Opinions on loose skin surgery?
Pikashel
Posts: 61 Member
Hi all. I have 140 lbs to lose to get to a healthy weight. I've read a lot of things about people having a lot of loose skin and needing surgery to remove it. I'm planning to lose the weight, healthily, over 2 years. I know I'm far from goal, but I'm just wondering what everyone's experience is with this. Do you think it's necessary and unavoidable even thought you lost weight slowly?
PS I am doing cardio + weight training.
PPS for those who have gotten surgery covered by insurance, how do you go about that? Thanks!
PS I am doing cardio + weight training.
PPS for those who have gotten surgery covered by insurance, how do you go about that? Thanks!
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Replies
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I think it varies from person to person. I knew a girl who lost 150 pounds in three years and skin surgery was needed for her.
There are a lotta factors like your starting weight, your age, how fast you lost it. But honestly there are so many factors.
I knew someone who lost 110 in 16 months and didn't need it and I know someone who lost 150 pounds in 36 months and she needed it. Both women also did cardio and strength training.
I've lost 60 and I can already tell I'll need it. Doctor and I have been doing the required insurance steps to make sure everything goes smoothly when I will need it0 -
Annahbananas wrote: »I think it varies from person to person. I knew a girl who lost 150 pounds in three years and skin surgery was needed for her.
There are a lotta factors like your starting weight, your age, how fast you lost it. But honestly there are so many factors.
I knew someone who lost 110 in 16 months and didn't need it and I know someone who lost 150 pounds in 36 months and she needed it. Both women also did cardio and strength training.
I've lost 60 and I can already tell I'll need it. Doctor and I have been doing the required insurance steps to make sure everything goes smoothly when I will need it
Oh yes, I was curious about the insurance part too. What do you need to do to get that covered? I'm sure it depends on the type of insurance you have to but I just wanted to know in general to be prepared. Thanks for the insight!0 -
Aside from getting in a time machine and going back to before you became overweight and then not gaining the weight, there is nothing you can do to prevent loose skin. At this point, the damage is done and if you're going to have loose skin, there is nothing outside of surgery that will change that.
Finish losing weight and then wait for a few years (1+ definitely, quite possibly 2-3) to see how much your skin shrinks. How much it shrinks is dependent on how big you were, how long you were big, genetics, age, and how much yo-yoing you did weight-wise.
Creams, wraps, lifting weights, losing slowly, etc. do not help shrink up skin. Creams will keep your skin moisturized. Wraps will help dehydrate the area and may tighten it up temporarily but not permanently. Lifting weights will make you stronger and will help your physique and give you something to obsess over and think about. Losing weight slowly will help minimize how much your skin shrinkage rate outpaces your fat loss rate. But none of these things will prevent loose skin or increase its shrinkage.13 -
Annahbananas wrote: »I think it varies from person to person. I knew a girl who lost 150 pounds in three years and skin surgery was needed for her.
There are a lotta factors like your starting weight, your age, how fast you lost it. But honestly there are so many factors.
I knew someone who lost 110 in 16 months and didn't need it and I know someone who lost 150 pounds in 36 months and she needed it. Both women also did cardio and strength training.
I've lost 60 and I can already tell I'll need it. Doctor and I have been doing the required insurance steps to make sure everything goes smoothly when I will need it
Oh yes, I was curious about the insurance part too. What do you need to do to get that covered? I'm sure it depends on the type of insurance you have to but I just wanted to know in general to be prepared. Thanks for the insight!
Yeah literally every insurance coverage is radically different with this. What I did was ..we have a 3rd party group called Accolade. I emailed them, if I was covered. They responded yes under these conditions:
1. I need to try and failed treatments of ointments and other medications to prevent rashes (no insurance will cover skin surgery on purely a cosmetic level...there must be an underlying medical condition from that skin access...such as constant rashes.
2. The weightloss must stay off for three months to qualify
Those were the requirements for my insurance.
I would call the 800 number on the back of your card and ask the rep if your insurance contracts cover skin surgery due to medical skin problems from weight loss (chronic rashes)
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I lost 100 pounds in about 14 months. My belly hangs, and my breasts remind me of half full water balloons, but I'm so happy to have the weight gone, the loose skin doesn't bother me. I just cover it up with my clothes. Lol11
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Annahbananas wrote: »Annahbananas wrote: »I think it varies from person to person. I knew a girl who lost 150 pounds in three years and skin surgery was needed for her.
There are a lotta factors like your starting weight, your age, how fast you lost it. But honestly there are so many factors.
I knew someone who lost 110 in 16 months and didn't need it and I know someone who lost 150 pounds in 36 months and she needed it. Both women also did cardio and strength training.
