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Safe, Effective High BMI Surgery

Your body mass index, or BMI, is used by healthcare professionals to assess your weight and how it corresponds to your overall health. Your BMI can also let your physicians and other healthcare professionals better understand your risk level for certain diseases. The higher your BMI, the more you weigh in proportion to your height. At Runnels & North Outpatient Plastic Surgery Center, we offer plastic surgery options for patients with high BMIs. We specialize in high BMI plastic surgery in Jackson, MS. If you were previously told you had a BMI too high for surgery, call us today to get a second opinion.

High BMI Surgery for Plus Size in Jackson, MS

What Is BMI & How Is It Calculated?

The body mass index (BMI) is a tool used by healthcare professionals to estimate your body fat by using your weight and height. It is used to assess your risk of certain health conditions, but it is not always an accurate representation of overall health or obesity. Your BMI is calculated by dividing your weight in kilograms by the square of your height in meters. Medically speaking, BMI results fall into the following ranges:

  • Less than 18.5 – Underweight
  • 5-24.9 – Optimal weight
  • 25-29.9 – Overweight
  • 30-34.9 – Class I obesity
  • 35-39.9 – Class II obesity
  • Over 40 – Class III obesity

How Do Plastic Surgeons Interpret BMI?

Our experienced and dedicated plastic surgeons recognize that your BMI is not the only, or even the most definitive, way to measure your overall health. We consider other factors as well when evaluating a candidate for plastic surgery. Patients who are very muscular may have a very high BMI with little body fat. Patients whose BMI indicates they are obese may still have low cholesterol, low blood pressure, and be in overall good health. We will consider your overall health before making a determination about whether your BMI is too high for surgery. In general, good candidates for plastic surgery have a BMI of 30 or below. In some cases, we may agree to a high BMI surgery for plus size patients whose BMI is in the 35-39 range.

Is There a BMI Too High for Surgery?

Patients with higher BMIs are at a higher risk for complications and unfavorable results of plastic surgery procedures. Depending on the procedure being performed, its complexity, the length of the surgery, the recovery time, and your overall health, we may determine that your BMI is too high for surgery. Patients who elect to proceed with high BMI surgery are at a greater risk of:

  • Blood clots
  • Pulmonary embolism
  • Inflammation
  • Slow healing
  • Infection
  • Sleep apnea
  • Fatty liver
  • Wound healing issues

If we determine your BMI is too high for surgery, we will recommend high BMI treatment to get your BMI into a more ideal range for the procedure you’re interested in.

High BMI Treatment With Nutrition & Exercise

The best way to lower your BMI so that you’re in the ideal range for plastic surgery is to develop a healthy diet and exercise plan. We do not recommend crash diets or fad diets to our patients. Instead, we suggest a high-protein, low-fat diet that limits sugars, processed food, high-calorie food and drink, and unnatural ingredients. We recommend you limit portion sizes for meat and carbohydrates, and eat plenty of fresh fruit and green, leafy vegetables. We also recommend that you commit to at least 2.5 hours of moderate intensity exercise per week as well as strength training or resistance exercise.

Ideal Treatment Plan for High BMI Surgery for Plus Size

Before we schedule your plastic surgery procedure, we will discuss your surgical plan in detail. It’s important to manage your expectations and also understand what will be expected of you before and after surgery. We will go over the ideal surgical plan for your BMI and overall health, and help you choose the plan that will be safest and most effective for you:

  • LiposuctionFor patients who have a BMI between 22-24, we recommend liposuction. Liposuction removes stubborn pockets of fat that don’t respond to diet and exercise, and can help you reach or get close to your ideal appearance.
  • Liposuction & Skin-Tightening – For patients with a BMI between 25-28, we recommend a combination of liposuction and skin-tightening. We will first perform liposuction to remove stubborn fat pockets from strategic areas of your body. We will then reduce loose, sagging skin by performing a skin-tightening procedure.
  • Liposuction & Strategic Tucking – For patients who have a BMI between 29-32, we will recommend liposuction and strategic tucking. After performing liposuction to get rid of pockets of stubborn fat, we will perform a tummy tuck, mini-tuck, reverse tuck, brachioplasty, upper body lift, lateral thigh tuck, buttock tuck, or medial thigh tuck.
  • Staged Surgical Intervention – For patients with a BMI between 33-36, we will recommend a staged surgical plan. We will start with surgical lifts and/or tucks to eliminate excess skin and fat. We will then re-evaluate your BMI and overall health to determine if we can proceed to liposuction.

Keep in mind that as you start losing weight and you reach the ideal BMI range for surgery, you can always schedule additional procedures to get closer to the appearance you desire.

Find Out if You’re a Candidate for High BMI Surgery

Call us today or contact us online to find out if you’re a good candidate for high BMI surgery in Jackson, MS. Our team will complete a full physical examination, take your health and medical history, take measurements, and run diagnostic testing to assess your overall health. We will also go over your desired plastic surgery procedure, discuss your goals and expectations, answer questions you have, and discuss the risks and benefits of plastic surgery.

Get Outstanding Plastic Surgery in the Jackson, MS Area!