title: Desire for Body Contouring Surgery After Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is an effective approach for the treatment of morbid obesity. Surgically induced massive weight loss provokes skin deformities that can be addressed with plastic surgery. However, there is a paucity of data regarding the esthetic outcome of patients after LSG. The aim of the study was to assess the postoperative appearance and the request for body contouring surgery after LSG.
  
  
  METHODS
  All the patients who underwent LSG between August 2006 and September 2014 with a minimum follow-up of 1 year were interviewed using the Post-Bariatric Surgery Appearance Questionnaire. Postoperative satisfaction with their appearance, and the desire and frequency for body contouring surgery were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 175 patients were interviewed. Overall, 75% of the patients rated that they felt attractive with their appearance. More specifically, 84% of men and 72% of women were satisfied with their appearance. Females were most dissatisfied with waist/abdomen, chest/breasts, and upper arms, in descending order. Males were dissatisfied with chest/breasts, upper arms, and waist/abdomen, respectively. The most desired procedures were abdominoplasty, chest/breast lift, and upper arm lift in females and abdominoplasty, thigh lift and upper arm lift in males. Only 3.6% of patients underwent body contouring surgery postoperatively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  LSG patients rated their overall appearance from slightly to moderately attractive. There was a strong desire for abdominoplasty; breast lift and upper arm lift in females, although only a small proportion of patients proceeded to plastic surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University Hospital of Larissa, Viopolis, 41110, Larissa, Greece.
authors.forename: Eleni
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sioka
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University Hospital of Larissa, Viopolis, 41110, Larissa, Greece.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tzovaras
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University Hospital of Larissa, Viopolis, 41110, Larissa, Greece.
authors.forename: Georgia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Katsogridaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University Hospital of Larissa, Viopolis, 41110, Larissa, Greece.
authors.forename: Vissarion
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bakalis
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University Hospital of Larissa, Viopolis, 41110, Larissa, Greece.
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bampalitsa
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University Hospital of Larissa, Viopolis, 41110, Larissa, Greece.
authors.forename: Eleni
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zachari
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University Hospital of Larissa, Viopolis, 41110, Larissa, Greece. zachadim@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zacharoulis
mesh_terms: D061645:Abdominoplasty; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001132:Arm / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005743:Gastrectomy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D008297:Male; D016462:Mammaplasty; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Appearance; Bariatric surgery; Body contouring surgery; Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy; Plastic surgery