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Are there times when surgery is not recommended?

Yes! Cigarette smokers, malnutrition problems, and other medical conditions such as uncontrolled diabetes that prevent proper healing can present high risk for infection and non-healing. Once these conditions are controlled, surgery can be performed. We require a patient to stop smoking at least 4 weeks before the surgery and to not smoke or use nicotine products until fully healed which can take up to 3-6 months.

Malnutrition is a major concern in the gastric bypass patients. Protein stores and hematocrit levels of the blood must be in a normal range so the body has the optimal ability to heal. We check the blood values for all patients prior to surgery.

If we find a patient to be malnourished, we recommend a dietician to work with the patient to reach optimal levels, so surgery can be preformed with less risk.

Diabetes is a medical condition that causes problems with infection and successful healing. Depending on the severity and control of the diabetes, we may not be able to perform cosmetic surgery.

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