Skin Advice

[wendyr 0]

Someone suggested that I put this in this section, so here it is, I found this info in another forum I visit and I think it is good advice.

1st of all, make sure you are taking good care of your face. Lotion your face with a quality facial lotion 2x daily. I use Mary Kay or the Oil of Ole' products. Make sure you clean your face and defoiliate before you apply lotion. Stroke your face in the right direction to support the facial muscles instead of tearing them down. Also learn how to do facial exercises to help build the muscles back in your face. The lotion helps keep the skin supple and the exercises encourages the skin to stay tight.

Next make sure you are doing some weight lifting. Some sources believe that when a muscle group is worked, it triggers the skin to tone. Lotion your body as well to help keep the skin supple. I hate putting on lotion, so I use the Oil of Ole' mosturizing body wash. It has worked well so far.

Third, take some supplement(s) that help the skin to maintain or regain it's flexibility. I take Colostrum which is "suppose" to help maintain and improve the skins flexibility. As well as increase engergy etc etc.

Also, it is also believed that the slower you loose the weight, the less flab you will have. The skin has more time to adjust. In another board I participate in, people have said that the flab will decrease with time. Some plastic surgeons refuse to do surgery until you have maintain your weight for a year. This is for a couple of reasons: 1) if you start regaining the weight after the surgery you can get into trouble quickly, 2) it is felt that it takes a year for the skin to adjust.

Forth, if all else fails, the national burn center will sometimes pay for the operation to remove the flabby skin, as long as you donate the skin to the burn center for use on burn patients. I call that a win/win situation. I am not sure what the guidelines are for qualifing for this program, you may want to keep it in mind.

I am doing what I can to minimize the flab, understanding that my sister who has never weighed more than 110 pounds in her life has flabby arms and legs<g>. I figure that 1 year after getting the weight off, I will decide what to do then.

Keep your chin up, don't let it sag

[princess_n_thep 2]

The Mary Kay Timewise solutions are ROCKIN'!!! I love them. Cost a bit more, but SOOOOOOOO worth it. After using it religiously for 2 months I DO notice fine lines going away and my skin is much healthier and blemish free.

[FunnyDuddies 6]

For the face I use Estee Lauder's line of re-firming moisturizers (night and day), the re-firming eye cream twice a day, and their Idealist Refinisher before I put on the moisturizer and after washing. I have noticed a HUGE difference with my skin since using it. And its pricey getting it all in the beginning but the jars are huge and a little goes a long way!!

Drinking your milk, getting your Protein, and taking Vitamin E are really important too!! Work it from the inside out!!

And I REALLY want more info on the burn centers paying for the surgery! I have a ton of skin to donate LOL

[FunnyDuddies 6]

On a slightly similar subject, I have made a huge discovery with this line of moisturizing. Let me explain how I figured this out and some background.

First off, I HATE other people touching my face, esp around my eyes. It is something that freaks me out. LOL But my mom talked me into getting my makeup done at a makeup counter one day and I was told I was doing everything wrong. See, I would wash my face with body soap, and not use a moisturizer. I had very oily skin, and broke out as bad as a 13 year old. I could never control it, even though I washed my face twice a day with a citrus body soap. It would strip the oils from my face, and my body would increase the oils to my face to self-moisturize.

The woman at the counter explained that I actually don't have oily skin, that my face was over compensating. It was clogging my pores, and making my skin dry out and peel using this soap. I started using a face soap for dry skin, twice a day. Using a day time moisturizer before putting on my makeup, and an overnight moisturizer before bed. My skin has completely cleared up. I no longer have that oily sheen on my face, and my skin is smooth and peel free. I don't look like a 13 year old with bad pimples anymore. And I can actually wear makeup without foundation because my skin tone has completely evened out!! I am amazed!!! I also use the same products every day, not switching between products. This is important, because your skin gets used to one formula. As for my eyes, the skin around your eyes is VERY different from the skin on the rest of your face. You should use an eye specific moisturizer with smaller moisturizer cells so that it absorbs better. Otherwise the regular moisturizer will not absorb into the eye skin and will actually weigh the skin dow, creating fine lines and wrinkles.

All of this goes for the guys too. Guys neglect their skin so badly. It kills me how my DH treats his face. Guys...get that skin toned back up. It will keep you handsome longer.

[Jachut 487]

Yep, its the same principle as overwashing your hair. Although it takes a bit of getting used to if you cut down gradually, you can wash your hair waaaaay less. I used to be a daily washer, now it's every 3 or 4 days - any more than that it's not oily but it just doesnt sit well. THe more you wash your hair the more oil your scalp produces and the more you have to wash it.

