International Teaching
on Body Contouring After Weight Loss
When I finished my training in plastic surgery, I started my career at the University of Iowa. This was very fortunate for me since it happened to be the birthplace of bariatric surgery. Bariatric surgery is a branch of general surgery that specializes in surgical approaches to help obese patients lose weight.
When I arrived at the University of Iowa, there was a concentration of patients who had experienced massive weight loss. These patients were somewhat limited geographically to the Midwest region of the US. This group of patients originally lost their weight through interventions developed by a University of Iowa pioneer, Dr. Edward E. Mason, the “father of bariatric surgery.” Because of this, they started to come to the plastic surgery division at the University of Iowa for their body contouring plastic surgery procedures.
Dr. Aly Pioneered Procedures for Weight Loss Patients
I quickly found that the ordinary procedures plastic surgeons learn in their residency training did not solve the problems of massive weight loss patients. These patients presented with rather complex and, at the time, yet uncategorized deformities in multiple areas of the body.
Faced with these deformities and spurred on by patients’ desires to improve their bodies, I was pushed to pioneer the then brand new subspecialty of plastic surgery called “body contouring after massive weight loss.”
These Post-Weight-Loss Body Contouring Procedures Include:
- Belt lipectomy/body lift
- Brachioplasty (arm lift or reduction)
- Upper body lift
- Thigh reduction (thigh lift)
Improvements in Weight Loss Surgeries Necessitated a New Type of Body Contouring Surgery
Around the turn of the century, bariatric surgery received a major boost with the introduction of a number of weight-loss surgeries. These were better tolerated and less risky than those originally invented by Dr. Mason. Up to that time, I was performing these surgeries on a group of patients limited to the Midwest, as mentioned above.
Most plastic surgeons before that time probably never encountered a single massive weight loss patient in their entire career. Suddenly, massive weight loss patients were popping up all over the country in fairly large numbers. Unfortunately, plastic surgeons were simply not trained to take care of their needs, with the exception of our practice at the University of Iowa.
Dr. Aly Educated Plastic Surgeons on Body Contouring for Massive Weight Loss Patients
I published the first article written on the subject of body contouring in massive weight loss patients in 2003. Around that time, the number of these patients seeking help from plastic surgeons increased dramatically. There was a sudden need for education of the entire plastic surgery community on how to handle massive weight loss patients.
Dr. Aly’s Renowned Textbook, “Body Contouring after Massive Weight Loss”
Fortunately, I had an extensive head start on this subject and was soon involved in a national effort to educate plastic surgeons about it. I was invited to lecture all over the US. Eventually, this led to publishing the first-ever textbook entitled “Body Contouring after Massive Weight Loss.” Over a number of years, this became the highest-selling textbook in plastic surgery, demonstrating the hunger plastic surgeons have for knowledge in this area of plastic surgery.
International Education of Plastic Surgeons
Although obesity is originally an American (US) problem, the factors that led to this ongoing obesity pandemic have been transported all over the world, with few exceptions. Thus, over the last two decades, weight loss surgery and the accompanying plastic and cosmetic surgery to fix the resultant body contours has become a universal need.
My name became synonymous with body contouring after massive weight loss all over the world. I have been fortunate enough to be invited to lecture and/or perform live surgery demonstrations in over 35 countries around the planet.
The accompanying world map shows the places I have had the pleasure of visiting and contributing to the education of plastic surgeons.
Dr. Aly Has Taught Plastic Surgeons in the Following Countries
United States (extensively)
Canada
Costa Rica
Brazil
Argentina
Mexico
Colombia
United Arab Emirates
Qatar
New Zealand
Bahrain
Iran
South Korea
Romania
Lebanon
Finland
Saudi Arabia
Germany
Spain
Turkey
Portugal
South Africa
Russia
Kuwait
Egypt
Belgium
India
England
Taiwan
Sweden
Australia
Denmark
China
Ireland
Pakistan