How much does skin weigh?

Options
2»

Replies

  • sunnyazgirl
    sunnyazgirl Posts: 271 Member
    Options
    gothchiq wrote: »
    omg lol. all right. Excess skin removal surgery is a thing. Please do not attempt to DIY or to find your neighborhood psychopath to do it for you. But it is very difficult to get insurance to pay for this surgery unless you can prove that it is giving you repeated infections where it folds over or something equally blatantly bad. One friend had so much that it unbalanced her and caused her to fall down the stairs several times and the insurance still would not pay! I think that your doctor should be able to help you estimate how much the loose skin weighs.

    I will try the doctor route, but I think all I will get is the Paloe lecture. He is very proud of my loss so far, but keeps telling me I should switch over to Paleo for the remainder. :( Fortunately, my excess skin is nowhere near as bad as your neighbor's. I feel bad for her. No, mine is purely cosmetic and would be completely covered if I always wore long or 3/4 length sleeves, so am not interested in removal. Just wondering how it is affecting my BMI.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    Options
    So I tried some creative Googling. I found some articles that claimed excess skin removed after weight loss can weigh 2-6 lbs, others that said 10-15 lbs. Also found an article that said the average person's skin weighed 20 lbs. Not citing anything because they were not remotely reliable. I would think a plastic surgeon might be able to give an educated guess if you could snag one. Congrats on your weight loss :drinker:
  • kpk54
    kpk54 Posts: 4,474 Member
    Options
    Hmmmm...I think I would consult with a plastic surgeon. No need to get anything more than the consultation (or 2).

    After observing/measuring the areas and amount of loose skin, an experienced surgeon would have a reasonably good idea of the weight that would be removed. I think??

    Congratulation on the awesome loss!
  • LaMartian
    LaMartian Posts: 478 Member
    Options
    Aaron_K123 wrote: »
    LaMartian wrote: »
    Wow. My response was purely humorous, but it got flagged. That's just special. 2016: The year everyone was offended.

    I understand offense when you witness someone who is severally upset by a comment made to them. I get riled if I see someone bullying someone who is clearly being upset by the bullying. But if you don't know if the comment made actually upset who it was made to and you still act all offended thats a different kind of "offended" that I think is just sort of self-involved and that I do not understand. In this case the OP seemed to enjoy it so not sure what the problem is or why you need to be flagging comments.

    I have no idea what you're trying to say... also, I didn't flag anyone's comment... nor was I actively trying to offend anyone
  • LaMartian
    LaMartian Posts: 478 Member
    Options
    Hey. I got this from my Anatomy and Physiology textbook:

    "The integument accounts for 7% to 8% of the body weight and covers the entire body surface with an area that varies between about 1.5 and 2.0 square meters (m2). Its thickness ranges between 1.5 millimeters (mm) and 4 mm or more, depending on body location. (For comparison, a sheet of copier paper is about 0.1 mm thick, so the thickness of the skin would range between 15 and 40 sheets of paper.)"

    Anatomy & Physiology: An Integrative Approach, McKinley, 2e, p. 186
  • afatpersonwholikesfood
    afatpersonwholikesfood Posts: 577 Member
    Options
    LaMartian wrote: »
    Hey. I got this from my Anatomy and Physiology textbook:

    "The integument accounts for 7% to 8% of the body weight and covers the entire body surface with an area that varies between about 1.5 and 2.0 square meters (m2). Its thickness ranges between 1.5 millimeters (mm) and 4 mm or more, depending on body location. (For comparison, a sheet of copier paper is about 0.1 mm thick, so the thickness of the skin would range between 15 and 40 sheets of paper.)"

    Anatomy & Physiology: An Integrative Approach, McKinley, 2e, p. 186

    Hmmmmm..at the start, I should have had about 30 pounds of skin. At my current weight, I should have about 14 pounds of skin. That means I really weigh 16 pounds less than I think!!!!! Yes, yes, I am sure that's all kinds of inaccurate and erroneous, but I am going to choose to go with it anyway. :D

Categories