Liposuction News
12-Year-Old Girl Undergoes Liposuction to Battle Obesity
By the time she was 11 Brooke Bates weighed 180 pounds. A year later, the 5-foot-five preteen had reached an alarming 220 pounds and was deemed morbidly obese. Feeling completely isolated from her peers and helpless about her weight, Bates realized she needed to take drastic measures.
Bates and her parents discussed various options including gastric bypass surgery. They worried that the surgery was too risky. After watching a weight-loss documentary on television, Bates chose to undergo liposuction—a cosmetic surgery procedure intended to remove small pockets of stubborn fat to sculpt the body, not treat obesity.
Bates had a consultation with one of Austin, Texas' top plastic surgeons who was initially opposed to performing liposuction on a 12-year-old. However, Dr. Robert Ersek soon came to realize that Bates' excess weight was severely affecting her health and her self-esteem. According to Bates' mother, her daughter had extremely high blood pressure, which put her at high risk of suffering a stroke.
“I don't think that every 12-year-old should come in and get a few pound taken off by liposuction, but in certain cases where all else has failed, it can change their life to be a normal person,” said Ersek.
During Bates' liposuction procedure, 35 pounds of fat and fluid were taken out of her body. Today, Bates weighs a normal 153 pounds and she and her family believe that liposuction was the miracle that saved her life.
“It just changed my life in so many ways,” said Bates.
Considering liposuction? Please contact us today to set up a consultation with a qualified and experienced board certified plastic surgeon near you.
