Sadly there is no magic cure for the excess skin, but your body may surprise you. Otherwise, depending on your insurance, there can be cases where excess skin removal has been covered, but you have to have documented rash/infection issues, and I've heard that they don't cover things like recreating your belly button.

So far I've been fortunate, but we'll see how things shake out as I lose the last 40-50 I need to lose.

creepykbear wrote: »

I looked back a few months and couldn't see where this has been talked about - so I'm just going to ask - What have you found that helps reduce excess skin flabbiness?

I'm in my 6 month preop period - lost 40 lbs thus far on low carb - aiming for another 40 before surgery in January. I'm really afraid of what's going to happen with all this extra skin - and at the moment thinking about ever having the money to have plastic surgery is unrealistic.

Sadly, there really isn't anything that will make it go away totally. The best you can do is take care of your skin to help it stay hydrated( drink your water, take biotin, lotions). Those things didn't help me and I did them faithfully and still do in hopes that one day I'll wake up and look more human and less like the saggy baggy elephant.

As sinderstom said document any skin irritations. I actually had my tummy covered by my insurance after only 9 months post surg with my belly button reconstructed. I carried all my weight in my stomach so I knew I was going to have skin.My tummy already hung low and as I lost weight it just got worse. On my 3 month check up I made sure my surgeon knew I was getting irritations. The more I lost the worse it got.

He gave me creams and powders and nothing helped. He referred my to a dermatologist and she tried everything in her power even pills and nothing helped. She then referred me to a plastic surgeon who got my tummy tuck approved with in two weeks of my consult. Now, I'm suffering from neck and shoulder pain and am starting the process to have my breast reduced and lifted. I would love to get my thighs and arms done but insurance doesn't cover that since it is considered cosmetic. SO, I lotion and I drink and I take biotin and hope to win the lottery soon! I guess you can only win if you play though!

krissymae88 wrote: »

I'm in the preop stage too and worried about this topic as well. I've been big my whole life and it's hard to imagine myself smaller...so when I think about what I'll look like after a lot of weight loss I just picture myself deflated (and that's not a pretty picture lol). But I know I need to do this to improve my health. And if I'm unhappy with my body after weight loss I guess I'll have to learn to live with it because in the end it'll be better to be unhappy with it and healthy than unhappy with it and sick/slowly killing myself.

Thanks for bringing up this topic and I look forward to hearing what those who have been through this have to say. ☺

I will never regret my sleeve. I would have done it ten times over. I look at the sagging skin as the trade off and would take it any day over being 298lbs with a laundry list of illnesses. You never know your skin may respond and bounce back better than you think.

denicejo wrote: »

creepykbear wrote: »

I would love to get my thighs and arms done but insurance doesn't cover that since it is considered cosmetic. SO, I lotion and I drink and I take biotin and hope to win the lottery soon! I guess you can only win if you play though!

Me too! And the lottery is the only way it will happen for me. However, not everyone needs the reconstructive surgery. It depends on several things and as others said, getting your water and taking biotin helps. But it really depends on how much you lose and how old you are. Folks in their 30's for instance, still have a lot of elasticity in their skin, and the skin tends to bounce back. But folks like me in their late 50's and losing close to 200 pounds, our skin will not bounce back. Come on Lottery! Mamma want to get her arms and legs done!!

LOL! This might be TMI for some, but my backside looks like I have two sharpei puppies hanging from it! Just like Bugged53, I have absolutely no regrets!