thigh and arm elephant skin

[Tranquility 0]

ok. I'm 10 months out and have lost 105 pounds. (only 10 pounds to goal.) I want to have cosmetic surgery at around the one year point, maybe 15 month.

I'm 55, so no spring chicken, nothing is going to make me look like when I was young, would just like to look and feel firmer.

My problem areas are:

thighs -oh my gosh, they look like elephant legs

belly -not as bad as I thought it would be

breasts -were sagging lots before, now not much tissue left at all

arms -looks like the skin is separating the lower fat from the upper part of the arm , from the elbow to the armpit, I guess they call it bat wings (part of this is obviously age)

I would like to hear from all of you who've had the cosmetic surgery on the thighs and arms, especially the older generation. Was it worth the pain? Is the outcome satisfying? to what degree. Are the scars on the thighs and upper arms so bad that the way they were is better?

Thanks,, thanks so much for all your input.

I think my age is my biggest concern. If I were 30, 40, even 45, I wouldn't even think twice, I'd just do it!

ps. any dallas metro area?

[elcee 3,341]

Can't advise on the ps as I haven't had any, just wanted to congratulate you on your amazing loss. You have done brilliantly - if I recall correctly you had problems in the beginning didn't you? So glad you persevered and have done so well. You must be feeling amazing.

[cwm812 11]

Thanks for posting this and I hope you get some answers!

I have the exact same problems. I've read that the arms and thighs are incredibly painful, and I'm not sure it's worth the effort. I'm almost 50 and I'm afraid that even with surgery, I will still have 50 year old skin! I do know that my arms are just plain creepy looking. Now that it's summer, I'm forced to look at them all the time.

I have realized that all the exercise in world is not going to make that skin go away. I figure I have 3 options: 1) do the surgery 2) stop letting it bother me or 3) buy alot of tops with 3/4 length sleeves. I've been working on the second option, but so far have been unsuccessful.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

Cindy

[Mimilou2004 13]

Well, this could be long. I had my boobs done (no implants) and arms done in January. There was very little pain. The boob scars ar fading. The arm scars are still there but fading a bit every week. I DO wear 3/4 length sleeves all the time, partly to protect from the sun. My boobies are nice but there is a lot of back fat and side fat that no bra conceals. This is an age/stretched skin problem.....if I had it removed I would not only have a horrendous scar I would not be able to lift my arms....because when I raise my arms everything smooths out. The PS referred to it as tenting.

I had my TT done 2 months later and my PS didn't do a great job. I have an uneven scarline meaninging he didn't put the incision in the same place on both sides.

My PS won't do thighs, but I need that done. The strange part is that the butt and thighs is where I gain wt now that the arms, boobies, and tummy have been reduced!!!! Maybe because he did a minimal TT I had no real pain. Some ppl do.

See at least 3 PS and have them explain just how the outcome will be.

Best wishes,

Mimi

[smitten kitten 0]

I don't have an answer for you, but I'm also thinking about getting my arms done. I'm 33 but my weight has gone up and down all my life (I've been over 270 twice and down to 150 once) and my arms are horrendous. Because of all that stretching I will definitely need a lift - Lipo just isn't going to cut it.

Btw, have you checked out the plastic surgery forum here? You might find some answers there *bol* :thumbup:

Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgery - LAP-BAND

[Tranquility 0]

thanks, thanks, thanks for the responses so far! I can see there are problems with every "solution". What to do?

Before summertime, I was not fretting as much as I am now. I am single, sounds like a crazy term for one my age, and want to take a vacation. I've been waiting for this weight loss for 15 years! But, now that the weight is off, I still feel bad about taking one. If I can't swim or wear shorts, then I don't know if there is anything else I'd prefer to do. So, if any of you have any ideas for a relaxing, but exciting vacation in the US, and one that is very inexpensive, let me know!

ps. I'd love to be able to just ignore the awful skin and go where ever I want and do what I want, but let's face it...if I couldn't ignore the fat, then I won't be able to ignore the skin...

[vjack 0]

Congratulations on your weight loss! You've lost a lot of weight in a little bit of time!

I totally hear you about the vacation thing. I am Single & 47 and was just banded this week. I've lost 22-23 lbs since I started this process and I can already see things hanging a bit more..so I'm sure I'll be facing the same future. I don't know if I'd want to take the risks of surgery--but I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. In the meantime, I just am trying to mentally prepare myself for that future and hoping that I'll get to the point where it won't matter.

It would be a shame to give up on your vacation plans. I came across another thread somewhere that talked about sun protection swimsuits-they are longer and fitted. I think they look a bit like a fashionable wet suit but w/long shorts. Might be worth poking around on the web to see if you can find something that will make you feel comfortable AND let you take that vacation that you want!

Best of luck! And congratulations!