Plastic surgery after weightloss?

jeansuza

I lost 195 pounds in the last 2 years without surgery. Lots of skin hanging everywhere... I have an appointment tomorrow with a surgeon to get information and opinion (and price) for my particular case.

Any suggestions about what I should ( or must) check for and ask? Have you done or consider plastic surgery yourself? Happy with results? Consequences?

RodaRose

Congratulations! You have done very well.
(no advice about the surgeon appt)

CyberEd312

I had a circumferential body lift done Sept. 2012 and had 17 pounds of skin removed and an abdominal repair done that my surgeon cinched in my Abs 6 1/2 inches. The recover had it's ups and downs, for me the abdominal repair was far worse than the actual skin removal. If I had it to do all over again tomorrow, I would be in the waiting room bright and early. I regret nothing of the surgery, it was the best thing I could have had done, only thing I would have done is we elected not to do the vertical cut which looking back now I wish we would have done it.. do to cinching in my abs I have a vertical crease that had I done the vertical cut would have rid me of that skin too.. I may go back in at some point and have that done (once I get the body lift paid for, lol). I would check his work, ask to see some before and after of previous patients that have had the surgery you are electing to have done. Check references too, I have a website where I documented my procedure from beginning to end if you want to take a look at it...

www.gettingfit4life.com


Best of Luck

Ed

Missjulesdid

I will DEFINITELY need plastics. I look at a LOT of before and after pictures online. One thing I don't like is the silhouette of many women who opt for a belt lipectomy. (lower body lift.) The silhouette most often looks like it doesn't have a shape at the waist I discovered that there is a procedure called corset trunkplasty that gives you MORE scarring (bad) but a better shillouette (good). Some procedures are better for some people based on where you carried your fat, where you still have risidual pockets of fat and where you have most of your excess skin.... There are many ways to do the surgery and many surgeries that are better combined and some that are better to be done separately. Really take your time to understand the pros and cons of all the different surgeries in order to discover which is better for you.

RachelWithoutAPaddle

I don't have any useful advice, I've never been in that situation, I just wanted to say congratulations! wow!

svsl0928

I have considered. It for my arms. Also check out some doctors in my area. I have been watching Extreme Wgt loss. They do the surgery after the person has lost over 40% of their Wgt. I have only lost a little over 20. Good luck and congratulations.

dcc56

I had a circumferential body lift done Sept. 2012 and had 17 pounds of skin removed and an abdominal repair done that my surgeon cinched in my Abs 6 1/2 inches. The recover had it's ups and downs, for me the abdominal repair was far worse than the actual skin removal. If I had it to do all over again tomorrow, I would be in the waiting room bright and early. I regret nothing of the surgery, it was the best thing I could have had done, only thing I would have done is we elected not to do the vertical cut which looking back now I wish we would have done it.. do to cinching in my abs I have a vertical crease that had I done the vertical cut would have rid me of that skin too.. I may go back in at some point and have that done (once I get the body lift paid for, lol). I would check his work, ask to see some before and after of previous patients that have had the surgery you are electing to have done. Check references too, I have a website where I documented my procedure from beginning to end if you want to take a look at it...

www.gettingfit4life.com


Best of Luck

Ed

I can't seem to connect to the website above. I get the following message:
Error establishing a database connection

126siany

I get the same error trying to access www.gettingfit4life.com

mamaqueenie

First, congratulations on your weight loss and doing it without the aid of surgery. I have a couple pretty bad health problems so my doctor and weight loss therapist said that if I don't show enough progress with my diet then we will discuss bariatric surgery. Whichever way I lose it I'm afraid of having the loose skin and sagging breasts. I definitely would want the surgeries so to answer your question...yes, yes, yes I would consider it! After your consultation I would love to know what all he said and the cost. If you could update me, I would be grateful!!

LianaG1115

Please, PLEASE let us know how it went!! I am 2/3rds of my way there and I WILL for sure need to have excess skin removed and I would LOVE to know all the things I need to ask or know too. Thanks.

katrinadulce

I have lost 112 pounds and have also considered it. One of the things I am most concerned about is nerve damage and loss of sensation. Very few articles on skin reduction address this issue. I must say that after I had a spleenectomy, the nerve damage and associated itching were the worst part of the whole affair.
One thing you might want to check is whether or not the surgery is covered under your insurance. If you are having problems as a result of your excess skin (repeated infections or a constant rash), some or all of it may be covered.

