AZDee

I was a self pay, I found a terrific surgeon in Mexico that was about a 1/4 of the cost I was quoted in the states...I am very happy, it was super easy flew to San Diego and was picked up at the airport and taken across the boarder stayed a week and flew home...

That is SOOOO exciting! I am so happy for you. You will feel so much better once all the drains are gone...post some photos when you are up to it.

dog ears can happen on other procedures too, very common near the elbows of a arm reduction surgery....

[quote name="CowgirlJane" post="3567030" timestamp="1407438825" Due to genetic differences in how scars heal....surgeons tend to cherry pick their very best "afters" which is why I like seeing posts shared by patients who might not make it to the surgeon website. Amen to that! On the site realself.com you can see a ton of pictures from this doctor and others that would never make it into their gallery of work...

I too have gotten comments from people who are actually surprised that I haven't gained the weight back. But actually those rude people may just be helping me by keeping me on my toes, weight wise. I belong to a long time WLS support FB group and it seems like the majority of them have gained back some weight. The good fight to be the best you, will always be a part of our daily life, if we live the way we should we will be fine. What's that ole saying, "Misery loves company" that woman that is waiting for you to regain some weight, just must me one of those miserable people...

Great job on the arms!!!

Wow, you look fabulous!!! doesn't look like the body of a 49 year old, that's for sure!!!

Wow what a transformation....you look great! So happy for you. Do you have other surgeries planned? I did my arms, face/neck and breasts/implants first, then 4 months ago I did the lower body lift and the thigh lift...It's a journey to say the least!!!

Wish you all the best of luck, ladies with your documentation. I didn't have any issues except the ugly saggy skin that didn't qualify for surgery to be paid by my insurance. Please if that should be the case with any of you, continue on your journey of being the best you, you can be. You have come so far, with losing the weight, please see it though with the needed skin removal. It was life changing for me... I know if there is a will, there will be a way. We only have one life to live. I for one never thought I could have a normal looking body, especially after all the weight loss, but we can, skin removal will remove those sins of the past and give us a fresh start. There are many ways to afford surgery. I have heard people going to teaching hospitals and having it done with P.S. and their interns, others like myself went out of the country. I went to Mexico, just south of the Border from San Diego, and it was wonderful, my surgeon and staff were wonderful and my outcome was outstanding. The costs were about a third of those in the States. There also companies that offer financing for surgery. So please do not give up on finishing your journey....

I was one who had all of the stiches done internally with the final stich being done internally with tape also. Although I did have a reaction to the tape, it made me itch so I itched it (not good) but that side effect was gone in a matter of weeks and today at 4 months out I have the faintest thin scar, which should be not even noticeable in no time. If I could figure out how to post a picture I would... My surgeon believes sewing is the key to a good outcome and literally spends hours finishing up his LBL's with his sewing. Of course proper cut lines must come first, if you can have that and then a great finishing of detailed sewing you will have a great outcome. I too gave thought to going to Brazil, since they are known for their excellence in Plastic Surgery, but since it was so far away (and costly to fly there) and I didn't have any good referrals, I went to a great surgeon with great referrals for the WLS community close to home in Tijuana, it was just a quick flight to San Diego where I was picked up and taken down to the clinic just minutes from the border. And since I didn't have to wait for stiches to be removed, I was able to fly back home a week later. My healing was great too, even back to work in a couple of weeks..

Not only did I wear my compression garment that went down to the knees but my surgeon also had me wear these really tight support stocking that my vein surgeon had given me, so there was no swelling as long as I wore them both...no place left to swell....

I didn't use financing, but on his website, it does show financing available...not sure who that is through.

I wish it worked, I'd be the first in line....I read up a lot on this a couple years ago....

You are so close to one of the most amazing surgeons in this country who specializes in WSL patients Dr. Peter Fisher in San Antonio....I was just up there yesterday and had it not been a weekend I would have gone over to his office for a consult. I live in AZ but if I could swing a recovery in TX I would use him. Check his work on realself.com it's stunning....

I was feeling pretty good after about 4 weeks,for my LBL but each month I felt even better, by month 3 it seemed Luke years ago that I had surgery...

I could have lived with my saggy belly it wasn't so bad, but ended up getting that fixed to match the arms and boobs that were done the year before and greatly needed. I think after you start and see how really easy it all is, you start wanting to improve on all that you can. Many of us on here have had our plastics done with twilight sedation which is so much easier to deal with than general anesthesia making the whole experience so much easier...

