12 Yr old Girl has Liposuction to LOOSE WEIGHT !

[coltonwade 27]

I saw this on a morning show the other day and About fell of the couch. The main thing that caught my eye at first was this doc was the doc my friend went to and most people in Austin go to for Lipo in Austin because he's so good. I think his judgement is clouded on this one !

What do ya'll think ?

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/story?id=2631490&page=1

Mindy

[lisah25 3]

I'm pretty much speechless. Not sure where to start. Perhaps with the idea of doing something like that on a 12 year old? Or doing something that teaches her nothing, gives her no tools to maintain a weight loss?

[DrewsLou 3]

There is an article about this girl in this week's People magazine as well. I am shocked and appalled that a doctor would do this procedure on a 12 year old! How is this going to help her learn to eat and excercise properly? At least with the band you have behavior modification. She has none of that. And to take out as much as he did? What was it... like 35 pounds?? So much that she required a Tummy Tuck? OMG!

[coltonwade 27]

There is an article about this girl in this week's People magazine as well. I am shocked and appalled that a doctor would do this procedure on a 12 year old! How is this going to help her learn to eat and excercise properly? At least with the band you have behavior modification. She has none of that. And to take out as much as he did? What was it... like 35 pounds?? So much that she required a Tummy Tuck? OMG!

OH God I didnt know she required a tummy tuck.When my friend had her Lipo done she said they they could only take out so much at one time. I guess that's why she had it done twice ! Her parents said on the show " She's been on a diet since she's 3 so she know's what to eat and not to eat she hasnt changed how she's eating " OK How did that work for her before the surgery ? If it worked she wouldnt have had the surgery ? UGHH . I cant belive a doc did this . Makes me glad I didnt go to him for anything when i was thinking about it .

Mindy

[lisah25 3]

Her parents said on the show " She's been on a diet since she's 3 so she know's what to eat and not to eat she hasnt changed how she's eating " OK How did that work for her before the surgery ? If it worked she wouldnt have had the surgery ? Mindy

What a stupid comment for her parents to make. I think it's attitudes like that that keep people from really getting help with weight problems. We all think we know what to do, and in a way we do. Eat less and move more. But for some of us, we never find the tools to do that until WLS. And we wait a long time because we think we "should" be able to do it on our own.

[coltonwade 27]

What a stupid comment for her parents to make. I think it's attitudes like that that keep people from really getting help with weight problems. We all think we know what to do, and in a way we do. Eat less and move more. But for some of us, we never find the tools to do that until WLS. And we wait a long time because we think we "should" be able to do it on our own.

Oh her parents had all the answers let me tell ya . They were very smug about it . I coulndt belive someone would let their kid do that. I have BIG issues with parents who let 17, 18 yrs olds have PS (or pay for it ) But at 12 GIVE Me a BREAK .

Mindy

[skyeblu79 0]

I think unnecessary surgery on a minor should be illegal. I don't like the idea of the gov't stepping in for most cases, but this is ridiculous. Some parents clearly don't have the common sense to rationalize that something like this is wrong. How sad!! Whether the kid wanted it or not, it is the parents responsibility to say no to stuff like this. I wonder who's idea it was.

I just don't understand what this doctor was thinking. I didn't even think they would take that much fat out normally. Since when is liposuction a method for weight loss?! Just awful.

[coltonwade 27]

I just don't understand what this doctor was thinking. I didn't even think they would take that much fat out normally. Since when is liposuction a method for weight loss?! Just awful.

She had 2 procedures because he couldnt " Safely" take out enough the first time . When my friend had Lipo she said she could only take out so much out of one area at a time. I cant believe that this doc went on TV and said that he used lipo as a "weight loss tool" . Since Lipo isnt approved by the FDA he might be setting himself up for trouble later.

I dunno. Its irresponsible on both parts.

Mindy

[DrewsLou 3]

Here's the link to the People mag article.

http://people.aol.com/people/article/0,26334,1554089,00.html

[Telly 4]

I'm upset about this surgery for this child. The anchorwoman repeatedly asked her family about Brooke's diet and exercise and the family did not state what all Brooke actually eats. They slipped up and said that Brooke knows what she can and cannot eat but that they don't watch her. *shock* and when the anchorwoman asked about exercise, they never once said she exercised, they just kept saying she's been on a diet since 3. But the real question is..what is her diet? Does she exercise? Lipo is not the answer to weight loss and maintenance, it's a sculpting tool for when you are happy with your weight but need to tweak your shape a bit. I am appalled that the parents allowed this to happen.

[Kat817 19]

What I wonder about is the emotional health of the girl. If they had her knowingly diet from the age of 3, has she ever felt accepted? And now that she has had the Lipo, suddenly she CAN diet, and has lost an additional 20 pounds? So is there an eating disorder developing? I hope the parents keep a close eye on her. Weight affects everything you do, and she is such a vulnerable age. Without question this will affect way more in her life than simply her size. I don't mean to sound unsympathetic, she has obviously had a lot going on in her young life, with her Dad's accident, and then his health being so precarious, but I don't believe this was the right choice. I do hope it works for her tho.

Kat

[lisah25 3]

This really jumped out at me from the article:

"Even Dr. Robert Ersek, a local plastic surgeon and the self–proclaimed "biggest fat–sucker in Texas," initially said no. But because Joey had that winter been diagnosed with bladder cancer (thought by the Bateses to be terminal), Ersek agreed to take Brooke as his patient. The girl had told him, "I want my dad to see me looking slim and pretty in a dress before he dies." "

Since when does a patient's desires like that overrule medical concerns?!

[green 6]

I've read the coverage on the two sites provided on this thread and now I don't know what to think. Logic tells me that any kind of work done on a child that young doesn't make sense and yet the kid is doing much, much better post surgery. She looks better, is motivated, and is much happier. Prior to the surgery she had suffered a painful, socially marginalized childhood and was looking forward to a sad adolescence. It is hard to say what is more damaging in the long run.

[coltonwade 27]

I've read the coverage on the two sites provided on this thread and now I don't know what to think. Logic tells me that any kind of work done on a child that young doesn't make sense and yet the kid is doing much, much better post surgery. She looks better, is motivated, and is much happier. Prior to the surgery she had suffered a painful, socially marginalized childhood and was looking forward to a sad adolescence. It is hard to say what is more damaging in the long run.

I think what scares me the most is a doctor #1 doing surgery on a child even though its not just this one doing it on this child. But more so is this doctor doing this surgery and saying its a weight Loss tool ? I think this is going down a slippery and dangerous slope. And its giving people #1 a false hope and #2 false intentions up front.

I dont think its right.

Mindy

[niche 0]

i am also really saddened that the lap-band wasn't made available as a wls option for her. there is a lot of research that has been done on the safety and efficacy of the procedure for young adolesents. i don't disagree with the Lipo per se, it's just that it is a procedure that is not intended for weightloss and probably won't work for the girl in the long run. if all she needed to become one of the 3% of effective dieters was a jumpstart, god bless her. but it just seems like a strange course of treatment. and probably more risky to lipo 35 lbs than a gastric bypass and definitely a more dangerous surgery than a lap-band.