Can I Remove Lapband and Abdominalplasty at Same Time? (photo)

I have had this same senario and it is usually not much of a fee for the bariatric doctor to do his or her part. The cosmetc plastic surgeon starts the procedure and after 20 minutes the bariatric doctor comes in and does his or her part which takes 20 minutes. I then take another 45 minutes and all is done! Be careful about having a non plastic surgeon do your surgery while the doctor you see may be terrific there are certainly some doctors who will do anything for money. Good Luck!

Whilst it is logical to remove the band at the same time as the abdominoplasty it is not necessarily that simple.  Both abdominoplasty and removal of lap bands are specialist procedures and it is unlikely that you find a surgeon who has a great deal of expertise in both procedures. 

Therefore I would entirely agree with the other surgeons who have suggested a two surgeon approach.  Hopefully it can be arranged that you have both procedures performed whilst undergoing the same anaesthetic.  Having two surgeons involved may increase the cost but it is likely to reduce your risk of complications so I would argue it is worth it.

Kind regards,

 

Dean

Hi

I do not see any problem in having both procedure performed at the same time.  It would be better for the Lap Band surgeon to attend the abominoplasty procedure as it would not take the Lap Band surgeon too long to perform the removal of the lap band and the plastic surgeon can complete their part of the surgery.  I can not imagine that the cost of the surgery woould be double.

Good Luck with your surgery

Stephen Salerno

There should be no problem finding a general surgeon or bariatric surgeon to remove your lap band at the time of  your abdominoplasty. 

I agree 100% with Dr Joe. I would think a surgical team approach would be a safer, less risky route to pursue. 

While it may seem redundant to you to involve two surgeons for this, I think it is the right thing to do if you are interested in the lowest risk and the highest likelihood of accurate and aesthetically satisfactory results.  The removal of a lap band is a straightforward procedure for a bariatric surgeon, but I know of no plastic surgeons that would (or should) think of removing one himself or herself.  It is just not in our area of expertise any more, even if we are fully trained general surgeons.  It is not the community standard of care where I practice, and I doubt it is in most places.  On the other side of the coin, while you may find a bariatric surgeon who "specializes" in abdominoplasty, I might beg to differ with you.  If he or she is a bariatric surgeon, he or she specializes in bariatric surgery, and while he or she may perform tummy tuck surgery (or more likely panniculectomy), I doubt that the results will be as reliable as those of a good, board certified plastic surgeon who truly does specialize in body contouring surgery.  While these procedures may seem straightforward and easy to do for any surgeon, I can assure you that they aren't.  Especially in the bariatric population, and there are a number of nuances and fine details that must be considered to get the best results.  No one surgeon can be a master of all trades.  You would not hire a carpenter to come in and replace the plumbing in your kitchen, although he may be conversant in doing it and have a general idea of how to go about it, and similarly, I would be reluctant to have a bariatric surgeon do an aesthetic body contouring operation if I were interested in optimal results.

It is surely possible to have your lapband removed and undergo abdominoplasty at the same time. Your lapband removal would likely be paid for by your insurance carrier. I would suggest that a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery performs the tummy tuck.

If you have two surgeons, one who is a bariatric surgeon and one a plastic surgeon, to remove the lap band and do an abdominoplasty, you will certainly get what you pay for. If you have a bariatric surgeon who may have done a few abdominoplasties after spending a month on a plastic surgery rotation during his training, you will likewise get exactly what you pay for. Understand?