Many healthcare companies are in the market offering to organise and assist patients who have decided to “go private� for their procedures – either as a first choice or because surgery is simply not available to them under the national health scheme.
Most prospective patients, certainly in the UK and Republic of Ireland, arrange their private treatment through commercial providers and/or facilitators, rather than attempting to deal direct with the surgeon, and many providers offer a range of procedures, from Cosmetic Surgery, Dental Treatment or Laser Eye Surgery to Obesity Surgery and General Surgery.
It can be quite bewildering for the prospective patient who must not only attempt to learn as much as possible about the procedure they wish to undergo, but also try to select a surgeon and medical team they are willing to put their trust in, and to choose a company which will inform and guide them honestly and put the patient’s best interests above their own desire to “make a sale�.
Michael Dermody and Deborah Darling of Cosmetic Bliss – a private healthcare company which arranges weight loss surgery and post-weight loss cosmetic surgery in the Czech Republic for English-speaking patients are calling for better standards of clear communication and improved support by healthcare facilitators for their patients – especially in the field of weight loss surgery , their own specialist area.
Michael Dermody is quoted as saying
“Our company’s high reputation on the various weight loss forums is founded on our being able to provide thorough and extensive information to our patients pre-operatively, ensuring that they are properly prepared for their surgery; supporting them whilst they make the visit for the surgical procedure and being available to them during the period of weight loss after their surgery.
I think what makes us special is the “hand-holding� service we give whilst the patient is with us for surgery. We make sure we are there – in the hospital – with them throughout their stay, and this is something our patients really value above everything else. Of course we couldn’t do it without the co-operation we get from our partner hospital and surgeon.
We realised a long time ago that taking patients through weight loss surgery was very different from arranging Cosmetic Surgery – it is much more demanding, and requires a much greater commitment by the provider
Firstly, there is the matter of assessing the patient’s suitability for surgery. Quite apart from fairly rigorous pre-operative preparation and testing, some of which should be done well before the surgery itself, there is the issue of making sure the patient is really ready for surgery and prepared to make the mental adjustments, in terms of relationship to food which are necessary if the surgery is to achieve long-term weight loss. Then there is the question of putting in place for the patient an adequate system of support and monitoring during the months and years after the surgery. Unless all these things are done, and done correctly, there’s every chance a patient is wasting their money in having the surgery, as the whole point of the exercise is for the patient to achieve sustained, long term weight loss, not merely a good safe operation with clean scars!
It disheartens and worries me when I see that there are still some companies out there that sell weight loss surgery in a way I would expect to see furniture sold, with “special offer� discounts, and “last minute deals�. It all seems to diminish the serious nature of the surgery and the commitment the patient has to make. More alarming, though, is the lack of quality information provided by some companies – and in some cases positively inaccurate and misleading information is openly advertised on websites. There are still providers of weight loss procedures who advertise a Gastric Bands as being “the same as Gastric Bypass�, and even one promoting Intragastric balloons (a non-surgical temporary endoscopic procedure) as “Lap Bands� .
That’s no different from selling someone a cat, and telling them it’s a dog, on the grounds that “it’s the same thing�!
I know that many companies do a good job, but it is not fair or right to expect the enquiring prospective patient to be able to distinguish between accurate and misleading or inadequate information – especially as they often come to the marketplace having done very little research before contacting providers.
I firmly believe that there is a crying need for Private Healthcare providers and Medical Tourism companies to get together – probably in the form of a trade organisation - to set agreed standards of care, support and accuracy of information, and devise a form of accreditation – not only for the sake of their own reputations but in the interests of true patient care.
Our own facilities in Breclav Hospital are specifically geared to Obesity Surgery, and there are emergency and ICU departments on hand at this modern major hospital to enable us to safely cater for those morbidly obese patients who have other serious health problems. We are working closely with the hospital and Dr Michal Cierny PhD, the Specialist Bariatric Surgeon in charge of the Bariatric and Metabolic Centre there in creating a European Centre of Excellence in Bariatric Surgery.
We are currently actively seeking to co-operate with other providers and facilitators of Private Healthcare - especially in the UK, Eire, and North America - who have a close and trusting relationship with their patients and who share our own commitment to the quality of information and pre- and post-operative care standards for Bariatric patients I have described.
We are willing to develop working relationships with companies who wish to take full advantage of our facilities for safe surgery, and who will value the round the clock support we will be able to provide to their patients when they are with us for surgery. This will enable the provider to focus on putting in place a solid system of pre-and post operative support, and we would welcome enquiries from other Private Healthcare companies working in this field who are interested in developing such a relationship, and promoting standards of excellence in the area of Obesity Surgery and care and support in managing weight loss post-surgery.
We would welcome enquiries from Healthcare Providers and Facilitators, initial contact can be made with us through our website: http://www.cosmeticbliss.co.uk/p/contact

Metro News, 27th October 2009

Hardly anyone is 100% happy with their appearances. Many of us try hard to change what they don’t like. There are, however, things that dieting and exercising alone can’t improve.