I've lost 60 and I can already tell I'll need it. Doctor and I have been doing the required insurance steps to make sure everything goes smoothly when I will need it
Oh yes, I was curious about the insurance part too. What do you need to do to get that covered? I'm sure it depends on the type of insurance you have to but I just wanted to know in general to be prepared. Thanks for the insight!
Yeah literally every insurance coverage is radically different with this. What I did was ..we have a 3rd party group called Accolade. I emailed them, if I was covered. They responded yes under these conditions:
1. I need to try and failed treatments of ointments and other medications to prevent rashes (no insurance will cover skin surgery on purely a cosmetic level...there must be an underlying medical condition from that skin access...such as constant rashes.
2. The weightloss must stay off for three months to qualify
Those were the requirements for my insurance.
I would call the 800 number on the back of your card and ask the rep if your insurance contracts cover skin surgery due to medical skin problems from weight loss (chronic rashes)
Thanks for the insight! I will look into it when I get to that point lol0 -
I lost 100 pounds in about 14 months. My belly hangs, and my breasts remind me of half full water balloons, but I'm so happy to have the weight gone, the loose skin doesn't bother me. I just cover it up with my clothes. Lol
Agreed. I will probably wear a lot of shape wear if insurance doesn't cover the surgery lol. Congrats on the achievement, btw!1 -
Yeah, you're going to have loose skin, but I don't know how much. Everything Jemhh said is true. There's nothing to be done to prevent it.0
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A word of hope here
I'm down 95 lbs so far in 18 months and have no real problem with loose skin. My breasts are pendulous and I need to wear a bra, but they were that shape when I was heavier too. Id say my body is looking pretty good for my age. Loose skin is by no means a foregone conclusion.
At any rate, lose the weight to feel better and enjoy better health. Your vanity can sort itself or on the way. Most people find that the skin is far less a problem than the weight was, whether they opt for surgery or not.
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I wouldn't until the weight is gone.0
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Lost 80 pounds and I have loose skin (belly, butt, arms, thighs). I've been this weight for 2 years and it hasn't changed at all either. Belly's the worst - I have a constant apron (yes, there's still some fat in there, but even at my thinner I always had a bit of fat in my belly, but it never hang that way, or had wrinkles - think Sharpei skin).
Unfortunately I can't justify spending so much money on cosmetic surgery so I just have to learn to live with it.1 -
I've seen cases where women have lost 100+ lbs and have hardly any loose skin at all, and then I've seen women lose the same amount and they have miles of loose skin (not literally). So who knows how bad yours will be once you lose all the weight. Thats what i've based my stance on, I've lost 83/150 lbs and so far my loose skin isn't super bad, then again it's also still full of fat. I read that it will tighten up over 2 years after you lose weight, but the amount it will tighten depends on the person. I assume its largely genetics.
My viewpoint is, i'm not going to worry about the loose skin until I reach my goal. Then i'll take a step back and look at how much I have, and say to myself.. am I comfortable with this body? If the answer is yes, i'll continue on my merry little way without surgery. If the answer is no, I'll look into surgery bc I believe it's a valid option and I've seen lots of ladies come out of surgery looking fantastic.2 -
Hi all. I have 140 lbs to lose to get to a healthy weight. I've read a lot of things about people having a lot of loose skin and needing surgery to remove it. I'm planning to lose the weight, healthily, over 2 years. I know I'm far from goal, but I'm just wondering what everyone's experience is with this. Do you think it's necessary and unavoidable even thought you lost weight slowly?
PS I am doing cardio + weight training.
PPS for those who have gotten surgery covered by insurance, how do you go about that? Thanks!
Best of luck ! hope you are healthy and fine ! Im in a similar situation.0 -
Almost every picture I see on the internet of this brand new invented "loose skin" phenomenon falls into one of two categories: 1) people who legitimately have loose skin because they had gastric bypass and lost over 150 pounds in a year; 2) people who are still 50 pounds overweight even though they have lost 50-100 pounds, give up on losing anymore weight, and call the flab they have left over "loose skin" as an excuse to stop dieting.
About 5% of what is left are tiny amounts of wrinkled, soft skin on thin people who lost a fair amount of weight without gastric bypass. If you get down to a healthy weight and healthy fat percentage without bypass surgery, that is likely what you will end up with. No big flaps or overhangs.2 -
I need to lose over 200 pounds and I know I will need the skin removal. Once I get to that point I will start working with the insurance company. It's going to be a couple years though.0
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Losing weight slowly will help minimize how much your skin shrinkage rate outpaces your fat loss rate. But none of these things will prevent loose skin or increase its shrinkage.