Let us know

kimberlyblindsey

Fist of all congrats on losing that much weight the healthy way, and second of all I've had plastic surgery, but not to remove excess skin, but I would look at drs credentials, how many times have they performed this surgery, is it their specialty? and ensure they have lots of before and after pics you can peruse, if they don't for me that would be a red flag.

AliceDark

Be mentally prepared for the possibility for recovery to take twice as long as they tell you and to be twice as painful. I'm not saying that it will -- it could be shorter and less painful too -- but try out a doubled timeline in your head and make sure you can handle that before you agree to the surgery.

Tedebearduff

I lost 195 pounds in the last 2 years without surgery. Lots of skin hanging everywhere... I have an appointment tomorrow with a surgeon to get information and opinion (and price) for my particular case.

Any suggestions about what I should ( or must) check for and ask? Have you done or consider plastic surgery yourself? Happy with results? Consequences?

Hi,

Congratz on your progress.

I’ve been to two different plastic surgeons. I have not gotten mine done due to the cost and honestly I feel like it’s not that bad but here is my experience at both.

Doctor 1) Doc looked me over quickly didn’t do much touching or anything just kind of spun me around and said I could do either option which would be just the front part or the entire wrap around. He handed me off to another girl who was a sales lady/ financer more or less. She gave me 2 quotes 1 for $13,000 and another for $22,000, nothing else was stated on the quote…Think of a header with company logo then the amount + taxes that was it… I asked for a breakdown of the charges, she was confused by this request…. I said I want to know what exactly I am paying for, how much of this is hospital costs, how much is for the anesthesiologist? She said oh we don’t even have that kind of info on our books… HUGE RED FLAG for me and I said thank you and left.
-Office had 2 secretaries who looked like they worked there for free surgery, not sure why you would need 2 girls at a little desk in a empty office, both girls seemed “plastic” to me. (who knows 1 could have been training)

Doctor 2) Nicest guy ever!!! He gave me a full work over something the doctor should do is check your abdominal muscles to see if he has to rearrange them or replace them. Had me doing sit ups with his hands on my stomach. Measured everything and had me fully undressed. It was a much nicer and 1000 x more in depth experience. We spoke for 30-45 mins the end result was that he felt like my chest did not need to be done, and he only recommended doing the front. He said he would do some lip while he was in there and pull in the sides and that that would tighten up my back and would look way better. His cost $8,000 and everything was listed on the quote, every cost was broken down.

If you live in Toronto message me and I will let you know which one to stay away from but I do not want to blast anyone online.

Things to ask… man I had a whole list of questions like 2 pages,
• You can ask about the hoses that will have to go into your midsection and how long they will be in there. You have to suck out crap like 2-3 x a day for a week and then go back and get them removed if there is no infection.
• Ask them about your abdominal muscles and If you should be concerned
• Ask how long you will be out
• Ask for details if you get a 1 liner bill, they should supply all costs
• If you are staying overnight make sure there are no extra costs he is not telling you about IE the room for the night or for days that the hospital will charge to you when you go to leave

That’s all I can really think about, if you want message me can talk more… I did a write up on my experience but I can’t find it right now. Remember you don’t have to book anything tomorrow go see two doctors and get a second opinion.

Take care,
Brad

CyberEd312

Was doing some site maintenance and it should be up and running again.... Sorry about that.....


www.gettingfit4life.com

CyberEd312

I have lost 112 pounds and have also considered it. One of the things I am most concerned about is nerve damage and loss of sensation. Very few articles on skin reduction address this issue. I must say that after I had a spleenectomy, the nerve damage and associated itching were the worst part of the whole affair.
One thing you might want to check is whether or not the surgery is covered under your insurance. If you are having problems as a result of your excess skin (repeated infections or a constant rash), some or all of it may be covered.

