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Bota et al. Plast Aesthet Res 2018;5:30 Plastic and
DOI: 10.20517/2347-9264.2018.47 Aesthetic Research

Review Open Access

Wound healing in postbariatric body contouring
surgery

Olimpiu Bota, Martin Schreiber, Florian Bönke, Dominika Teather, Adrian Dragu

Department of Plastic and Hand Surgery, University Center of Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus,
Dresden 01307, Germany.

Correspondence to: Prof. Adrian Dragu, Department of Plastic and Hand Surgery, University Center of Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery,
University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Fetscherstraße 74, Dresden 01307, Germany. E-mail: adrian.dragu@uniklinikum-dresden.de

How to cite this article: Bota O, Schreiber M, Bönke F, Teather D, Dragu A. Wound healing in postbariatric body contouring surgery.
Plast Aesthet Res 2018;5:30. http://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2347-9264.2018.47

Received: 12 Jun 2018 Accepted: 24 Jul 2018 Published: 23 Aug 2018

Science Editor: Raymund Engelbert Horch Copy Editor: Jun-Yao Li Production Editor: Huan-Liang Wu

Abstract
Due to the continuous development in the field of bariatric surgery, there is an increasing need for postbariatric body
contouring surgery. The morbidity of postbariatric patients predisposes them to develop wound healing complications.
In this article we describe the preoperative, intraoperative and surgical factors influencing the wound healing and
therefore the final outcome. The most common postbariatric body contouring procedures, including brachioplasty,
breast contouring surgery, abdominoplasty/circumferential body lift and medial thigh lift are being discussed in terms
of wound healing characteristics and subsequent complications. The preoperative preparing as well as special operative
techniques are described in order to achieve a low rate of wound healing complications.

Keywords: Body contouring, postbariatric surgery, wound healing

INTRODUCTION
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2016, 39% of the world population was overweight
2
and 13% of this group were obese. Overweight is defined by a body mass index (BMI, kg/m ) ≥ 25 and obe-
[1]
sity is defined by a BMI ≥ 30 . In order to reduce the comorbidities associated with overweight like diabetes
[2]
mellitus type 2 and certain types of cancer and cardiovascular diseases , the current guidelines for obesity
recommend a weight loss of at least five percent body weight in patients with a BMI ≤ 35 and a weight loss
of at least ten percent body weight in patients with a BMI ≤ 35. The therapeutical change of life style, diet re-

© The Author(s) 2018. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use,
sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, for any purpose, even commercially, as long
as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license,
and indicate if changes were made.

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