I've lost 149 pounds with at least 89 to go. I started last July, so I'm losing kinda quickly. I asked my doctor about fast weight loss & loose skin & this is exactly what he said. Rate of WL has nothing to do with how much loose skin you end up with after maintaining for a year plus.
Insurance is only going to cover it if if it's medically necessary in some way. Some insurance companies are unwilling to cover any loose skin surgery. The ones that cover it are willing to cover a panniculectomy only from what I've read. (That's the loose skin on your belly below your belly button.) And they only cover that when it's a medical issue. Frequent yeast infections count, as does difficulty walking, I think. Maybe other issues. Generally your pannus (hanging down belly) also has to cover your pubis. And you have to have lost 100+ pounds & kept it off for a year. I am not aware of any insurance companies that cover upper arms, thighs, or body contouring. (I think that's the term for your rear & hips & stomach above your belly button.)
Don't let fears of loose skin keep you from taking care of yourself. I think I'm going to end up with a lot of it, and it's a pain & causing some issues. But I'm tons healthier, and I feel tons better, and that's way more important.
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Believe it or not if you lose down to the lowest possible body fat skin pulls in. Most women can't do it so they elect surgery. The only way is really heavy weights.0
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seekingdaintiness wrote: »Almost every picture I see on the internet of this brand new invented "loose skin" phenomenon falls into one of two categories: 1) people who legitimately have loose skin because they had gastric bypass and lost over 150 pounds in a year; 2) people who are still 50 pounds overweight even though they have lost 50-100 pounds, give up on losing anymore weight, and call the flab they have left over "loose skin" as an excuse to stop dieting.
About 5% of what is left are tiny amounts of wrinkled, soft skin on thin people who lost a fair amount of weight without gastric bypass. If you get down to a healthy weight and healthy fat percentage without bypass surgery, that is likely what you will end up with. No big flaps or overhangs.
Yeah but see... the problem is that loose skin completely changes the way your body looks. The fat gets stuck in the loose skin and just droops. Without the loose skin, it wouldn't look nearly as bad.
So you basically have to remove the fat completely to only get those 'tiny amounts of wrinkled, soft skin'... and it's not always that easy for everyone (I mean, come on - 90% of people have no desire to lift weights forever to get a 6 pack).
Also, you're totally wrong and biased, my body fat is probably around 22-23%, I'm 15 pounds under the overweight category, I just happen to have a large frame, thin limbs, and pretty much all the fat I have left is in my midsection. So no, I don't have 50 extra pounds and I'm not using that flab as an excuse to stop exercising. It's not going away unless I go down to 16% body fat, which is NEVER going to happen. It's genetics. And because of the loose skin, it looks like a shar pei, whereas otherwise it would look a bit chubby but would certainly not hang like that (I know, I've been this weight before).
Please stop talking about things you don't understand.3 -
You may very well need to get down to a lower body fat than you would like in order to figure out if you have loose skin or not. I just put a picture in my profile that shows me in a beige t-shirt dress without any spanx-type thing underneath. I'm at about 26% bf. My aim is to lose around 8-9 pounds of fat in order to get to 20%, which seems to be the best estimate of what a woman needs to hit in order to see if she has loose skin on her stomach or not. You can look at my other pictures and see that I am not still 50-100 pounds overweight. Losing the stomach fat literally comes down to the very last few pounds for many people and until you do that and then give your body/skin time to repair, you will not know if you will have loose skin or not.1
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seekingdaintiness wrote: »Almost every picture I see on the internet of this brand new invented "loose skin" phenomenon falls into one of two categories: 1) people who legitimately have loose skin because they had gastric bypass and lost over 150 pounds in a year; 2) people who are still 50 pounds overweight even though they have lost 50-100 pounds, give up on losing anymore weight, and call the flab they have left over "loose skin" as an excuse to stop dieting.
About 5% of what is left are tiny amounts of wrinkled, soft skin on thin people who lost a fair amount of weight without gastric bypass. If you get down to a healthy weight and healthy fat percentage without bypass surgery, that is likely what you will end up with. No big flaps or overhangs.
Yeah but see... the problem is that loose skin completely changes the way your body looks. The fat gets stuck in the loose skin and just droops. Without the loose skin, it wouldn't look nearly as bad.
So you basically have to remove the fat completely to only get those 'tiny amounts of wrinkled, soft skin'... and it's not always that easy for everyone (I mean, come on - 90% of people have no desire to lift weights forever to get a 6 pack).
