Lipectomy is cutting away excess fat. Generally, as in liposuction, it is done in the abdominal, thigh, knee, ankle, arm and chin areas and wherever there are unsightly bulges. In lipectomy excess fat and over hanging skin are cut away.
Post-operatively the patient is hospitalized for about three to five days as the scar is big, with a number of stitches. After the operation the patient is required to wear an elastic bandage for about six weeks.
As with the procedure of Liposuction, Lipectomy is also not a treatment of obesity, as it does not take into account the underlying cause of obesity.
Do you approve of “short circuiting operations that result in considerable weight loss ?”
There is plenty of medical controversy over the use or abuse of this kind of surgical treatment for weight reduction.
Some of the short circuiting operations are :
The stapling of stomach : In this case the stomach is folded to reduce its capacity for food. This makes a person feel full even with less quantity of food. The intake of food is thus automatically reduced.
The Gastro-jejunal bypass : In this case the surgeon, completely severs your gastro ( stomach) jejunal (first part of small intestines) tract and reconnects it so that you are actually “short circuiting” and you don’t absorb much of the food that you would otherwise absorb. Hopefully, after you reach your ideal weight a second operation reconnects you.
These are both major surgical procedures : they should not be considered unless every other bonafide method of weight reduction has failed.
These operations have fairly unpleasant effects and abdominal fullness all the time and the procedures by themselves create complications.
Are there any newer non-surgical methods in treatment of obesity ?
Among the newer methods are :
Balloon Technique : Here a non-toxic, non-soluble material is introduced into the stomach and then inflated into a balloon. The principle is the same as that for stapling of stomach. The capacity of the stomach is reduced for food. Due to constant abdominal fullness and unpleasantness felt by the patients, this technique has not gained popularity.
Sucrose Polyester : Sucrose polyester is a recently synthesised material that feels and tastes like fat and can be used like fat in cooking but does not get absorbed by the body. The body is thus protected from the harmful effects of excessive oil in the diet, its excessive storage in fat cells leading to obesity. The use of sucrose polyester is still in experimental stage and its use in the treatment of obesity is doubtful.