Cosmeticsurgeon.co.uk - UK Cosmetic Surgeons

The founder of the New Obesity Campaign in the UK is urging people who are looking to lose weight to first try the free weight loss programs, before using dangerous surgeries to loose weight.

The campaign was created to help educate people as well as motivate them to loose weight and teach them how to loose the weight and create a healthy lifestyle. The campaign works to help people develop healthy eating habits and begin living an active lifestyle in the UK.

Membership to the New Obesity Campaign is free to anyone who wants to join. Participants can create their own plans to loose the weight they want to loose, they will receive tips on how to loose weight effectively and safely, there are messages they will receive to keep participants active, motivated and focused, there are stay slim tips and tricks from celebrities they can receive and read about and the entire program costs nothing to join and participate in.

A celebrity trainer, named Subodh Gupta feels that there are numerous problems when weight loss surgery is completed. These can include bleeding, infections, leaking and abscesses that develop, as well as throwing up, the narrowing of the area between the stomach and small bowels and ulcerations that can occur in these areas too. This is typical when gastric bypass surgery is completed. He noted that since weight loss can be achieved through natural means there is no reason to put one’s self at risk with weight loss surgeries. He continued that people can loose weight by being disciplined and committing to changing. Since nutritional plans and vitamins are needed after weight loss surgery is done, this may as well be completed in the first place and avoid surgery all together.

Lastly, he explained the cost of weight loss surgery is expensive, ranging in price from £5,500 to £15,000. This cost hurts the NHS and the UK economy. Also, that loosing weight naturally is safe. There are reasons why a person is gaining weight, usually because of poor eating habits and being inactive. Doing something now means loosing the weight naturally and permanently.

Since there has been a boost in funding for the NHS, there will be more people that will be able to have weight loss surgery, to conquer the ever growing problem with obesity. Surgeries such as gastric bypass surgery is expected to double this year alone. With additional funding, the nation may see specialists dealing with morbid obesity, in such areas as Bridgend and Swansea.

However, Welsh patients have seen £520,000 on weight loss surgery in the past two years. Of these operations, most have taken place in Salford and Bristol. Through the Freedom of Information request, only 10% of patients referred for weight loss surgery that were from Wales actually received NHS funding in the last two years.

A prominent and leading bariatric surgeon has stated that he has had patients die, because the waiting list was long and he was never able to perform the surgery. Statistics by the WHSSC show that of 1,044 patients that have been referred to a clinic surgery, only 126 patients were approved. These numbers could also be lower because some patients would have been not physically and/or psychologically suitable to have the surgery.

The director of WHSSC’s specialized services department says that weight loss surgery is low on the priority list. This is in comparison to medical treatments, such as renal dialysis and cancer services that take priority. Which she says means that coverage for the morbidly obese is only for the most sever cases where patients had another medical conditions due to their obesity.

What this means is that people in Wales with a BMI of 50 or more are considered for operations. However, England considers patients with a BMI of 40 or more. The chairman of the National Obesity Forum Wales questions why the criteria for obese people is different between England and Wales. He asks why do people with a BMI of 40 or higher receive treatment in England, while a BMI of 50 or higher is needed in Wales. He states that Wales does not handle obesity properly and there is a high morbidly obese rate in Wales compared to the rest of the Western world.

The WHSSC is evaluating proposals from South Wales and hopes that new services will see at least 80 patients receive surgery at the Princess Of Wales Hospital, Bridgend in 12 months.

In an effort to free up operating rooms for more essential surgeries, the NHS in Wales has comprised a list of 54 treatments that are now considered low priority and can only be carried out under extreme circumstances.

This is bad news for patients eagerly awaiting a cosmetic operation since procedures such as breast augmentation, tummy tucks, hair grafting for male pattern baldness, reversal of male or female sterilization, liposuction, and even tattoo removal have been moved onto a list commonly known as INNF- Interventions Not Normally Funded. These low priority procedures are being placed on the bottom of the waiting list for time in the operating rooms and clinics of Gwent’s hospitals.

Saving money is one of the reasons the Aneurin Bevan Health Board wants to minimize the occurrence of these types of surgeries. One of the biggest reasons for this new shift in priorities is the need to free up operating space and lesson the waiting time for those in need of essential surgeries. Finances are also a big motivator.

The board assumes that if priority is given to more necessary surgeries rather than to the nearly 5,500 INNF surgeries that took place in Gwent last year, hospitals will be able to save funds by encouraging those seeking plastic surgery to go elsewhere. This rationale has been disputed by hospital directors who believe that the operating theatre will still be in use, and the money will still be pouring out, but the National Public Health Services for Wales believes this is a great solution for a financial problem.

So where does this leave Gwent residents in search of a great cosmetic procedure? There are many private clinics in the area who will perform procedures, but some at exorbitant costs.

Many Gwent residents are trying out a new trend in cosmetic surgery called “cosmetic tourism” where they travel out of the country to get the desired procedures. This is often cheaper and faster than using a local hospital, but patients are cautioned to be wary of the clinics they choose as not all countries have strict standards when it comes to cosmetic procedures.