Also, you're totally wrong and biased, my body fat is probably around 22-23%, I'm 15 pounds under the overweight category, I just happen to have a large frame, thin limbs, and pretty much all the fat I have left is in my midsection. So no, I don't have 50 extra pounds and I'm not using that flab as an excuse to stop exercising. It's not going away unless I go down to 16% body fat, which is NEVER going to happen. It's genetics. And because of the loose skin, it looks like a shar pei, whereas otherwise it would look a bit chubby but would certainly not hang like that (I know, I've been this weight before).
Please stop talking about things you don't understand.
We cross posted but yep, pretty much everything you said here.2 -
CrystalArmstrong1 wrote: »I've seen cases where women have lost 100+ lbs and have hardly any loose skin at all, and then I've seen women lose the same amount and they have miles of loose skin (not literally). So who knows how bad yours will be once you lose all the weight. Thats what i've based my stance on, I've lost 83/150 lbs and so far my loose skin isn't super bad, then again it's also still full of fat. I read that it will tighten up over 2 years after you lose weight, but the amount it will tighten depends on the person. I assume its largely genetics.
My viewpoint is, i'm not going to worry about the loose skin until I reach my goal. Then i'll take a step back and look at how much I have, and say to myself.. am I comfortable with this body? If the answer is yes, i'll continue on my merry little way without surgery. If the answer is no, I'll look into surgery bc I believe it's a valid option and I've seen lots of ladies come out of surgery looking fantastic.
That's my plan too, but I'm asking just to be prepared. I would much rather have loose skin than be morbidly obese.1 -
Can_Do_Gal wrote: »Losing weight slowly will help minimize how much your skin shrinkage rate outpaces your fat loss rate. But none of these things will prevent loose skin or increase its shrinkage.
I've lost 149 pounds with at least 89 to go. I started last July, so I'm losing kinda quickly. I asked my doctor about fast weight loss & loose skin & this is exactly what he said. Rate of WL has nothing to do with how much loose skin you end up with after maintaining for a year plus.
Insurance is only going to cover it if if it's medically necessary in some way. Some insurance companies are unwilling to cover any loose skin surgery. The ones that cover it are willing to cover a panniculectomy only from what I've read. (That's the loose skin on your belly below your belly button.) And they only cover that when it's a medical issue. Frequent yeast infections count, as does difficulty walking, I think. Maybe other issues. Generally your pannus (hanging down belly) also has to cover your pubis. And you have to have lost 100+ pounds & kept it off for a year. I am not aware of any insurance companies that cover upper arms, thighs, or body contouring. (I think that's the term for your rear & hips & stomach above your belly button.)
Don't let fears of loose skin keep you from taking care of yourself. I think I'm going to end up with a lot of it, and it's a pain & causing some issues. But I'm tons healthier, and I feel tons better, and that's way more important.
Definitely would rather have loose skin than be morbidly obese. I am just asking to be prepared. Thanks for the info and congrats on all the hard work!0 -
seekingdaintiness wrote: »Almost every picture I see on the internet of this brand new invented "loose skin" phenomenon falls into one of two categories: 1) people who legitimately have loose skin because they had gastric bypass and lost over 150 pounds in a year; 2) people who are still 50 pounds overweight even though they have lost 50-100 pounds, give up on losing anymore weight, and call the flab they have left over "loose skin" as an excuse to stop dieting.
About 5% of what is left are tiny amounts of wrinkled, soft skin on thin people who lost a fair amount of weight without gastric bypass. If you get down to a healthy weight and healthy fat percentage without bypass surgery, that is likely what you will end up with. No big flaps or overhangs.
1. I never had gastric bypass
2. I am not 50 pounds overweight
3. No. Loose skin is not a myth
Get over yourself. Some people need it done. Stop putting down someone who may need it done.
One of many assanizing posts I've seen on here. People think just because it never happened to them it cannot happen to anyone else. Self entitled folks who aren't experts but pretend to be is a little pet peeve3 -
I would just see how you feel when you get to goal. Cross that bridge when you get to it, you know? I'm hoping for good results for you. Good luck! I myself would be all for it if needed.1
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I like the idea of saving money for it. If you get to your maintenance weight and you don't need surgery... Look at all the money you have saved up!3
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It's really mostly dependent on your age, merely because the younger you are the more likely your skin is to snap mostly back into place. It also depends on how much you are doing toning exercise while trying to lose weight, I go back and forth between cardio and toning exercise's to try and help some of my stretched skin.0
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I hate the excess skin I have, especially my arms, and my knees look like a Shar-Pei's. But what I hate even more is the idea of laying in bed to recover for months at a time (if you have your legs done), or not being able to move my arms for weeks, etc. I couldn't stand the idea of taking that much time off from working out, and I can't afford to take that much time off from work, or the surgery itself for that matter.1
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