Is excess skin removal surgery selfish?

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  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    No. Do your thing. I know someone who had a little baby and wanted to go to Columbia to get an unsafe procedure for butt implants. I thought that was selfish.
  • harrynich
    harrynich Posts: 34 Member
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    Absolutely not selfish. Many of us who struggle with weight have focused for so long on taking care of others that we don't have a clue how to take care of ourselves. By taking better care of ourselves we can take better care of others--simply feeling positive about ourselves is one way of taking care of others.

    Studies also show that people who have the skin removed maintain their health and their weight more successfully.
  • Kate7294
    Kate7294 Posts: 783 Member
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    I don't believe it's selfish to want it at all. While I haven't lost as much weight I've never been happy with my breasts ( a little uneven in my opinion though my husband has never noticed/nor mentioned it). If I could afford a cosmetic surgery to just make them more even ? I'm not sure I'd have one due to having two children who will hopefully go on to college. One 16yr. old and one 3yr. old.
    What about saving up for at least half before borrowing the whole amount? At least then you know your payments would be more reasonable.

    ******Also donating to burn victims would be so awesome! I would urge you to check into that. Knowing you would be helping others maybe even a child.*****
  • bkthandler
    bkthandler Posts: 247 Member
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    No it isn't selfish.....

    as for starving children in the developing world....even if you take out the loan and send it to those kids it isn't going to fix the problem. You can (and should) do what you can do (and as another person who cares for parents I am going to say you are already doing a lot more than most people realize or appreciate) but that shouldn't stop you from doing stuff for yourself.

    You need to look at your own financial situation and don't ask your family unless you get your income from them.
  • gracielynn1011
    gracielynn1011 Posts: 726 Member
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    Can you afford it without financial strain on your family? Will you or your children be forced to eat ramen noodles and pinto beans for the next 10 years to pay for it?

    If the answer to this are no, then it is not selfish.
    If the answer is yes, then yes it would be selfish.

    If its something that you want, make it a goal.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    I like the skin donation idea! Didn't even know that was possible.
  • Mischievous_Rascal
    Mischievous_Rascal Posts: 1,791 Member
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    As long as your family budget can support any sort of financing, it's not selfish at all. It's tough on the head doing all this hard work not to be happy with the result. I had a tummy tuck in June. My husband says it's the best money we ever spent, just to know that every time I look In the mirror I'm not scowling at myself.
  • socalkay
    socalkay Posts: 746 Member
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    Seems like this is a conversation to have with your family.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
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    When it's time for plastics, I'm getting mine done outside of the USA at a fraction of the cost and it won't be the first time I've traveled outside of the country for surgery..... but anyway, that's a different topic.

    I would be VERY, VERY cautious of where you go to get surgery done outside of the U.S., especially plastic surgery. Remember, you get what you pay for.

    ETA: OP, if you can afford it without your family suffering (i.e. no food, no clothes, and the possibility of losing a roof over their head), why not?!
  • 50sFit
    50sFit Posts: 712 Member
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    Yes, it's selfish, but so what? YOU DESERVE IT!
    Your accomplishment came about, because you cared enough about your health to make the changes and perform the work. 100 pounds lost is huge, and it's an even larger acomplishment to have maintained your weight for 3 years.
    If this procedure is important to you, go for it! I know I sure as heck would.
    clipart-thumbs-up-happy-smiley-emoticon-8595.png
  • HartJames
    HartJames Posts: 789 Member
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    There is NOTHING with taking care of yourself! I am getting skin removal on my arms next year. I mean, unless the $ is coming out of your kid's mouths- what is the problem?
  • sonyahadder42
    sonyahadder42 Posts: 13 Member
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    I don't know. I have loose skin and would love to get it done, but can't justify that amount of money because I guess it could be way worse... yeah I'm never wearing a bikini and I have a 'third boob' when I bend over, but in clothes it's not more noticeable than the pouch a lot of women still have after having kids. If I had more, it would be different.

