Are you a candidate for Gastric Banding?

TO GET STARTED, YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE TERMS "OBESITY" AND "MORBID OBESITY" ARE USED TO DETERMINE YOUR ELIGIBILITY FOR WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY.

Obesity becomes "morbid" when it reaches the point of significantly increasing the risk of one or more obesity-related health conditions or serious diseases (also known as comorbidities). You are typically morbidly obese if you are 50 - 100% -- or 100 pounds above -- your ideal body weight. Alternatively, a BMI (body mass index) value greater than 39 may be used to diagnose morbid obesity. Morbid obesity is a chronic disease, meaning that its symptoms build slowly over an extended period of time.

The physical cause of obesity is simple. Calories taken in exceed calories expended. However, an effective treatment is not so simple. Weight loss surgery is a tool that helps you control the calorie intake. And by doing this, you hope to avoid the negative health effects of obesity. It is important however, to gain a fundamental understanding so you can communicate and make educated decisions about your obesity and how to treat it.

DETERMINE YOUR BODY MASS INDEX (BMI)

It is also important to understand the term "body mass index" or "BMI". BMI is a number calculated from a person’s weight and height. BMI provides a reliable indicator of body fatness for most people and is used by Doctors and Health Insurance companies to screen for weight categories (obesity or morbid obesity) that may lead to health problems.

HOW TO CALCULATE YOUR BODY MASS INDEX (BMI)

work out your BMI

If you know your weight and height you can try the BMI calculator on the NHS website, please use the link below

http://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/Healthyweightcalculator.aspx?Tag=Calculators

The categories are listed below

BMI Classification Health Risk Surgery Category

Under 18.5 Underweight Minimal n/a

18.5 - 24.9 Healthy Weight Minimal n/a

25 - 29.9 Overweight Increased cosmetic

30 - 34.9 Obese High cosmetic

35 - 39.9 Severely Obese Very High medically necessary when comorbidities exist

40 & over Morbidly Obese Extremely High usually medically necessary

A person with a BMI between 35.0 – 39.9 may be eligible for weight loss surgery if they have comorbidities (medical illnesses/diseases that are either caused by or contributed to by the excess weight that can result either in significant physical disability or even death.)

Morbidly Obese: "Morbid obesity" means that a person is either 50%-100% over normal weight, more than 100 pounds over normal weight, has a BMI of 40 or higher, or is sufficiently overweight to severely interfere with health or normal function.

Health Effects of Morbid Obesity

Severe obesity damages the body in many ways. Obesity adversely effects the mechanical, metabolic and physiological bodily functions. These "co-morbidities" affect nearly every organ in the body in some way, and produce serious secondary illnesses, which may also be life-threatening. The cumulative effect of these co-morbidities can interfere with a normal and productive life, cause endless frustration and can seriously shorten life as well. The following are just some of the health effects of morbid obesity:

Shortened Life Span

Dysmetabolic Syndrome X

Heart Disease

High Blood Pressure

High Blood Cholesterol

Diabetes Mellitus

Sleep Apnea Syndrome

Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome

Respiratory Insufficiency

Heartburn - Reflux Disease and Reflux Nocturnal Aspiration

Asthma and Bronchitis

Gallbladder Disease

Stress Urinary Incontinence

Degenerative Disease of Lumbo-Sacral Spine

Degenerative Arthritis of Weight-Bearing Joints

Venous Stasis Disease

Emotional/Psychological Illness

Social Effects

You may have experienced one or more of these co-morbidities as a result of being obese and you may have become aware of other co-morbidities you did not know you had. Be sure to tell your surgeon about these. But the point is to grasp just how destructive the effects of obesity are to your mechanical, metabolic and physiological bodily functions and decide whether the benefits out weigh the risks in going through with weight loss surgery

For more information on the procedure for gastric banding please visit www.belvedereclinic.co.uk

The Belvedere Private Clinic based in London/kent has just opened a brand new clinic in Ilford, Essex.

The Belvedere who first opened their doors to cosmetic surgery back in 1985, have expanded there services to people who live in Essex. Using the latest technology with brand new cosmetic procedures.

The belvedere in Ilford can offer Cosmetic Dentistry, along with general dentistry. Offering Procedures for Tooth Whitening, Dental Bonding, Porcelain Veneers, Orthodontic Treatments, Enamel Shaping, Gingivoplasty -Gum Lift, Dental Implants, Tooth-Coloured Fillings, Micro-abrasion and Crowns.

In these modern times people are much more aware of straight healthy looking teeth and because you cant get half of these procedures on the NHS, Cosmetic dentistry is very popular and now available to anyone who is wanting to improve on their smile.

The Belvedere Ilford are also embarking on a revolutionary new treatment for Hair loss "Follicular Unit Hair Transplantation" This brand new procedure relocates hair naturally.