Its the same with using harsh things on your face I think.

I mentioned in a post the other day thought that I have a friend who had just a little flab left on her belly after a large weightloss and it was treated very successfully by liposuction. She's got a flat belly now, with just a touch of wrinkled skin, rather than a smooth belly with an enormous scar across it.

and with regard to your eyes, the heavy moisturiser on the eye thing is so true. I have a condition of my corneas which causes them to dry out and tear when I sleep so I have to fill my eyes with thick ointment to keep the moist overnight. It makes the skin around my eyes dark and look awful, I have to have my eyes lasered soon to (hopefully) cure this condition.

On the odd night that I dont use the ointment I always look so much better and less tired the next day.

[FunnyDuddies 6]

Yeah I have a thing with my eyes too. When I lay down (and occasionally when I am sitting up) my eyes tear badly. They do not dry out, but the excessive wiping of tears dries the skin out around my eyes. My DH freaked out the first time he saw this. He thought I was having a bad dream and crying in my sleep. Its not like I gush tears, but there is a constant slow watering, and it can get annoying.

the hair thing is true too...but I have to wash my hair everyday cause I have to use a heavy amount of conditioner to brush my hair. I have very curly red hair, and that much conditioner builds up worse than anything.

Just curious about your friend... How much weight did she lose? With me losing over 200 pounds I am sure of surgery to come, but at the same time my PCP tells me at my age and skin condition I might bounce back just fine.

[Jachut 487]

She lost about 35kg (80lb??).

With my eyes I mean my corneas actually rip. They cornea rips open which does cause profuse watering and pain. Its this weird condition where the cornea is all uneven and bits stick to my eyelids when I'm asleep and dry out and then I open my eyes and r-i-p. If I have a bad one it can take days to repair, the little minor ones I have every night take about 20 minutes. So I have to use this awful gooey ointment that is so greasy and yuck and it makes me look old and tired during the day.

[CandySmooch 0]

I don't know about anyone else, but I heard the "donating excess skin to burn centers" shortly after I was banded and I started researching it very very heavily. All of the research I found was false and a common myth of WLS - I could not find one single burn center across the US who does this - unless someone is willing to prove me wrong here. I don't have money for PS thats why I was hoping it was a for real deal - but alas thus far I've only found it to be fiction than fact. The reason I got was because the skin has no elasticity left in it thus the reason for saggy skin and it can not be re-graphed for burn victims, they need healthy vital tissue w/ elasticity. Again - I'm truly wanting someone to prove me wrong here............give me some concrete information please, not just hearsay.

[wendyr 0]

I don't personally know of anyone who has had it done, I only heard of a lady that said she was going to have it done and I wouldn't know how to get a hold of her

[MsButterKup23 1]

I don't know about anyone else, but I heard the "donating excess skin to burn centers" shortly after I was banded and I started researching it very very heavily. All of the research I found was false and a common myth of WLS - I could not find one single burn center across the US who does this - unless someone is willing to prove me wrong here. I don't have money for PS thats why I was hoping it was a for real deal - but alas thus far I've only found it to be fiction than fact. The reason I got was because the skin has no elasticity left in it thus the reason for saggy skin and it can not be re-graphed for burn victims, they need healthy vital tissue w/ elasticity. Again - I'm truly wanting someone to prove me wrong here............give me some concrete information please, not just hearsay.

I Googled it and this is what I found:

http://www.transweb.org/reference/articles/donation/excess_skin_donation.html

[tburrdy 0]

i was wondering about the lap band for over a year, i am a full time icu nurse in canada, by niagara falls, and i am a single mom to an amazing 5 ry old energenic girl, who loves to skate.. if butter cup could mail me i would love to learn how to post and get messages re; sugery. the cost is holding me back, is it 20,000 dollars??? My insurance does not cover at this time. thakyou, Tammy-Lynn

[CandySmooch 0]

I Googled it and this is what I found:

http://www.transweb.org/reference/articles/donation/excess_skin_donation.html

Yes I had come across that article too at one point - confirming what I had found - thanks for checking - anyone else come up with anything different?

[wendyr 0]

Sounds like we found our answer, that is a pretty good resource. Thanks for the info.

[FunnyDuddies 6]

dammit!! now i gotta start another savings account. lol

[Kimber-lilly 2]

I did a little digging about the live skin donation---this is what I found for the University of Michigan......

http://www.traumaburn.org/traumaburn/resources/faq.asp

Interesting!