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Bariatric Surgery
Consisting of gastric bypass, gastric sleeve, and other weight-loss surgeries—collectively known as bariatric surgery—it’s done when diet and exercise haven’t worked or when you have serious health problems because of your weight. It’s about changing your digestive system to help you lose weight.
Plastic Surgery Facts
Bariatric Surgery
Get All Your Questions Answered
By Dr. Michael Renfrow
• Gastric bypass vs. gastric sleeve?
Gastric bypass is a more aggressive operation for patients who qualify as super obese and usually try to achieve excellent weight loss greater than 200 pounds. The most common procedure is the gastric sleeve, typically performed on patients with a BMI greater than 40.
• How much weight you can loose?
There’s a massive range on weight loss, typically about 30 pounds in your first month, and from there, it depends on how much you want to lose following diet and exercises. Many patients start to lose weight based on the liquid diet before surgery.
• When is a good time to perform bariatric surgery?
There’s no standard age to perform a bariatric procedure; it depends on your body’s needs. Also, related to pregnancies, ideally, it is possible to do the procedures after all your pregnancies is a good idea because although you can become pregnant after a bariatric procedure, it becomes difficult from the standpoint of the diet afterward.
• Will I have loose skin after bariatric surgery?
The skin is a very elastic organ that tends to retract, but you can end up with some loose skin you are not comfortable with; my advice for my patients is to wait until you have reached your ideal weight and then visit a plastic surgeon able to perform abdominoplasty to leave you with your perfect weight and a flat abdomen
Meet Your Surgeon
Dr. Michael Renfrow
Michael Renfrow, MD, FACS, brings more than 17 years of experience in general surgery to South Florida Surgical Group in Miami, Florida, serving men, women, and teens throughout Miami-Dade County.
Dr. Michael Renfrow is a board certified general surgeon, with fellowship specialization in minimally invasive laparoscopic and robotic surgery.
Dr. Renfrow graduated, with honors, from the University of Florida. He earned his medical degree from the University of Miami School of Medicine, where he was awarded the prestigious John Foman Award for most outstanding performance in surgery.
Dr. Renfrow is a diplomate of the American Board of Surgery. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He has presented at numerous academic conferences and symposiums throughout the country. He has served as a consultant for Intuitive Surgical Inc., where he has proctored surgeons that were in the process of learning robotic surgery. He also volunteers his time at the University of Miami, training and proctoring surgical residents in robotic procedures.
