When attending your consultation, along with discussing your expectations and the result you wish to achieve you will also be asked a series of questions that relate to your medical health. It is important to answer these questions openly and honestly as these provide vital information for your surgeon and anaesthetist. Your responses to these questions will highlight any issues that will help assess your suitability for surgery and any issues that should be monitored whilst under anaesthetic and post surgically.
In order to assess your suitability for surgery your BMI will be calculated, to work out your BMI (Body Mass Index) you should divide your weight in Kilograms by your height in Metres then divide the answer by your height again. The NHS provide an online tool to help calculate this should you wish:
Calculate your weight here.
If your BMI is: below 18.5 – you’re in the underweight range, between 18.5 and 24.9 – you’re in the healthy weight range, between 25 and 29.9 – you’re in the overweight range and between 30 and 39.9 – you’re in the obese range.
Why is weight such an important factor when considering surgery?
Weight is a major factor when determining a patients’ suitability for surgery, not just for those who maybe overweight but for those underweight patients too. It is not uncommon for a surgeon to request a patient either loses or gains weight prior to surgery being undertaken. It is important to understand that this is for your own benefit, to ensure your body is in the optimum condition prior to surgery, so that your procedure is carried out with as little risk of complication as possible and to promote a speedy recovery post operatively.
Not only is it important that you are within the boundaries of a healthy weight for medical reasons but also from an aesthetic perspective too. Maintaining a stable weight and healthy diet post operatively will mean the result your surgeon has achieved is a long term result as any weight gain or loss following surgery will undoubtedly affect this result.
If you are considering surgery and would like to arrange a confidential no obligation consultation at one of my clinics in Birmingham or The Midlands please call 0121 794 2369 or for more information visit my website.
