Body Contouring Might Be a Good Add-On Service to Offer after Bariatric Surgery

As the desire for weight loss or bariatric surgery increases, the desire for surgery to remove the excess skin increases. But many of the people who need the surgery, called body contouring surgery, don't get the surgery. Although the surgery is viewed as cosmetic, the surgery can improve the quality of life for someone who has lost a great deal of weight. It is for this reason we believe that adding body contouring as a service would be a good step for many bariatric service providers.

Many people who have had weight loss surgery want body contouring surgery. According to a report done at a Vienna hospital, out of 252 gastric bypass patients, 74% desired "body contouring surgery after gastric bypass surgery." But only "[f]ifty-three patients (21%)" had the surgery. "

And in a study done in the U.S., it was found that only 12% of post-bariatric surgery patients received body contouring surgery. Further, only 25% of the post-bariatric surgery patients talked with their bariatric surgery physicians about body contouring surgery. Indeed, many people who need body contouring surgery don't know about the surgery or can't afford it.

The British are trying to address the issue. They did a study where they concluded that "patients undergoing bariatric surgery should have information on, or access to plastic surgery where appropriate, but this" is not happening. The study suggested that "further studies focusing on the outcome of body contouring after massive weight loss could support ... [body contouring surgery] becoming [an] integral part of the bariatric surgery pathway."

Because of the "huge disparity ... between the number of subjects who desire a body contouring surgery and those who" get the surgery, we believe that offering the plastic surgery service should be a strategic objective for many bariatric centers -- especially bariatric surgical centers. Further, business planners for bariatric service providers should investigate body contouring surgery to determine if the surgery is a reasonable service option. This service offering could give a bariatric service provider a competitive advantage.

(Please leave a comment by clicking on the "COMMENTS" link at the lower right part of this blog post. SUBSCRIBE to this blog by scrolling to the bottom of this page and entering your email address.)

-------------------------------------------------------

Tags: environmental scanning, balanced scorecard, business planning, strategic management, bariatric industry analysis