Loose skin on the upper arms is one of the more common reasons people come to see me as they get older. The skin on the inner arm is thin to begin with, and over the years it loses skin elasticity and starts to hang. For some people this is
Zinc is one of the five supplements every post-weight-loss patient in my practice starts at their first consultation, before we even have blood results back. It is essential for wound healing, collagen production and immune function. After significant weight loss, most patients have nutritional gaps in zinc that developed during
Reference Summary What vitamin D is: A fat-soluble vitamin that functions more like a hormone. It is produced in the skin in response to sunlight and activated through two steps in the liver and kidneys. Why it matters before body contouring surgery: Vitamin D plays a direct role in wound
Reference Summary: Thiamine (B1) and Vitamin B6 for Body Contouring Surgery What they are: Thiamine (vitamin B1) and vitamin B6 are two water-soluble B vitamins that do very different jobs, but both matter to me before I operate on a post-weight-loss patient. Thiamine drives energy metabolism and nerve function. Vitamin
Every abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) leaves a scar. There is no way around that. When I remove excess skin from the abdomen, I am making an incision, and an incision heals as a scar. What I can influence is where the scar sits, the surgical technique used to close the wound,
Like any major surgery, an abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) leaves a scar. After significant weight loss the scar tends to be longer than people expect, because the amount of loose skin I am removing is greater. Most people I see after weight loss are not asking whether there will be a
Reference summary Calcium is a Tier 2 supplement in my pre-operative protocol. That means I do not start every patient on it at the first consultation. I check blood results first, then decide. This is a deliberate position. It differs from a lot of general post-bariatric advice that tells patients
Reference Summary Iron deficiency is the single most common nutritional issue I identify among my post-weight-loss body-contouring patients. Up to half of long-term post-bariatric patients are affected. Iron is required for oxygen transport, wound healing, and immune function. Low iron levels increase the risk of poor healing, infection, and postoperative
Most of the patients I see for abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) have worked hard to lose a significant amount of weight. Some have had bariatric surgery. Some have used weight loss medications. Others have done it through diet and exercise over years. What they have in common, once they reach my
REFERENCE SUMMARY The issue is that patients who have lost significant weight, whether through bariatric surgery, GLP-1 receptor agonist medications, or structured dietary changes, frequently present for body-contouring procedures with subclinical or clinical nutritional deficiencies. These deficiencies directly affect wound healing, immune function, and the risk of post-operative complications, including DVT.