Excess Skin

[jcbydesign 0]

I have only lost about 1/3rd of my weight and I already look saggy and baggy everywhere...hate that my boobs hang down and my belly, too. Now my arms are going and the top of my thighs. I would never want to stay fat like I was but I certainly don't have the money for PS, either. At least we look better in our clothes and are healthy!

[liberty2003 0]

I am very happy with my health and the weight loss. My biggest thing is i have been heavy since i was born..I want to be able to look good with clothes on and WITHOUT..I don't want to spend the rest of my life with saggy skin. Im still not sure about the PS but we shall see when i get down to goal..

[Vegaswildflower 0]

All this talk about skin has me wonding is there a way to donate skin, maybe to burn patients?

Maybe Im crazy.. well thats been proven, I was just thinking..

[babsintx3 0]

Ms. Buttercup,

I hear ya loud and clear and I am sending you hugs. But please read this:

I had excess skin after losing 155 pounds and I had a full abdominoplasty and medial thighplasty last August. I too, was depressed about the hanging pannus and my thigh skin that slapped together and got infected a lot. My insurance paid for 70%, I paid the other 30%. It was not a short battle to get them to pay what they did. I had to appeal, show them all kinds of documents from doctors who supported my claim of medical necessity, quit smoking ( I smoked for 24 years at age 40), etc..

The recovery times was huge. 4 days in the hospital, one month hunched over, drainage tubes, delayed healing in the groin area and below the belly button. Yadda yadda. I did not have Lipo or a breast augmentation due to money constraints at the time, so I still have saggy boobs and a big ass!!! LOL

Was the stomach worth it?? Absolutely. I have a wonderful flat tummy because I worked out for 2 years prior to the surgery and the results were beautiful.Were the thighs worth the pain?? Hell no, but I dont have excess skin bothering me there anymore and I am grateful for this but I wish that I had lipo done as well since the end result was they only removed 2 lbs of skin from the thighs and a few more from the stomach totaling around 5 -6 pounds.

I guess what I am trying to say is that having plastic surgery is the roughest thing I had ever done in my life. I have two children age 4 and 10 , had two C-sections (so I get surgery) and I own a company and work fulltime. Yes, I am married so I did have someone to help me at nighttime, but I had no family to help me in the daytime. Some days I was too weak to make it to the kitchen for Soup. My husband would leave the phone, a drink, my meds and stuff right by the recliner and basically from day 5, I was on my own at home completely alone.

The PS is a major commitment, but please understand that you trade hanging skin for very large scars. This summer, I did not spend much time at the pool because I was still a little uncomfortable about the thigh scars. It takes a little getting used to. If you correct the bat wings, the scar will be significant. If you get a TT, you will have a hip to hip scar and a new bellybutton. If you have a thighplasty, let me assure you that the tradeoff is huge from a scar standpoint and the pain is excruciating during the healing process since thigh and groin skin must heal from the inside out.

I am not trying to discourage you from PS. I myself am completely thrilled with the flat stomach especially. I may even go back and have a boob job at some stage, but I have been married for 12 years, breastfed two kids and there isnt anyone other than my hubby that sees my boobs on a daily basis, so there is no hurry. I hate the fact that I have the saggy skin, the bat wings, the boobies hanging etc, but they are part of me and if others dont like what they see, they shouldnt look.

I can say with certainty that men dont care about this. If they do, they are totally superficial and probably wouldnt be a soul mate for you anyway. Please learn to love yourself, scars, war wounds etc... I recommend you do this anyway before you even consider plastic surgery because you will be disappointed with the results if your expectations are too high. Plastics will not change who you are if you are insecure about yourself anyway. Not saying that is the case here at all. Just be happy OK??? You are an amazing person and thats all that counts.

Babs in TX

334/180 ish

-150 ish

[Jachut 487]

So very well said Babs.

[bishowa 0]

My surgeon recommends waiting 2 years post banding to do any PS work. Skin shrinks very slowly. I know it is tuff to look in mirror. Remember everything is a process & takes time. I have a friend who lost over 150. After the 2 years, she didn't need plastic work.

[Fauxnaif 1]

Heck, I've got loose skin and would love to have it removed some day! BUT, I sure as heck prefer loose skin to being 319. I can wear a foundation garment and I look pretty damn good! The only one who is going to see my naked is my husband and he married me at 319. He agrees that I look better now.

I find it hard to believe that some of you would rather be morbidly obese than be normal with loose skin.

[Lovingit 3]

Hi

i m 26...and weighed 235 pounds a year back i am now187 and about 50 pounds away from the target...

thankfully till date i have loose skin only on my upper arms which were always a problem..n genetic as my mom has gigantic arms but is ok all over else...and ya my boobs dont look that great anymore...

but the thing is my dear since we are at similar ages...YOU NEED TO EXERCISE...thats what works...lose weight slow and steady drink Water comes next...but most most important exercise...

on good days i do 40 mins cardio which comprises 10 mins on crosstrainer and 30 on treadmill which i do at low speed but high incline...and then 30 mins of weight training...on regular days i make sure to do atleast 30 mins of weight training and floor exercise...i do this 3-4 times a week...

and it works babe!!!