Let us know

You do have some nerves that will never regenerate.. I was still having nerves trying to reconnect (little sharp shooting pains) for over a year and a half..... eventually they stop and you are left with what you have... I have pretty good feeling in alot of areas but do have areas were it is still numb and when you get an itch will drive you a little crazy... since you can't scratch it I just get up and move around and get my mind of it and it passes... Small price to pay for not having all that skin to deal with... On the insurance paying for it, I lost over 300 pounds had a 3 year documented history with major cellulitis infections that put me in the ER with open sore and busted open skin in the skin folds. I was using surgical soap to clean those areas and still getting infections. was on bactrim and it was barely helping after the umpteenth time I contracted it... and the insurance said they would not pay a cent because the surgery was cosmetic..... I just knew I was worth the surgery so I got a loan and am making payments....... Hope that helps OP.....

flumi_f

I've lost 29kg (39kg to my highest ever weight) and was always obese. I also had most of my weight on the front of my torso. So my belly and my bust are not near where they should be. I have a big belly flap, too much skin on the upper abs and my bust, well, deflated water ballons would be an accurate image.

Inform yourself well and be as fit as you can be. If you can do some ab-training beforehand for a strong core. Make sure you find a competent surgeon, that you feel comfortable with. If you don't, get a second opinion.

I have my first surgery scheduled for October 1st. It'll be for my breasts (1 week sick leave). In June 2015 I will have my belly fixed with a horizontal and vertical correction (3 weeks sick leave). This morning I realized, that this is only about 10 weeks away! Oh my! After both surgeries at least six weeks with out sports and being careful not to do too much.

I also talked to my surgeon about my inner/upper arms and inner/upper thighs. He does not recommend having my arms done, because it is a long cut and doesn't always heal well. When I have recovered from the second surgery, I will decide if I will have my thighs done. Though the skin there is very damaged, I hope it will go back enough, that I can accept it as it is, because this is also a difficult place to have scar tissue. I may just decide to accept and live with certain 'war wounds', as you just can operate the past away. But belly and bust must be corrected, as they bother me during sports as well as from a perspective of looks.

I am happy for everyone that has resilient skin, that goes back by itself. Mine won't, so this is the road, I'm taking.

Good luck!

MomTo3Lovez

Congrats on your loss! And yes I have considered it along with a breast augmentation once I hit my goal weight. Have not looked into it yet though but willbe when the time is right, my big thing would be recovery time which most likely will have me waiting a bit longer as I have young children and I am a single mom so it's just me they have, but yes would definitely be an option if I could work it out. Good luck and keep us updated!

hope516

bump

heartists

From my highest weight I lost 130 lbs on my own, after eating for comfort and being morbidly obese after trauma. I have extreme loose skin on my mid region, sides, and back and have been recommended LBL - but because my skin isn't severe "enough" I have gotten denied by insurance three times and have to live with it until I can pay for it. I've been living with it and miserable in it for years..
They approved me for a breast reduction which I had after I lost all of the weight for severe back pain (size G - DD) and the surgeon took met to a B but botched the surgery and left my chest deformed, and no augmentation.
All of my weight lost and I still feel awful in my body and after everything that's happened.
I just want this skin off of me.

sweetnlow30

I would love to have the surgery done but our finances just won't allow it. I do have some fat under the skin but with proper skin tension, it wouldn't hang like it does. I have been overweight my entire life and I have had two big babies so I don't think my skin will bounce back much more than it has and that really bothers me. I feel like I should lose more weight but everyone is telling me I am small enough especially since I'm losing what is left of my butt and breasts, yikes lol. The worst is above my belly button, my arms, inner thighs and somewhat on my behind. I cover it well with clothes but I don't love my body like I should. I am working on building a bit of muscle now but I have to be careful because I have spine damage. It's a tough situation. I wanted to say congrats on the loss and let us know how the consultation goes.

SausyK

I was left with a lot of hanging skin on my arms, after I lost a lot of weight too quickly in the hospital because of a scoliosis surgery about 7 years ago. It never went aways whether I was 145lbs or 196lbs. Last summer I had a consultation with a plastic surgeon to see what could be done. He advised lip on my upper arm before looking into an arm lift which has a considerably larger scar (elbow to arm pit). I had the lipo done last june (just a tiny and now vanished scar). I am by no means at my goal weight, I am 188 at 5'4. Being overweight, my arms are still larger than i would like, but no more hanging skin. :-) The surgery cost about $1500 in manhattan (I used my tax refund to pay for it), but it made a world of difference to my confidence and what i can wear in the summer.

