Panniculectomy – Skin Reduction Surgery

People opt to have body contouring or skin reduction surgery to rid themselves of excess skin (Credit: Notfilc)

With more and more people undergoing gastric bypass and lap-band surgery each year, many are finding that their skin can’t keep up with their rapid weight loss. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reports that the number of body contouring procedures after massive weight loss rose 22% in one year alone — from 55,927 in 2004 to 68,134 in 2005.

Plastic surgeons report that skin becomes very loose and has no tone after losing 50 pounds or more in a very short time. You can lose fat, but you can’t lose skin. Though exercise will build muscle tone, it can’t improve skin tone. After bariartric surgery, many people are left with large amounts of lose skin on their abdomen, arms, waist, thighs and breasts.

That’s when people opt to have body contouring or skin reduction surgery to rid themselves of excess skin. The most common skin reduction procedure is the panniculectomy. A panniculectomy is a plastic surgery procedure to remove the apron of loose excess skin, tissue and fat — known as the pannus — that occurs in the lower portion of the abdominal wall after massive weight loss or sometimes after pregnancy.

The pannus can weigh as much as 100 pounds in some individuals and some patients can have two or three redundant skin folds. Thus, a pannus can interfere with personal hygiene. I can lead to skin infections beneath skin folds, bad odor and back pain. The loose, hanging skin can make it difficult to find appropriate clothing and even regular activities like walking, sitting or standing may become difficult.

There might be insurance coverage for panniculectomy if the pannus hangs below the crotch level; the patient has lost 100 pounds or more, has been at a stable weight for at least six months, and, if the patient has had weight loss surgery, the operation was at least 18 months ago; or, the patient has a documented history of recurrent rashes or non-healing ulcers for at least three months. Insurance will also cover panniculectomy if the pannus causes difficulty in walking, sitting or standing and interferes with the activities of daily living.