Why fat soldiers get plastic surgery

The latest new patients for plastic surgeons are overweight soldiers and high-heel wearers.

Army Times reports that soldiers are turning to liposuction to remove fat if extreme dieting, laxatives and other methods fail to get them under the Army’s weight limit for their height, age and gender.

“Liposuction saved my career. Laxatives and starvation before an [Army Physical Fitness Test] sustains my career,” a soldier told the periodical. “Soldiers are using liposuction, laxatives and starvation to meet height and weight standards. I did, do and still do”

The Army Times stated:

“Health experts say the number of soldiers using extreme weight-loss methods may closely resemble results of a recent study by two officers attending the Naval Post Graduate School. The study found that nearly one in three Marines have gone to such measures to lose weight.”

The publication said it found liposuction ads in numerous base newspapers, including those at Fort Benning, Ga.; Fort Campbell, Ky.; and Fort Hood, Texas.

HIGH-HEEL WEARERS

ABC News reports that increasing numbers of women, particularly high-heel enthusiasts, are getting plastic surgery on their feet.

Procedures include:

• Toe-shortening, if a toe looks too long.
• Pinky toe tuck, which removes fat from the small toe so the foot can fit into narrower shoes.
• Injecting fat from the patient’s belly into the bottom of the patient’s foot to serve as a pad so high-heels will be more comfortable.

ABC says plastic surgery on feet is “a $45 million a year business,” but does not cite a source for that figure.