Stubborn fat in the tummy, tights and hips is a serious problem, especially for women.

An anonymous lady from Halifax had liposuction in 2006. Even though she’s never been big, she wasn’t happy with her tights and hips. She was in great physical shape, had a healthy diet and was exercising regularly but still couldn’t achieve her goals. It was a challenge to find the right clothes that would fit her slim torso and larger bottom.

Weight Loss Surgery Channel, 26th July 2009

Obese patients have got a powerful tool in their fight for loss-weight – a surgery. Batriatic surgeons highlight, though, the surgery alone does not guarantee success.

The key to the satisfaction is after-surgery support and change of diet and life-style. Dr. Emma Patterson, Medical Director at Oregon Weight Loss Surgery, created a revolutionary post-op program she presented at the 2009 annual meeting in Grapevine.

Dr. Patterson is a very experienced surgeon. She has performed over 1.300 batriatic procedures. She has also trained surgeons around the world, has published journal articles, abstracts and book chapters. Dr. Patterson admits, though, that weight-loss surgery is not the magic tool that cures all obesity-related problems.

Best Syndication, 22 March 2009

It is not easy to lose weight. There is no facile way, they all require lots of good will, self-abnegation and patience. The result is well worth it, though. Being slimmer means better health, easier moving, higher self-esteem, not to mention great look.

People who lost a lot of weight might find it difficult to deal with it afterwards. Extended skin is the major problem. It is too loose after having lost serous weight. Also fat deposits are visible in some places.

Losing weight, no matter if through exercising, diet or cosmetic surgery, is only the first part of all the changes.

EarthTimes, 08 October 2008

The latest studies show that injecting fat in breasts after the augmentation surgery can be safe and shows great effects. The study is controversial and will be discussed in further details by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

The MD of the ASPS, Gregory Scott, says that the appearance of the breasts after fat injection would be much improved and make the patients really happy with the results. “The initial implant reconstruction sometimes leaves them with contour deformities or wrinkling, but fat injections can correct these problems and give their breasts a smoother, softer, more natural appearance,” he said.

Best Syndication 18 September, 2008

Liposuction as a quick way of loosing fat, is a very common cosmetic surgery these days. Thanks to the procedure the flat tummy and slim lights are possible to achieve.

The surgery is safer than other weight-loss operations but patients need to be aware of the potential risks.

The benefits of the liposuction are numerous. The surgery can be seen as a body sculpture as the doctor shapes the chosen parts. One of the differences between liposuction and other weight-loss surgeries is that here the last effect depends more on patients.

Aug 29 2008 by Lisa Jones, South Wales Echo

‘I feel as if I’m stuck inside a horrible shell’

A YOUNG dad has told how he has become a recluse after being refused an operation to remove four stone of excess skin from his body.

Alistair Preston, 28, was morbidly obese and told he would be dead within a year if he did not shed weight from his 37-stone frame.

The father of one, from Pengam Green, Cardiff, lost 20 stone after he underwent a £10,000 gastric sleeve operation in 2006, paid for by his mother, who re-mortgaged her house. COSMETIC BLISS NOTE: A SLEEVE OPERATION WITH US WILL COST ONLY £4,990.00

13 Feb 2008 - www.lookinggood-feelinggreat.co.uk
The perception of undergoing liposuction as an instant measure to lose weight is a “common misconception”, according to independent consumer advice portal Looking Good BuyAssociation.

Liposuction is intended for people who have unevenly distributed fat deposits on parts of the body including the stomach, thighs, buttocks and arms that diet and exercise alone cannot remove.

Felicity Quigley, editor of Looking Good BuyAssociation, said: “The thing about liposuction is that, number one, it doesn’t actually reduce cellulite… the best candidates for liposuction are people who have actually tried diet and exercise, have tried to shift pockets of fat that they can’t get rid of, and it’s about getting rid of it that way; it’s not about losing weight.”

The Scotsman 04/02/08

RECORD numbers of people across the UK are going under the knife, according to new figures which show a large increase in plastic-surgery procedures.

The figures, released by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (Baaps), show the stigma of “having some work done” is falling away.

Some 32,453 people chose to have cosmetic surgery last year, an increase of 12 per cent on 2006, when 28,921 procedures were carried out.

Facelifts are becoming ever more popular according to data, with 4,238 women opting for the procedure last year, a rise of 37 per cent on 2006.

5 October 2007 Easier.com

Almost one million (918,000) image conscious British adults are planning to borrow a whopping £1.4 billion to pay for plastic surgery, according to the research from Abbey Loans.

With all those celebrities showing off their beach bodies over the summer, most Britons appear most concerned about perfecting their curves and honing their six packs. Indeed breast augmentation is the most common cosmetic procedure sought by Brits, accounting for 27 per cent of all surgery, followed by tummy tucks with 25 per cent. Rhinoplasties, or nose jobs, were cited as the third favourite area with 17 per cent.