cheripugh1

I had a circumferential body lift done Sept. 2012 and had 17 pounds of skin removed and an abdominal repair done that my surgeon cinched in my Abs 6 1/2 inches. The recover had it's ups and downs, for me the abdominal repair was far worse than the actual skin removal. If I had it to do all over again tomorrow, I would be in the waiting room bright and early. I regret nothing of the surgery, it was the best thing I could have had done, only thing I would have done is we elected not to do the vertical cut which looking back now I wish we would have done it.. do to cinching in my abs I have a vertical crease that had I done the vertical cut would have rid me of that skin too.. I may go back in at some point and have that done (once I get the body lift paid for, lol). I would check his work, ask to see some before and after of previous patients that have had the surgery you are electing to have done. Check references too, I have a website where I documented my procedure from beginning to end if you want to take a look at it...

www.gettingfit4life.com


Best of Luck

Ed

I can't seem to connect to the website above. I get the following message:
Error establishing a database connection

I got in no problem, go to google then put it in and it will bring it right up

DrJenO

I plan on getting a tummy tuck. I had originally planned for late fall, but there is something I want to train for that's in March that I would be cutting it close for. Also, I will probably still be around 20ish pounds from goal, and I've decided I want to get all the way to goal first - because my goal might change, you know? That doesn't seem like an issue for you - WTG with your 200lbs by the way!

I met with one surgeon a couple of months ago, when I was trying to figure out if being 20 pounds over goal would be okay. The one surgeon I've talked to didn't really have a good answer for that, and you could tell by his expressions that he didn't really expect me to lose much more weight (or keep it off) - I was down about 30 @ the time. He was in all other ways very informative and thorough.

I spent probably an hour in the office, about half of that time with him. He went over the procedure itself (he does a "high lateral tension" technique, which I recommend you search, as it seems like it gives better results than the classic). I won't be able to do the "mini-tuck", and I suspect you won't either. If you have a ton of skin, a whole body circumferential lift might be better (see Ed's blog - it is quite good). He went over complications, recovery rates, pain control, expenses. I got a very detailed cost breakdown, including expected anesthesia costs (which are separate from his charges). He had me get in a gown and examined my abdomen (I have a mild diastasis recti, where my abd muscles are separated about 2-3cm d/t pregnancies) and the skin, giving me an idea of where the scar would be and how long, etc.

I liked him very much, and plan on using him unless someone else just blows me away. I have about 3-4 more to interview, but am going to wait until closer to when I plan on actually doing it. Plus, it'll give me more time to save the money up :P

Good luck, and congrats!

LianaG1115

Was doing some site maintenance and it should be up and running again.... Sorry about that.....


www.gettingfit4life.com

OMG Ed, I just squatted your page and gawked at pictures...OMG is all I can say...Oh My God...My complaints of excess (I'm not even at my goal yet) skin is trivial to what you went through...and then the incision all the way around!! OMG I didn't even look at comments but how many staples?? Holy awesome lemme say the muscles you have now, a far cry from the guy on the mower!! Excellent job!! What an inspiration!!! Everyday I say "fight the fight!!" and you did just that!! kudos and props!!

donnarogers6211

I have already had 2 surgeries and my 3rd will be September 8th. I had thigh lift, breast lift and upper arm lift and my 3rd surgery will be all the away around tummy tuck and butt lift. The cost for all of it is $24,000.00

GinNJuice75

I am jealous to whoever can get this done. Its been a dream of mine to be able to afford to get this done but sadly its not in the cards. (unless the lottery comes through which i never play lol) I have lost a lot of weight and have a lot of hanging skin. I would be happy with just a tummy tuck even. So then i wouldnt have to worry about buying longer shirts to cover my belly ugh!

kimberlyblindsey

Was doing some site maintenance and it should be up and running again.... Sorry about that.....


www.gettingfit4life.com

OMG Ed, I just squatted your page and gawked at pictures...OMG is all I can say...Oh My God...My complaints of excess (I'm not even at my goal yet) skin is trivial to what you went through...and then the incision all the way around!! OMG I didn't even look at comments but how many staples?? Holy awesome lemme say the muscles you have now, a far cry from the guy on the mower!! Excellent job!! What an inspiration!!! Everyday I say "fight the fight!!" and you did just that!! kudos and props!!

^this!, a hundred times this! Whoever says, they can't do it need look no further than your results, bc yes, yes they can, one baby step at a time. Congrats on you success Ed.