    Third boob?! Now that deserves pics! (j/k...you're too cute!)
  • skiextrm
    skiextrm Posts: 144 Member
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    After a very brief internet search, it looks to me like burn centers do not pay for the surgery or accept skin after skin removal surgery because of the expense, small amount of tissue, and obstacles with quarantining the skin, etc. They use cadaver tissue. Unfortunately, this seems to be a recurring myth.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,598 Member
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    No it's not selfish. the chances of dying in this surgery are very low. you aren't taking food from anyone's mouth by normalizing your body.
  • JenniDaisy
    JenniDaisy Posts: 526 Member
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    When it's time for plastics, I'm getting mine done outside of the USA at a fraction of the cost and it won't be the first time I've traveled outside of the country for surgery..... but anyway, that's a different topic.

    I would be VERY, VERY cautious of where you go to get surgery done outside of the U.S., especially plastic surgery. Remember, you get what you pay for.

    Oh yeah, because plastic surgery has only just reached the rest of the world, right now we're just cutting people open on the kitchen table and sticking them back together with duct tape.
    Ignorant.
  • Missjulesdid
    Missjulesdid Posts: 1,444 Member
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    When it's time for plastics, I'm getting mine done outside of the USA at a fraction of the cost and it won't be the first time I've traveled outside of the country for surgery..... but anyway, that's a different topic.

    I would be VERY, VERY cautious of where you go to get surgery done outside of the U.S., especially plastic surgery. Remember, you get what you pay for.

    ETA: OP, if you can afford it without your family suffering (i.e. no food, no clothes, and the possibility of losing a roof over their head), why not?!

    One should be VERY,VERY cautious of where you go to get surgery WITHIN the US as well. You do get what you pay for.. BUT when you go out of the country for surgery, your money goes further and you afford the BEST. When I had my last surgery it would have cost 20K in the USA and I got it for 4,500 in Mexico.... The doctor in Mexico was WAY more qualified than the US surgeon in my area who quoted me the 20K. there are cases of people going to other countries for surgery and realizing that the doctors are not really doctors operating out of back alley clinics.. That happens in the USA too... but if you go with a board certified reputable COSMETIC surgeon then there is no reason to be overly concerned with receiving care outside of the US.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    I lost 100 pounds and have been maintaining my weight loss for 3 years. Unfortunately, due to all the excess skin I have, I still feel fat. I know I will never be able to move on and be happy with my body until I have surgery to remove the skin. I had a consultation with a plastic surgeon, who confirmed what I was never sure about, that it really is just skin and not fat. This initially made me feel better, knowing the "fat" that I see in the mirror isn't really fat, and it isn't my fault. There is really no amount of dieting or exercise I can do to get rid of it. This was freeing for about a day and a half, then it skin started bothering me even more. I know I will never be happy until it is gone. I want to have the surgery, but it is so much money. Just to get my arms done, which is the area that bothers me the most, is $10,000. I want to take out a loan to pay for it, but I wonder, is that selfish? It is a lot of money, and I feel guilty spending that much money on myself. I also worry, as with any surgery there is always a risk, what would happen to my family if something bad happened to me during surgery. Is my happiness worth all that money and risk? I don't feel like I can live the life I am supposed to live in my body the way it is, but is it worth it?

    if you can afford the loan, i dont think its selfish.
  • Sparkyjs1965
    Sparkyjs1965 Posts: 4 Member
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    I don't think it is selfish at all. When you started your journey, I'm sure you had an idea in your mind what you would look like when you reached your goal. You worked hard to get there you deserve to to look the way you want. I know when I reach my goal I plan to have it.

    You should also check with your doctors, if excess skin shows to be a possible health risk, you might be able to get your health insurance to cover most of the costs.
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
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    You are young, with a lot of life ahead of you.

    If you can afford it without putting a strain on your family budget, do what makes you happy.

    It is not selfish to want to look your best.

    Any surgery has risks though, so get the best information you can to help make your decision.
  • Tammy_1971
    Tammy_1971 Posts: 93 Member
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    For one thing... it is NOT selfish at all; you deserve it after all your hard work. First question - Is the excess skin causing any issues? If so, maybe your insurance will cover a lot of the costs. I know they will not pay for "vanity" type stuff, but if you (and your Dr.) can see some sort of issue it is causing... maybe???

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