Weight loss and maintenance of weight is a complex medical field that requires more well-designed research studies and expanded general public knowledge.
Each patient is unique and there is no sure-fire “cookbook” approach, although there are some useful general guidelines.
After the weight loss comes the “what do I do now”, because these patients lose not only fat but also muscle during the process of their weight loss, so their skin sags and they don’t like what they see. Women lose facial fat deposits and develop hollows just below their cheeks; men have sagging belly fat, deep nasolabial folds, and loss of muscle mass which is annoying. In some, hair loss accelerates.
That is the process I deal with in my clinic.
Once the weight stabilizes, how do these patients restore their looks? Most have increased sense of self-esteem after their weight loss, and they want to look good as well.
The approach I have is again, look at the patient as a whole, and start a detailed conversation about what it is they want to accomplish.
There are many tools in the aesthetic field, and a combination of several is frequently the best approach. The end point of their initial consultation is to craft a short and long term plan the patient feels comfortable with from a logistic and financial outlook.
