Form and Function
Dr. Louis P. Bucky achieves “transformational results” through medical weight loss plans tailored to each patient’s specific needs and goals. 
by Leigh Stuart

Louis P. Bucky, M.D., FACS, wants his patients to live their healthiest, happiest lives; it’s the reason he entered the field of aesthetics in the first place. His commitment to care remains as strong as it did when he began his career in medicine nearly 30 years ago. 
 
“Plastic surgery was a broader field when I started,” he recalls. “As time has gone on, advancements have led to more specialization. It’s still a broad field, but the bigger thing is that plastic surgery is now focused on overall wellness. People who have elective surgery want to not just look better but feel better.”
 
Having started his career by focusing on cosmetic and reconstruction for patients of all ages, Dr. Bucky has since expanded his spectrum of care to include what he refers to as “medical weight loss done right.” Though no patient is “typical,” Dr. Bucky sees many people—women and men in a range of ages, from 25 to 65—who are active but still can’t seem to lose that stubborn 10 or 15 pounds.
 
“These patients feel stuck,” he says. “They have food on the brain all the time, exercise as hard as they can, but can’t lose weight.”
 
Dr. Bucky’s medical weight loss process begins with a state-of-the-art analysis provided by a DexaFit Scan, a revolutionary imaging mechanism that provides a comprehensive picture of a person’s body-fat composition. These images offer insights into each patient’s unique body makeup, including the location of fat deposits, overall amount of fat, bone density, even how their metabolism functions. 
 
Utilized by everyone from professional athletes to practitioners in multiple medical fields, DexaFit Scan has typically been found only in medical-grade facilities. It is now available at Dr. Bucky’s Ardmore location and Bucky Body Center.
 
The resulting data empowers patients with the knowledge they need to make vital decisions about their health, including choices related to diet and exercise, all with the goal of helping each person reach their individual goals. It also provides Dr. Bucky and his team—a variety of nurses, nutritionists, and physician assistants—with the data to plot a roadmap that can help patients live healthier, more functional lives.
 
The DexaFit Scan can help answer more than a few pressing questions asked by many who seek to slim down, including:
 
* “Are my fluctuations in weight due to fat, muscle, or bone loss?”
* “What are my proportions of intra-abdominal versus extra-abdominal fat?”
* “Is my body responding positively to my current nutrition plan and fitness routine?”
 
What’s more, the scans can provide precise feedback regarding fat loss and muscle gains as well as the strength of bones and overall skeletal health—an analysis that can inform a person regarding their risk for osteoporosis.
 
For all the data it provides, people might be amazed to learn it only takes eight minutes to complete the scan. The process is straightforward. Patients are shown to a private treatment room where they then lie down on the DexaFit machine while an overhead arm scans the entire body. In less than 10 minutes, patients are provided with a plainly written summary report that features a great number of evidence-based insights. A Dexa fitness-tracking app that allows patients to track their progress and monitor their stats. 
 
Next Steps
For those looking to take the next step in their medical weight loss journey, Dr. Bucky provides a plethora of options. One such approach comes in the form of compounded semaglutide—the generic version of Ozempic and Wegovy—administered via injections performed on a recurring basis. The goal: to help patients see significant weight loss without sacrificing muscle mass. 
 
“One of the things we do is use a uniquely small quantity of the medicine to get people where they are,” he says. “More importantly, we have a good tapering program so people don’t need to be on the medication for life.
 
“Patients lose weight over a three-month period, and see improvements right from the get-go,” he continues, adding that the fourth month is most often used to taper the patient off the medication. “These are some of the happiest patients I’ve seen because they are achieving their goals without feeling deprivation, exhaustion, etc., which often comes from strict diet routines. Many struggled for a long time. Most importantly, they don’t have food on the brain. There are eating less and losing the weight they haven’t been able to for most of their lives.”
 
Dr. Bucky emphasizes that these modalities don’t exist in silos; treatments can exist harmoniously and be applied to achieve what he calls “transformational results.” In fact, he believes semaglutide and other treatment protocols—surgery as well as minimally and noninvasive body contouring—work well together, adding, “Whether we do weight loss first or second depends on the patient.”
 
The practice offers many non-medication-based treatment options that help burn calories, rejuvenate skin, and enhance performance and overall wellness. Options include cryotherapy (exposure to extreme cold for a short period of time), red light therapy, cellulite reduction, and body sculpting, as well as Ultimate Contour Instant Body Shaping and Ellacor Minimally Invasive Skin Tightening. Dr. Bucky even partners with a fitness professional for those who wish to train physically via modalities such as TRX, Power Plate, foam rolling, and barre exercises.
 
“We’ve invested a lot in technology and human resources that allows patients to lose weight while maintaining muscle mass and strength, so they can experience all the benefits of weight loss with no downside,” Dr. Bucky says. “This is something that can’t be done without the right oversight and technology, and I’m excited to be able to offer this to people in the Philadelphia suburbs.”
 
About Dr. Bucky
Dr. Bucky has been recognized by Newsweek as one of America’s Best Plastic Surgeons three years in a row in the categories of breast augmentation, face-lift, eyelid surgery, liposuction, and rhinoplasty. He has also been recognized by Castle Connolly, which publishes a resource for “America’s Top Doctors” in cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery, and was selected as “Best for Breasts” in goop’s Guide to Cosmetic Surgeons. Locally, he has been named a Philadelphia “Top Doc” by Philadelphia magazine every year since 2001, and has been honored as one of Philadelphia Style’s “Innovators in Aesthetics and Beauty.”
 
Such acknowledgements should come as no surprise, considering Dr. Bucky’s academic and training credentials—namely, a medical degree from Harvard Medical School followed by general and plastic surgery residencies at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. 
 
Board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Dr. Bucky is also a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, as well as a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the Northeastern Society of Plastic Surgeons—of which he is also past president—and the American Association of Plastic Surgeons. He is a clinical professor of surgery in the Division of Plastic Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
 
Bucky Plastic Surgery & Bucky Body Center 
drbucky.com | buckybodycenter.com
 
Rittenhouse Square
(215) 323-5000
 
Main Line Ardmore
(610) 649-2433
 
Washington Square
(215) 829-6320
 
Bucky Body Center
(215) 273-3000

Photo courtesy of Dr. Bucky
 
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life magazine, August 2024. 
 

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