Loose skin after major weight loss — surgical vs non-surgical options

Dr.DermMIA said:

This is the one where the stakes are high and the answer is simple: tell the anaesthetist.

Dr.DermMIA said:

...surgery and anaesthesia should be combined with bariatric surgery...

This is actually an active area of research. Some bariatric programs are using GLP-1 agonists:

1. Pre-operatively to reduce liver size and surgical risk
2. Post-operatively to enhance and maintain weight loss
3. As an alternative for patients who don't qualify for or want surgery

The combination approach makes physiological sense — surgery addresses anatomy, GLP-1s address neurohormonal signaling. Early data on the combination is promising but we need larger studies.

Following on from Dr.NephBHM_UK — and this may be the naive question:

How would you tell the difference between that and the alternative explanation?

Dr.PathRoch said:

Dr.DermMIA said: ...surgery and anaesthesia should be combined with bariatric surgery...

Coming at Dr.PathRoch’s question from a different direction. It helps to say which part of this you are uncertain about. A precise question gets a precise answer; a general one gets everybody’s favourite anecdote.

Closing the loop on my own question.

Update — I was wrong in the opening post, specifically about the direction. Correcting it here rather than editing it away.

pete_nash said:

It helps to say which part of this you are uncertain about.

That is right for the common case. Whether it is right for the case being asked about depends on a detail that has not been given.