12-Year-Old Girl Has Liposuction

[Buxom Wench]

12-Year-Old Girl Has Liposuction

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/sto...C-RSSFeeds0312

12-Year-Old Girl Has Liposuction
Doctors Debate the Safety of Young People Having the Procedure
Nov. 6, 2006 — - Childhood can be a tough place for an overweight kid, as other children can be brutal with cruel words, laughter and cold stares.

In a documentary called, "Fat Like Me," obese kids talked about the pain they experienced.

One boy said, "I'm like the prey. People come after me because I'm fat."

"I eat and I feel worse. And then, I gain weight. And then, I keep eating," said another overweight girl in the film.

Brooke Bates, of Austin, Tex., has struggled with her weight since early childhood, gaining the nickname, "Big Brooke."

She described herself as a giant balloon, one that was ever expanding, and none of the countless diets she tried seemed to make any difference.


Hoping to 'Look a Little Normal'

By age 11, Brooke weighed 180 pounds; a year later, at 5-foot-5, she rose to a shocking 220 pounds, and her doctors classified her as morbidly obese.

Feeling helpless and isolated, Brooke needed a radical approach. She and her family considered gastric bypass surgery but feared it was too risky.

After watching a documentary on weight loss, 12-year-old Brooke decided on liposuction, a procedure thought to sculpt an imperfect body, not treat obesity.

She went to see Dr. Robert Ersek, a leading plastic surgeon in Austin. At first he was opposed to the idea.

"I don't think that every 12-year-old should come in and get a few pounds taken off by liposuction, but in certain cases where all else has failed, it can change their life to be a normal person," Ersek said.

Brooke's interview with Ersek before surgery shed light on her fears and her hopes for a normal future.

"Maybe If I could do it I would look a little normal," she told him.

Not only was the extra weight affecting Brooke's self-esteem, but it was seriously affecting her health.

Her mother, Cindy, said that Brooke's blood pressure was sky high, and doctors said she was at risk for a stroke.

Ersek agreed to go through with the procedure, and removed 35 pounds of fat and fluid from her body. Today, Brooke weighs 153 pounds. She and her family called the surgery a miracle.

"It just changed my life in so many ways," Brooke said today on "Good Morning America."


'Dangerous Precedent'

But many doctors question whether serious cosmetic surgery like liposuction is wise for such a young person.

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, more than 3,000 people under age 18 underwent liposuction last year.

Dr. Susan Manzi of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center said that liposuction, which removes significant amounts of fluid and fat from the body at once, is risky and controversial for both young people and adults.

"It [liposuction] can lead to complications such as infection or bleeding, or even shock, because so much fluid is removed," Manzi said. "But in addition to that, a lot of the experts question the ability for a 12-year-old to fully comprehend the risks and benefits of the types of the surgeries ... and the idea that there has to be major lifestyle changes to allow this to be permanent."

Another doctor from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center calls the surgery a "dangerous precedent."

"We as a society need to reach our children at a young age and educate them on the benefits of exercise and wise eating habits," said Dr. Susan Obagi. "I do not want to see this become a trend."

"I would like to see what the patient looks like after a few more years," Obagi continued. "As those of us who perform liposuction know, patients with bad eating habits will oftentimes eat themselves into a fatter body again."

For more on Brooke's story, pick up the latest issue of People Magazine, on newsstands now.

Copyright © 2006 ABC News Internet Ventures

[kyrana]

Ugh.

Ugh.

Ugh.

She has so many psychological issues relating to food, how is a physical treatment going to help her? At 5'5", she may still be large enough at 153 to be teased - especially by kids who know what she did to lose the weight. My first reaction to the article was "what sort of ethical doctor would do this surgery?!"

The answer is none - no ethical doctor would do this.

[Rue]

The answer is none - no ethical doctor would do this.

I'm not so sure about that. The article says that because of her weight she was at risk for a stroke. I think that, as long as she and her parents work hard to not let it happen again, she can stay at a "normal" weight. I think he did the right thing in helping Brooke by letting her go through with the surgery.

And it's not like they just decided to do this as an easy way out. The girl tried many diets before, and none worked. Hopefully now she'll exercise and eat right, so that she won't get back up to where she was.

[Bean]

I hope that her follow up includes appointments with a nutritionist, dietitian, physical therapist and a personal trainer. This girl needs a complete life makeover in order to control her eating patterns. She also could stand some psychotherapy.

[surlywench]

Didn't they do a study about a year ago that plainly stated that liposuction only removes the visible issues of body fat? It doesn't do a damn thing to make you any healthier on the inside. If that's the case, she's still just as much at risk for obesity complications as she was before the surgery.

Hopefully she'll get the professional help she *really* needs now.

oi.

[LdyJhawk]

I didn't get to read more about her background but was it 100% related to overeating?

I started randomly gaining weight in first grade despite playing three sports and eating nearly nothing but chicken and veggies (I was picky)..they've just NOW determined that I have Cushing's...and need to get the benign tumors on my adrenal gland removed. I wonder how much of her problem was "hey fatty eating too much LOL!" and how much was medical..

[Gemdrite]

Didn't they do a study about a year ago that plainly stated that liposuction only removes the visible issues of body fat? It doesn't do a damn thing to make you any healthier on the inside. If that's the case, she's still just as much at risk for obesity complications as she was before the surgery.

Hopefully she'll get the professional help she *really* needs now.

oi.

I am not a doctor, but I would think that, after being over 220 pounds, liposuction to reduce her almost 70 pounds would indeed affect her health. For example, if she weighed that much, she most likely had sports induced asthma, if not full-blown asthma. Just shedding the pounds makes sports induced asthma less recurrent. At that much weight, exercise was probably difficult and demeaning. It may be easier for her to do such now. She may still be at risk for obesity complications, but I would imagine the liposuction would make it easier for her to fix the health problems.

[daBaroness]

Liposuction isn't permanent. If she continues to overeat - or another medical reason for her obesity isn't found and addressed, she'll just get fat again. I think the doctor in question must be a boob! Any credible surgeon would know lipo wasn't the answer - he wasn't looking out for this child's best interests, and neither were her parents - whom I assume are contributing to whatever led to her obesity in the first place.

Yep - surgery is always the answer - for a quick fix! Honest to Peter ...

[Torra]

I have to wonder why the surgeon didn't just send Brooke to a nutritionist, dietician, or suggest a personal trainer/physical therapy. I'm sure with all her medical problems, insurance (if they have it) would cover some or all of the cost. Instead of removing surface fat and fluid, those specialists would give her the tools to engineer a lifestyle change that would drop the weight in a safer fashion, both physically and mentally. But what's done is done; I just hope she's going to get after-care with a nutritionist and a trainer so that she can keep off what she lost and lose more, assuming the weight isn't due to an underlying medical condition.

[Selena]

This is THE talk on AM radio today... KLBJ FM-- since this happened in my town.

Arghh-- I've met Dr Ersek. He's part of one of the most advertised and largest PS centers in town. And I'm not surprised he did the surgery. Anything for a buck, as I see it.