I bought 6-8 treatments (can't remember now just how many) hyperbolic treatments. Many of the Plastic Surgeons in Phoenix send their patients to get these chamber treatments right after surgery. Since I was traveling to have surgery, I used these as my insurance policy for a good recovery. They ward off infections (this is the only method that will heal those with the flesh eating disease) they speed up healing and they lesson the look of the scars. It was pretty cool I went into a chamber and it was decompressed as you wear a oxygen mask. Each session lasted 1 - 1 1/2 hours...sorta relaxing...The company submitted the charges to my insurance company as wound care, and they paid...even though it went towards my high deductible I thought it was great. You can google hyperbolic treatments in your area and see if you have a private center. Most all hospitals have them but I bet they cost a whole lot more. This center also gave a PS discount. I believe this was a very important key to my fast and eventless healing...

When I first had the arms done I would never have thought there would be enough skin for a revision, but over the year as the swelling went away I was left with a little too much extra anyway. so it's all good, get the pulled area fixed, get rid of the extra skin and have a better placement...I am confident it will all turn out much better...

If your arm scars go past your elbow, then you most likely had more extra loose skin than most. The important thing is that the loose skin is gone. It's been over a year since I had mine done and they have turned into a thin fine white line with the exception of a puckered area at the elbows on both arms. I also am not happy with the placement of the lower cut so it is being moved when I have a revision on the lower portion of my arms. Having to have little fixes is not uncommon, let the arms heal and see how they turn out. I have a new plastic surgeon who will be fixing mine and I like his attitude, he says everything thing can be fixed...

Today, I am 3 months post op and healing very nicely. Scars are even lighter and all the red marks from the surgical tape have healed. Weight is about the same I haven't lost any weight since surgery, but that could be do to eating more than I normally do for healing. I plan on working on that!

That's weird, but if you scroll down on the surgery forum I have a blog, called my Plastic Surgery in Mexico and I was able to paste some of the pictures off my profile there...I will also see if I can bump it up to the top of the list..You can also see and read my review at www.realself.com I am AZDee there also... Thank you for the info. I tried looking at your before and after pic, but it won't allow me to click on the link.

I paid for my own airfare to San Diego, where I was picked up, but mine was a little different due to the fact the center was being remodeled, so I stayed in a recovery house, which was really nice too, but after a few days I was feeling good enough to stay at a very nice hotel, that my Surgeon has a special rate with. They made all the arraignments for me and they brought me back to the airport so I had nothing to think about. I only needed to stay a week since, my stiches were all internal (such a nice thin scar that way) so I didn't have to wait for stiches to come out...Things may change now that the new surgery and recovery center is being finished. But better than all the details being taken care of, the fact that my surgeon does such incredible work is the reason I went to him. besides being a board certified surgeon, he also has a Specialty in Micro-Surgery, so his fine details are incredible, I could not be more pleased with my outcome, my incisions are so thin and beautifully placed, you are welcome to look at my profile to see photos. My surgeon was Dr. Victor Gutierrez of Tijuana, dr-victorgutierrez.com/

I believe so much has to do with your surgeon. RNY was tough on me too. Then last year I went to a different PS and had my arms done, and breast done with a lower face/neck lift. I had such horrible pain I couldn't believe it. But I knew I wanted and needed the lower body lift, so this year when I went looking for a new surgeon to do that, I found my new surgeon, he told me his patients usually do not experience any pain, I was like yea right, I know better, then after this major surgery he was right I felt no pain. When I asked him how that could be he told me it's all in how a surgeon handles the tissue and also the fact that he doesn't allow his patients to bleed, all that leads to a very mild recovery. So this is why I say it depends on your surgeon, it seemed to work for me...I was very pleased with my mild and uneventful recovery!

I have a much on my profile....Today is 3 months post op I plan in taking some new pictures...everything looks the same except the scars are much lighter...

First of all I would type in Lower Body Lifts and start from there. Most WLS patients who have skin removal surgery will end up traveling in order to find a surgeon so specializes with such patients. It would be icing on the cake to find one a great surgeon close to home. I live in a major city, but I could not find such a surgeon in my area so I started looking for the quality of the surgeon first. Back to realself, by reading the reviews of past patients you will get a pretty good education on what to look for and what to shy away from. Once you dial in on a doctor there that peeks your interest you can highlite his name from one of the reviews you have read about him on and it will take you to his page where you can read other reviews and request a consult. I traveled, to have my lower body lift, I went alone, and flew to San Diego, I was gone for one week, for me it was very simple, I had no issues what so ever, I will be 3 months post op tomorrow. You can see my pictures on my profile...Happy hunting, I had 10 consults some in person and some online to find my terrific surgeon. Well worth all the work!