A true story
By Dr. David Santos and Larry Rondeau, Medical and Science Writer
Today obesity is up significantly over the last several decades in the United States. If you’re overweight, losing weight is one of the healthiest things you can do. But those health benefits often come at a cost to your face and neck. Research shows that dropping pounds can lower your blood pressure, reduce your risk of type-2 diabetes and improve your breathing. It can make your figure look great. It can make you feel great. But it can also cause your face and neck to sag, which can make you look much older. The bottom line is that there is a small price to pay for weight loss (not everything about weight loss is positive, just most everything). Truly the benefits of weight loss are significant. With face and neck weight loss, wrinkles and sagging increase and tends to make us look older.
Many individuals request facial rejuvenation after bariatric surgery or other weight loss modalities. Bariatric surgery provides such a significant weight loss that the sagging can be extensive.
Fortunately there are remedies for this weight loss side effect:
Peggy G from Bellingham, Washington succeeded in reaching her weight loss goal. But, as the pounds started to come off, she saw more of a change in the mirror than she expected. “After you lose 20 pounds you start to notice it,” she said. “I ended up with a turkey neck,” with a lot of loose skin. “You try to hide it with a turtleneck, but that doesn’t really work. It looked bad,” she relates.
It is truly unfortunate that those who work hard and win the battle against excessive weight, improving their health and their figures, often find themselves with sagging skin on the face and neck. Fortunately, highly-experienced Bellevue, Washington facial plastic surgeon Dr. David Santos was able to help.
Peggy had a neck lift and a procedure to firm her lower face and jaw. It was all done under a local anesthetic, an approach experts call the safest method available. Afterwards she said, “I love what they’ve done to me. I don’t look tired anymore. People say to me, “Peggy, you look good.” They haven’t noticed I had anything done.”
Those who exert themselves to exercise, resist temptations, eat less and lose weight deserve to look good all over. Asked what she would say to women who find themselves looking older after weight loss, Peggy said:
“Do it for yourself. We women don’t take care of ourselves as we should. And even when we do, we deserve to treat ourselves well.”
Speaking about her face and neck lift she said:
“I look like a totally different person, which is cool. A guy told me the other day, “Peggy, you look like you’re 35 or 40” (I’m 65). It makes you feel better about yourself.”
David Q. Santos MD
Facial Aesthetic Surgery
FacialBeauty.com
425-227-4000
