Dr. Rukmini Rednam is a prominent board-certified plastic & reconstructive surgeon and a FACS practicing in the Woodlands and Houston. She specializes in multiple areas like cosmetic face and neck surgery, non-surgical neck and face procedures, surgical body procedures, body affirming surgeries, etc. She is the proud recipient of several awards including the Castle Connolly Top Doctor 2022, Texas Super Doctors Rising Star for 4 consecutive years, Top Doctor from RealSelf and more. We recently got an opportunity to talk to her regarding the benefits of excess skin removal for a long time along with other relevant queries.
When it comes to extreme or dramatic weight loss, body contouring is a next level advancement. Why? Because according to many plastic surgeons, it is the most beneficial way to get rid of excess skin due to massive weight loss. Over the past few weeks, we have compiled a list of people’s most frequently asked questions, and spoke to Dr. Rednam to gather answers on this topic.
The body contouring questions consisted of many common misconceptions. For example, there are patients who tend to think that body contouring will prevent future weight gain. This is untrue for a number of reasons. In a recent interview with Dr. Rukmini Rednam, MD, of Houston, she details why this thought process is flawed..
According to Dr. Rednam—who has spent many years performing skin removal surgeries— the purpose of body contouring is to redefine and reshape the body. Weight gain is still a possibility when due to the remaining fat cells that are present even after the procedure. Those cells can enlarge with weight gain at any given time due to a poor diet or lack of exercise.. Therefore, maintenance of an active lifestyle and a healthy diet after surgery is highly encouraged.
Another frequently asked question is: What motivates someone to go through with an excess skin removal procedure?
“I talk to my patients a lot to get a deeper understanding of their motivations. I can tell you there are many different reasons why they may desire excess skin removal. Mostly, I hear a lot of men and women say they’re ready to leave ‘the old them’ behind. These men and women often literally feel trapped in their own bodies as their former self, despite mentally feeling like a different person,” Dr. Rukmini says.
Why do body contouring surgeons dislike rapid weight loss?
“Rapid weight loss, while necessary in some situations to improve overall health, can be challenging for surgery afterwards. An unfortunate side effect is that many people are left with excess skin due to the rapid loss of weight loss and the body’s inability to accommodate quickly enough.”
As much as she loves body contouring procedures after massive weight loss,, the Houston-based plastic surgeon makes it clear that they aren’t quite as popular among all plastic surgeons. These particular surgeries can be very challenging and may not be as straightforward as a breast augmentation, tummy tuck or BBL on individual who has no experienced the same level of weigh loss. When dealing with excess skin removal, there is a constant battle with increased skin laxity and poor elasticity requiring someone with experience to understand how to stage and predict the often multiple surgeries needed.
Dr. Rednam’s statement set off another question by one of our team members: If these surgeries are so challenging, why do you enjoy them so much?
“Because they’re meaningful. And when I am able to meet or exceed expectations with my weight loss patients, nothing makes me feel better.”
She further explains her goals as a skin removal professional, saying she wants her patients to fall in love with how they appear (both in and out of clothes). Dr. Rednam claims that there is a great level of confidence that arises from these procedures after someone sheds the weight of their past self. She includes that these men and women are typically highly satisfied, since they can move on to the best version of themselves.
With bariatric surgery – a general treatment method for obesity – growing in popularity and availability as one of the fastest progessing surgical specialities, the need for excess skin removal is becoming more commonplace. Part of the reason that bariatric surgeries are on the rise are that they not only provide a means of significant weigh loss but also the ability to treat diseases such as: diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, sleep apnea and more.
Much like body contouring, there are many upsides to bariatric surgery. Dr. Rednam says the surgical specialty allows obese patients who have been unsuccessful or have had many obstacles to weight loss live a more enjoyable healthy life witth a higher quality of life. She also mentions that a reduction in the risk of death from multiple diseases is the most significant benefit of weight loss surgery.
The board-certified surgeon’s greatest moments come from seeing the excitement on her patients faces after a procedure. She enjoys the fact that her field of work allows her to help people to look on the outside how they feel inside.
Connect with Dr. Rednam via her Instagram page.