Not sure where to put this.. *extra skin*
LurveTheDoctor
Posts: 303
I haven't seen a lot of before and after pictures in my research... and I'm somewhat scared that I will end up needing surgery to remove extra skin from my stomach once the weight is gone.
I never had a big stomach till I had my son. I didn't gain any weight my entire pregnancy,and then the last 5 weeks I gained 30lb.. And it seemed like the majority of it was all around my stomach. My stomach stretched out HUGEEE. Like. BLAM.
In my last 2 weeks of pregnancy, we had to travel out of town on an emergency to visit family and I had to change my DR. He did sent me to the hospital to be tested and have an ultrasound because he seriously thought my DR missed a baby and I was carrying twins because I was so big...
So, Now I have one of these.. And it just got worse come my 2nd child..
(only pic i could find on google, not as bad as this)
I'm wondering if most likely I'll have to have surgery. I'm just wondering, bc if its a large possibility.. I want to start saving up for it now.
I never had a big stomach till I had my son. I didn't gain any weight my entire pregnancy,and then the last 5 weeks I gained 30lb.. And it seemed like the majority of it was all around my stomach. My stomach stretched out HUGEEE. Like. BLAM.
In my last 2 weeks of pregnancy, we had to travel out of town on an emergency to visit family and I had to change my DR. He did sent me to the hospital to be tested and have an ultrasound because he seriously thought my DR missed a baby and I was carrying twins because I was so big...
So, Now I have one of these.. And it just got worse come my 2nd child..
(only pic i could find on google, not as bad as this)I'm wondering if most likely I'll have to have surgery. I'm just wondering, bc if its a large possibility.. I want to start saving up for it now.
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Replies
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Good luck in reaching your goals. In some cases when you have lost a lot of weight and there is excess skin the doctors can remove the excess skin without no charge maybe when the time comes it would be something to talk to your doctor about0
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there isnt always excess skin. depending on how old and healthy you are then it can bounce back. why not save up any way, and when you lose the weight you can either have surgery or if you dont need it, then the trip of a life time to show off that new body!0
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Well, I would suggest starting to save up now. Also give it a year after you reach your goal weight before you go the surgical route to see if your skin retracts on its own. At that point, if you need the surgery, you'll have the money. If not, then you'll have a nice bit of cashed saved up for emergencies or a specific purchase.0
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there isnt always excess skin. depending on how old and healthy you are then it can bounce back. why not save up any way, and when you lose the weight you can either have surgery or if you dont need it, then the trip of a life time to show off that new body!
Because I ballooned up the way I did.. and well.. genetics.. I got HORRIBLE stretch marks from my pregnancies. I thought if you had those you're more likely to have sag and extra skin? But maybe I'm wrong?0 -
Saving money is always a wise choice. It certainly won't hurt you either way.
The human body is amazingly resilient and childbearing is about as natural as it gets. I don't know if you chose/needed a C-section which can effect the muscles ability to recover and in turn effect the dermis. Either way your skin is the largest organ you have and you shed and replace it regularly. Give your body time and it will inevitably improve with a healthy lifestyle. Drink lots of water to help your lymphatic system to cleanse your body. You could try applying Vitamin E oil to the area, some studies suggest this can be benificial and a vitamin is not likely to hurt you. If after time and healthy informed decisions, you still aren't happy, seek out a doctor's opinion.
Remember, every invasive procedure has risks involved, not to mention scars. Become as informed as possible about anything you are considering doing to your body.
My advice, create a healthy lifestyle and save your money. If you don't end up needing the surgery, put the money towards those kids college fund, go on a cruise, or buy a new wardrobe.0 -
there isnt always excess skin. depending on how old and healthy you are then it can bounce back. why not save up any way, and when you lose the weight you can either have surgery or if you dont need it, then the trip of a life time to show off that new body!
Because I ballooned up the way I did.. and well.. genetics.. I got HORRIBLE stretch marks from my pregnancies. I thought if you had those you're more likely to have sag and extra skin? But maybe I'm wrong?
oh well i wouldnt know about that, ive never been pregnant. there is that bio oil thats supposed to help with stretch marks, maybe it could help the skin too?0 -
you better start to exercise, you won't hide this skin .....0
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Saving money is always a wise choice. It certainly won't hurt you either way.
The human body is amazingly resilient and childbearing is about as natural as it gets. I don't know if you chose/needed a C-section which can effect the muscles ability to recover and in turn effect the dermis. Either way your skin is the largest organ you have and you shed and replace it regularly. Give your body time and it will inevitably improve with a healthy lifestyle. Drink lots of water to help your lymphatic system to cleanse your body. You could try applying Vitamin E oil to the area, some studies suggest this can be benificial and a vitamin is not likely to hurt you. If after time and healthy informed decisions, you still aren't happy, seek out a doctor's opinion.
Remember, every invasive procedure has risks involved, not to mention scars. Become as informed as possible about anything you are considering doing to your body.
My advice, create a healthy lifestyle and save your money. If you don't end up needing the surgery, put the money towards those kids college fund, go on a cruise, or buy a new wardrobe.
My stomach is numb from my scar up to my belly button.. And that was after my 2nd c/s. Do you think that could cause problems too?0 -
you better start to exercise, you won't hide this skin .....
???
I am exercising?0 -
I had an 11pd baby with my second pregnancy and I was already overweight, so things got pretty stretched. I lost 50kg (110pd) after I had her and I was left with a lot of saggy skin. I did have a tummy tuck and they took 2kg of skin away, I dropped two dress sizes overnight, and it was a significant amount of skin. Its more common if you have the 'apron' of belly fat while overweight that you will inevitably be left an apron of skin after the weight loss.