Natural hair transplantation results come from copying nature, hair for hair.

The belvedere's team of skilled and meticulous technicians working closely with

the hair transplant physician will relocate carefully prepared bold-resistant follicular units from the back and sides of the scalp and recreate a natural pattern of hair in the balding areas, this process works for a lifetime because the hair follicles taken from the back of the head are genetically resistant to baldness, regardless of where they are relocated to.

A typical session of between 1,500 to 3,000 grafts normally involves a full day of surgery on an out patient basis. Most patients feel fine within a day or two following surgery, although some numbness and mild soreness can be expected for several days. It will take between three to five months before the transplanted hair follicles begin to grow new hair.

The Belvedere Ilford have also purchased a state of the art laser machine for various new non-surgical procedures, very popular for people that don't want to go under the knife but still get the same results. The good thing about lasers is that it has the ability to smooth acne scars, fine lines and seemingly miraculously vaporise birthmarks, facial hairs, moles, tattoos, sun spots and spider veins. Patients can expect a 50 to 80 percent improvement but should allow 18 months for complete results.

Belvedere's brand new laser procedures are Smart Liposuction and face lifts (facial skin tightening).

Laser-assisted liposuction works on small, localised areas of fat on the face and body. Areas that can be treated with laser-assisted liposuction include the face, neck, jowls, arms, back, gynecomastia (or male breasts) and loose skin.

The energy from the laser doesn't just destroy fat cells -- it also triggers the production of collagen. Collagen is a protein that gives skin its strength and keeps it looking firm. This extra collagen tightens the treated area, which is why laser-assisted liposuction works better than conventional liposuction for people who have loose skin.

Laser Face Lift is a minimally invasive, non-surgical process that uses an infrared light source (a laser) to tighten skin by heating the collagen under the skin’s surface, causing the skin to contract (tighten). With many different cosmetic dermatology options available, patients often wonder how laser Face Lift compares to other procedures. More effective than chemical peels and microdermabrasion, and less invasive than surgery, laser Face Lift is a virtually pain-free procedure that produces lasting results.

Breast enlargement using Muscle-splitting technique

Mr Umar Khan of the Belvedere Clinic talks us through his surgical approach to breast augmentation and, in particular, his muscle-splitting technique in implant placement aimed at getting the most natural result

Breast augmentation is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures performed on women. The size and firmness of the breast is very important for one's self-confidence. This procedure is ideal for those who have not developed their desired breast size and for those who have perhaps lost breast tissue after breast feeding or weight loss.

The usual practice is to increase the breast to the desired size by inserting an implant either behind or in front of the pectoris muscle in the chest and different surgeons have different surgical approaches. I have developed a technique, published in the Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Journal in the USA, which places the implant both above and below the muscle in the breast.

The breast is uniquely shaped - it is flatter on the top and rounded at the bottom. If you put the implant totally behind the muscle this will affect the shape you can achieve because the muscle is completely flat. So it will pump out the breast rather than fill out the rounded bottom part of the breast. By putting the implant behind the muscle it is in a separate compartment that is not directly communicating with the breast tissue compartment.

The half and half technique means that in the top part of the breast where the muscle is merging with the flesh you can create lift by placing the implant behind the muscle and in the lower part the implant is placed in front of the muscle and then fills out the breast tissue directly for a more natural shape. An optimal natural shape is achieved in the lower part of the breast because you are not restricted by the shape given by the flat pectoralis muscle.

The muscle is composed of long fibres from the centre of the breast to the arm and I split it along the direction of the fibres. This is how the implant can remain behind the muscle in the upper part of the breast and at the same time sit in front of the muscle in the lower rounded part of the breast, directly behind the breast tissue.

This technique also has the capacity to adapt to normal breast changes that take place in everyone. Routine body weight, body fat and breast changes - especially seen after pregnancy - are tolerated better to give the breasts a natural shape for a longer period of time. I do all my breast augmentation procedures using this technique where the implant is placed through the breast crease and is partly covered by the muscle.

The recovery time is also much quicker because I'm going through the fleshy part of the muscle. A straight implant under the muscle means that you have to remove the muscle from the ribs which results in more bleeding and the need for drains. It is also much more painful doing it this way and movement is restricted for four to six weeks. By not detaching the muscle from the ribs most of the patients are able to perform routine activities within a week and exercises and jobs that involve heavy work or lifting are left just a little longer.

No rippling, lateral displacement, double-bubble deformity, or muscle contraction-associated deformities have been seen with this new procedure. The prosthesis is also adequately covered by the upper part of the pectoralis muscle so you are not left with an obvious implant which sometime occurs when the implant is placed above the muscle.

The results will be permanent, but further surgery may be needed if problems arise. It is important to remember that all breast implant surgery will leave some scarring. read more and see before and after pictures at www.belvedereclinic.co.uk