Article - Extreme excess skin - surgery

tiptoethruthetulips

An interesting read, its a long article and I won't copy and paste all of it, but the link is there for anyone interested in reading the article. It highlights the issues of weight loss for those with extreme excess skin, the issues they face, surgery and issues that can arise from surgery

http://www.theage.com.au/good-weekend/under-their-skin-the-agony-and-ecstasy-of-body-contouring-20151109-gkuwmz.html

"Extreme skin excess is a really big problem," agrees Steve Merten, a specialist plastic surgeon working in Sydney, and supervisor of plastic surgery training at the city's Concord Repatriation General Hospital and Macquarie University Hospital. "We all have those Biggest Loser weight loss shows in our heads that make us think that once people lose the weight, they'll just look like everybody else. But they don't: the skin can be extremely unsightly. That's why they always show contestants shirtless or in a bra and knickers when the series begins, but never once they start losing weight."
"The best analogy I have is that they're deflated," says David Morgan, a Melbourne-based specialist plastic surgeon and Victorian chair of the Australian Board of Plastic and Reconstructive surgery. "They're like a balloon that's been blown up, and as you let the air out, the rubber – or skin – never returns to being as tight and smooth as it once was. So you have this looseness."

"It can be a substantial health problem in and of itself," adds Kevin Ho, specialist plastic surgeon and Director of Plastic Surgery Training at Sydney's Prince of Wales Hospital. "It rubs together across their stomachs and beneath their breasts; it gets irritated and smelly; it can create ulcers. In summer, they can't wear light clothing, they've got to tuck a towel under their breasts, things like that."

It's also a significant psychological issue. "The whole thing can be very hard to come to grips with, because people have a strong sense of achievement about losing the weight," says Merten. "Yet they're left in this position where they're wearing compressing, binding garments under their clothes to hide the rolls; they're terribly embarrassed about their bodies; they find it very hard to have sexual relationships."

HippySkoppy

Interesting to read.....TY.

Another reason to despise the mandate set by The Biggest Loser show.

saraonly9913

Extremely scary for me.

usmcmp

I lost 100 pounds between 2009 and 2013. I still have loose skin at the bottom of my stomach. Thankfully it's not as bad as it could have been and doesn't cause physical problems. I can tuck mine into my pants, but putting on the posing suit to compete in bodybuilding causes some embarrassment. It's been important to focus on all the ways things are better with the weight gone.

Nightnurse33

So, how much weight loss do you have to do before you have this skin issue? I have started my loss at 282 and at 250 dont see alot of "skin" but I want to get to 205lbs. Thats a total of 77lb loss.

rats2010

I think everyone is different in how their body reacts to weight loss and where you carry the weight. Some people also take more time for the skin to tighten back up, months to years after being at maintenance. Great job on the loss!

dakotababy

I have lost 105lbs. Started at 250lbs and down to 145lbs. My stomach is by no means perfect. I have some stretch marks happening, but my god - the loose skin is not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be! I was imagining having a lot after being over weight all of my life. Luckily, my stomach bounced back nicely.

I am glad I did not let the idea of loose skin stop me!

Slow and steady weight loss, moisturized after a shower, hoped for the best.

Cabrisson

I have lost about 120 lbs... I over a year. Happy with the 'fitness' aspect, but have some loose skin. I am about at 24% body fat. I see some of you mention skin returns 'thighter" with time. How long until you've seen improvements? I am considering surgery, but not keen...

GottaBurnEmAll

I'm just shy of 93 pounds down. While I have loose skin, I don't have the issues mentioned in the quoted bit.

I'm not going to lie, though. Were we to hit the lottery tomorrow, I'd have a full body lift and my arms done in a hot minute.

JeromeBarry1

I'm 54. This is the second time I've lost a lot of weight. The first time was from somewhere north of 300 lb at midnight of Y2K to about 270 within a year. I didn't notice any loose skin at all then. I kinda sorta maintained at 270 for 15 years and then started losing weight again with MFP in January. I'm at 83 lb lost so far with about 30 remaining to lose. Loose skin is clearly visible on my upper arms, upper legs, and buttocks. It's not nearly as ugly as those people described in that article. I don't foresee having an interest in body contouring surgery.

tomteboda

I'm down 105 lbs. The stretch marks on my stomach were from weight gain i have a little lose skin, but I'm thinking it'll tighten up because it's something that's appeared then disappeared a couple of times over the last 6 months. It's really only visible when i lay down.

SCoil123

I lost 86lb the first time and have loose skin on my stomach. It doesn't cause any issues but is embarrassing and makes me self conscious. When I gained 30lb back it looked less crepey but as I'm losing again it looks even worse than before. I'm still happier than I was when I was big but if I could afford a tummy tuck I would get one.

amyk0202

I've lost about 130 lbs now. I had a tummy tuck 2 years ago to get rid of the "apron" & am very glad I did. It was just as life changing as the weight loss. I still have some loose skin that I couldn't afford to fix: on my upper thighs, bingo wings on my arms, my back looks like I'm melting, my neck is very loose, & a fold that runs from the bottom of my breasts around my side to my back. None of it is severe enough to cause any health problems & now that my tummy is fixed, I'm actually quite happy with my appearance, even with the skin that's left. If I had the money, I would get everything but my thighs fixed, but I don't. It can take years for your skin to retract as much as it's going to. It's all dependent on your individual skin. There is really not anything you can do but wait & see or start the surgery process. I feel like the skin that's left has gotten slightly better over the years, but I'm not sure if that's really true or if my perception of it has just changed.

lorrpb

I had more discomfort, rubbing, & chafing 148 lbs ago with excess fat than I do now with excess skin.

MsRuffBuffNStuff

I'm 44 years old. Sorry for the low quality pictures - my phone sucks, and MFP made it worse. lol I lost 105 pounds over a year.("Before" picture at 250 pounds, at the bottom) Side by side picture: 145/144 pounds. I have some extra skin on my stomach. However, over the past 10 weeks I think I've managed to make it look a little better. I'm hoping I can just keep doing this recomp thing over and over and eventually not really see the extra skin

Pam_1965

I have lost 80 pounds over the last 3.5 years and am now 140 pounds (5'6, 51 years old). I am definitely getting a tummy tuck in January or February and am also thinking about getting my arms done. I got a breast reduction 3 years ago, which my insurance paid for, and have been really happy with that.