Abstract

Background: Bariatric surgery (or weight loss surgery) includes a group of procedures done on obese people. This study was conducted to assess post-bariatric surgery satisfaction and body-contouring consideration after massive weight loss among post-bariatric patients.
Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional approach was used targeting all post-bariatric patients in Najran University Hospital, Najran, Saudi Arabia. Data were collected through interviewing all post-bariatric patients who were admitted or visited obesity or dietary clinic in Najran University Hospital in the period between September 2018 and December 2018.
Results: The study included 118 cases who underwent bariatric surgery. The participants’ age ranged from 15 to 60 years old with a mean age of 34.6 ± 10.7 years old. The majority of cases were males (69.5%; 82) and Saudi (80.5%; 95). Weight was significantly decreased from 102.8 ± 18.5 kg before undergoing the bariatric surgery to 77.7 ± 10.1 9 kg months after undergoing surgery. Thirty-four (28.8%) participants recorded that they had massive weight loss. Regarding their perception of the most affected area (had skin folding), abdominal region was the most reported (41.5%) followed by upper limbs (16.9%), buttocks, and thigh.
Conclusions: The study revealed that most of the cases who had undergone bariatric surgery were satisfied with their body image except for their abdominal region. This developed the desire in a high portion of cases to undergo body-contouring surgery to improve their general appearance.

Key words: Bariatric surgery, weight change, satisfaction, contour surgery, expectation