What is the Tongue Patch?
A California plastic surgeon is performing a weight-loss procedure, tongue patches.
Since 2009, Dr. Nikolas Chugay has been suturing stamp-size patches of Marlex mesh to patients’ tongues!
Ew.
How Does It Work!
Other than having a stamp sewn on your tongue. *Cringe*
The patch makes it painful to eat anything solid. The patient leaves it in place for a month or so — or less, if it becomes unbearable — while subsisting on an 800-calorie-a-day protein shake diet provided by Chugay.
It’s off-label, non-FDA-approved, and hardly fool-proof, Paul concedes to The Post.
I repeat!
It’s off-label, non-FDA-approved, and hardly fool-proof!
How Much Does It Cost?
The doctor and his son, Paul, also a doctor, say on their website that they have done this procedure more than 150 times. Patients typically lose around 20 pounds, and have flown in from around the country for the $2,000 procedure.
What to Expect!
Roughly one in 10 will suffer from loosened stitches or prolonged difficulty with speech, the Chugays reported in a 2014, non-peer-reviewed article in the American Journal of Cosmetic Surgery.
And once the patch, and the weight, come off, it’s up to the patient to maintain their new physique through diet and exercise. The tongue patch can only jump-start their healthier life.
Renteria claims it was worth it, though she is hardly an objective source.
She works for the Chugays as an administrative assistance, but was the only patient the Chugays would refer to The Post.
“Overall, I became a happy person and now I get to wear a pretty dress and look good,” she said.
Renteria said she’s weighed as much as 200 pounds in the past, but since the tongue patch has been able to maintain her weight at 150 pounds.
“Today I saw a patient, one month out and she lost 28 pounds,” Paul told The Post recently.
“Her blood pressure is down. She came in with 190/90 … and now her blood pressure is 135/80. She is 70 years old and has seen a huge change in her life and is off to Isra
But to repeat,
It’s off-label, non-FDA-approved, and hardly fool-proof!
[Article Courtesy of New York Post]
Photos: Getty Images