The best time to do plastic surgery after weight loss surgery is after the maximum weight loss has occurred and the weight is stable.  This usually happens 1-2 years after bariatric surgery.  Like you mentioned, your original BMI of 32 is fairly low, and you're close to your goal weight of 150 lbs.  Since it's only been 3 months since your sleeve gastrectomy, you'll probably still lose more weight.  Once your weight loss stabilizes for 1-2 months, then you should have great results with plastic surgery.  The plastic surgeons who said to wait 12 months are reasonable - if you have plastic surgery sooner, then lose more weight, then the results of the plastic surgery may not be as good.  Plastic surgery is mainly to remove excess, saggy skin.  If you lose a lot of weight after plastic surgery, then the skin may become saggy and loose again.  That usually doesn't happen if you wait to have plastic surgery until your weight loss has stabilized, generally around 1-2 years after bariatric surgery, depending on the initial BMI.Sincerely,David Henry, M.D.