Realizing everyone has the power to change the things about themselves that they don’t like, Yolanda Evans decided to reinvent herself with surgical weight loss at UPMC.
Now, the 46-year-old mother of two and frequent mentor to girls and young women is a wiser and stronger version of the person she once was. She experienced significant career growth and two promotions requiring major moves — from Wexford, Pa., to Florida and then North Carolina.
“The weight of a leadership position is heavy,” Yolanda says. “I need to look and feel my best as I grow, not just in age but also professionally.”
The Path to UPMC: Gastric Sleeve Surgery
“Throughout motherhood and working, I was on birth control, which made me gain a lot of weight,” Yolanda says. “I did some research and learned that the Pittsburgh area has some of the top surgeons for body contouring procedures.”
Intrigued, Yolanda was referred to UPMC bariatric surgeon Ramesh C. Ramanathan, MD, FRCS, who performed her gastric sleeve surgery in May 2019.
This procedure:
- Removes part of the stomach and creates a new, tube-shaped stomach or “sleeve.”
- Limits the amount of food you can eat and helps you feel full sooner.
- Helps you lose 60% to 70% of excess body weight within 12 to 18 months.
Through her gastric sleeve surgery, Yolanda achieved a weight loss of 110 pounds.
Experts in Body Contouring
Although Yolanda was happy with the results of her procedure, she didn't like the resulting excess skin from losing weight.
“Clothes can only mask that kind of thing to a certain extent,” she says.
As a solution, she decided to undergo a series of body contouring procedures. Dr. Ramanathan referred Yolanda to J. Peter Rubin, MD, chair of the UPMC Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
Dr. Rubin is the founder and director of UPMC’s Life After Weight Loss program, which combines body contouring with lifestyle and nutritional counseling in a supportive environment. He is also well known for mastopexies (breast lifts), a procedure he developed at UPMC.
Yolanda was especially interested in mastopexy since she didn't want to get breast implants. Her mother passed away from breast cancer at age 42, so Yolanda felt strongly about keeping her body as natural as possible.
“As a Black American, my skin is different,” Yolanda says. “Dr. Rubin knew that, and he asked really thoughtful questions. It was absolutely amazing.”
Going the Extra Mile
Dr. Rubin performed four procedures on Yolanda during two surgeries. Her first body contouring surgery was almost a full year after her gastric sleeve surgery.
In May 2020, she underwent a brachioplasty (arm lift) to remove the excess skin from her upper arms. At the same time, Dr. Rubin was able to treat a chronic skin condition Yolanda had suffered from for many years.
Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) causes lumps or boils, often near sweat glands where the skin rubs together, such as the armpits or groin. Yolanda’s HS appeared at a young age as large, painful lumps under her armpits. Dr. Rubin removed these after completing the arm lift to end the pain and irritation they had long caused Yolanda.
A few months later, in September 2020, Yolanda was ready for her second body contouring surgery with Dr. Rubin. During this surgery, she had a mastopexy and an abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), as well as abdominal and lower flank liposuction.
The Results
The day after her second surgery, Yolanda woke up covered in bandages. When Dr. Rubin and his team came in to change them, Yolanda asked him to take a picture.
“When he turned that camera around and showed me what my body looked like — I was absolutely blown away,” Yolanda recalls. “Dr. Rubin removed 12 pounds of skin from my midsection.”
Yolanda felt beautiful, confident, and back to her regular self. She was also touched to learn that Dr. Rubin had sent some of her breast tissue removed during the mastopexy to the lab to be tested for breast cancer.
“I can’t even begin to make you understand how that made me feel,” Yolanda explains. “That’s a different level of care, that he would go to that length to make sure I was OK, especially considering my family’s history.”
In 2024, Yolanda made the trip back to Pittsburgh from North Carolina to see Dr. Rubin again. This time, she had liposuction and fat removed from her armpits, back, and lower flank.
“I’m a passionate person,” she explains. “And I’m telling you, when it comes to passion, Dr. Rubin is the real deal. It shines through in everything he does, and he truly values the lives of his patients.”
Yolanda's treatment and results may not be representative of all similar cases.