My advice, start toning work now, lift weights, work on your abs, tone your core, do as much work as possible to lift and support that area. Also if you do decide to have surgery make sure that you have maintained your weight for at least 12months and also research your drs and the procedure carefully. Its not a simple nip and tuck, there's a lot involved with a big skin removal, necrosis is the biggest risk.0 -
I have had three children and have been very big each time - massive baby belly . But with time (my youngest is 4), healthy diet, exercise, weights, it has gone slowly down and i think when i reach my goal weight it may be a little mummy tummy but not worthy of surgery. You might be surprised how well your body bounces back.0
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I too am interested in what happens to all that extra skin. I had 2 c-sections, and a hysterectomy- all through the abdominal wall. OP, I completely understand the numbness you are talking about. That will get better over time, but it won't completely go away. Be aware of working on getting your core strong again, but don't rush it, and don't over do it. If you did have c-sections, those muscles were separated to perform the surgery, so they will take a while to get strong again, and you don't want to create adhesions or tearing. That said keep up the work to recover your body!
As far as surgery to remove extra skin, I agree with everyone else, wait until you are at your goal weight and have maintained it for a year before looking into surgery. You may also want to make sure you don't want to have more kids 0 -
Hi there I had a multiple birth in 1996 my tummy was similar size to yours. It did go back with exercise as my skin wasn't terribly stretched. However since then I gained 200llb...and I've massive overhang now. I lost 75llb and its clear no amount of diet and exercise will shrink my skin. My doctors already referred me for reconstruction surgery once I reach goal. Every one is different. Having hydrated skin youth skin tone all make a difference. I'd save just in case. You can spoil your lovely family with something else if you don't end up needing it. I'm planning boobs tummy and arms if needed...0
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My stomach is numb from my scar up to my belly button.. And that was after my 2nd c/s. Do you think that could cause problems too?
I had two c-sections and some areas are now numb and others are hyper sensitive. However, over time, these sensations have dulled a bit. The sensation issue is more about the nerve damage suffered when nerves were severed from the incision. I'm no doctor, but I'm assuming that this doesn't have much to do with skin elasticity or how it recovers.
I don't think my skin will go back because my skin isn't very elastic, plus I was chubby before my first pregnancy, and the baby belly seemed to push all of my fat into a pooch. Not pretty, a nice round belly with a big apron underneath and TONS of stretchmarks and the c-sections only seemed to make it worse (not saying that they did, it's just the impression I got). But if your skin is fairly elastic, there is hope.
I think that with lose skin, you pretty much have to wait and see. Lose the weight, drink plenty of fluids, hydrate your skin, try to tone your body (not just lose weight but work on getting stronger too), and see what happens.0 -
My stomach is numb from my scar up to my belly button.. And that was after my 2nd c/s. Do you think that could cause problems too?
I had two c-sections and some areas are now numb and others are hyper sensitive. However, over time, these sensations have dulled a bit. The sensation issue is more about the nerve damage suffered when nerves were severed from the incision. I'm no doctor, but I'm assuming that this doesn't have much to do with skin elasticity or how it recovers.
I don't think my skin will go back because my skin isn't very elastic, plus I was chubby before my first pregnancy, and the baby belly seemed to push all of my fat into a pooch. Not pretty, a nice round belly with a big apron underneath and TONS of stretchmarks and the c-sections only seemed to make it worse (not saying that they did, it's just the impression I got). But if your skin is fairly elastic, there is hope.
I think that with lose skin, you pretty much have to wait and see. Lose the weight, drink plenty of fluids, hydrate your skin, try to tone your body (not just lose weight but work on getting stronger too), and see what happens.
That's how my stomach was the 2nd time around haha.
I'd like to keep faith... But my skinny. Friends belly didn't get as big as mine and she's 2 years out like me and needs a tummy tuck.0 -
Hi there I had a multiple birth in 1996 my tummy was similar size to yours. It did go back with exercise as my skin wasn't terribly stretched. However since then I gained 200llb...and I've massive overhang now. I lost 75llb and its clear no amount of diet and exercise will shrink my skin. My doctors already referred me for reconstruction surgery once I reach goal. Every one is different. Having hydrated skin youth skin tone all make a difference. I'd save just in case. You can spoil your lovely family with something else if you don't end up needing it. I'm planning boobs tummy and arms if needed...
I know I'll need to buy some boobies. Haha. They're the first thing to go when I lose.0 -
I have had 2 children. My first was 8 lbs 12 ounces and 10 days early and I gained about 60 pounds. I needed a c-section. I was young (23) and my skin bounced back. I was much more active during pregnancy number 2 and only gained about 30 pounds. I had my daughter without needing a c-section and my skin bounced back. I was 26 when I had her. I lost the baby weight and then some and my skin looked fine. In my mid thirties I was in an unhappy marriage and gained 90 pounds. I carried that around for 3-4 years and with the help and support of my current husband lost 105 pounds. My skin was done. I was now in my 40's and my skin was no longer elastic. I can't blame my kids. My emotional eating made me gain weight and stretch my skin. I had surgery in June to remove the excess skin. I was at my ideal weight and was eating healthy and doing cardio and strength training. I had a ton of excess skin. You can look at my pictures to see my excess skin before my surgery and after pictures now and how big I was at my highest weight.
As others have said age and genetics play a huge factor in your skin. I had stretched mine out way too many times and for too long to allow it to repair itself. Pregnancy alone didn't hurt me. It's a relatively short period of time when your skin is stretched so far. Best of luck to you!0
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