As GLP-1 drugs make dramatic weight loss possible for a broader range of patients, plastic surgeons are seeing a surge in demand to remove or tighten skin left behind after shedding pounds.

“We‘re seeing an explosion of patients coming in and asking, ‘What can you do for this extra skin?’” said senior study author Ash Patel, a professor of surgery and plastic surgeon at Duke Health.

But rapid physical transformation can complicate recovery. Body contouring surgeries require extensive healing, and Patel says operating on bodies that have changed so quickly may make that process more difficult.

“We’re operating on people whose bodies have undergone rapid, profound changes, and that affects healing,” he said.

To learn more about weight loss and plastic surgery, go to Duke University School of Medicine.