[Jodi_620 37]

My surgeon recommends waiting 2 years post banding to do any PS work. Skin shrinks very slowly. I know it is tuff to look in mirror. Remember everything is a process & takes time. I have a friend who lost over 150. After the 2 years, she didn't need plastic work.

Just googled "Plastic Surgery Donate Skin" and the first couple sites I looked at says that they do not accept skin from plastic surgery patients. They prefer to use cadaver skin because they can remove larger portions for it.

[Candle 11]

Hi

i m 26...and weighed 235 pounds a year back i am now187 and about 50 pounds away from the target...

thankfully till date i have loose skin only on my upper arms which were always a problem..n genetic as my mom has gigantic arms but is ok all over else...and ya my boobs dont look that great anymore...

but the thing is my dear since we are at similar ages...YOU NEED TO EXERCISE...thats what works...lose weight slow and steady drink Water comes next...but most most important exercise...

on good days i do 40 mins cardio which comprises 10 mins on crosstrainer and 30 on treadmill which i do at low speed but high incline...and then 30 mins of weight training...on regular days i make sure to do atleast 30 mins of weight training and floor exercise...i do this 3-4 times a week...

and it works babe!!!

Since this thread is over 2 years old, I don't know if the OP will see your post but I did want to comment.

There's a big difference between 235 and 300lbs. Body type certainly comes into play as well.

I've been over weight my whole life and am an apple shape. My high weight was 311lbs. I could drink all the Water in the great lakes and run from NY to CA - my loose skin and huge panni aren't going to get any better.

PS really is the only answer for some people. Unfortunately, I'm one of those people. :sad:

[Jachut 487]

Its so true, I think those of us that are pear shaped get out of this a lot more likely than those that are apples.

But its a reality for all of us. Each of us has our own issues there. I may not have a hanging apron, but I still am disappointed with how "not tight" my skin is. I feel old, sigh. But my particular issue is that it isnt a no brainer, its expensive, difficult surgery to fix what many would see as a non existent problem. DH agrees I shoudl get my boobs done, yet I'm wavering, cant see the point in having perfect boobs when the rest of me looks a decided 41 years of age. In many ways I am no happier with my body now than I was.

[Froggi 4]

I most definetly will need plastics eventually...I'm big everywhere and I already have a huge lower stomach that hands over...can't imagine what it will be like just as skin. I have started to lose weigh in my arms and my batwings are getting looser and hanging a bit more than the fat did there. So we will see...I have a lloooong looong way to go but some of us that started at very high weights have no other decision but to get plastics. Unless we're happy with floppy skin that gets rashes under it etc.

[Shalee04 7]

Its so true, I think those of us that are pear shaped get out of this a lot more likely than those that are apples.

But its a reality for all of us. Each of us has our own issues there. I may not have a hanging apron, but I still am disappointed with how "not tight" my skin is. I feel old, sigh. But my particular issue is that it isnt a no brainer, its expensive, difficult surgery to fix what many would see as a non existent problem. DH agrees I shoudl get my boobs done, yet I'm wavering, cant see the point in having perfect boobs when the rest of me looks a decided 41 years of age. In many ways I am no happier with my body now than I was.

I have to say I agree with Jachut, Yes I am healthier, I am glad to have lost the weight, but am I really happier, Not really. My skin is sooo flabby, my bat wings wave long after my hand has stopped waving, and my once really fat tight tummy is now 2 saggy, baggy flappy things. Yes I have 2 rolls of tummies.:sad: I know I have to look at the healthy standpoint, that's what DH tells me. So maybe after the Tummy Tuck I can finally say I am happy with all this. Maybe......

[Shalee04 7]

Just googled "Plastic Surgery Donate Skin" and the first couple sites I looked at says that they do not accept skin from plastic surgery patients. They prefer to use cadaver skin because they can remove larger portions for it.

http://www.mtf.org/

This is a place that my PS called me and asked if I weould be interested in donating my Tummy Tuck skin to, I was like Hell yes if they really want it, if it can help burn victims then I am all for it. I have no more need for it.

The Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation,

the nation’s largest tissue bank, changes lives by connecting donors with surgeons and transplant recipients. As a non-profit service organization, MTF is dedicated to providing quality tissue through a commitment to excellence in education, research, recovery and care for recipients, donors and their families. Since our inception in 1987, MTF has recovered more than 60,000 donors and has distributed more than 3 million grafts for transplantation

[Candle 11]

I have to say I agree with Jachut, Yes I am healthier, I am glad to have lost the weight, but am I really happier, Not really. My skin is sooo flabby, my bat wings wave long after my hand has stopped waving, and my once really fat tight tummy is now 2 saggy, baggy flappy things. Yes I have 2 rolls of tummies.:drool: I know I have to look at the healthy standpoint, that's what DH tells me. So maybe after the Tummy Tuck I can finally say I am happy with all this. Maybe......

I relate to a lot of what you guys are saying. I'm not really too much happier with my body now, than I was at 300lbs.

I feel better, I'm healthier, and it's a thrill to not shop in the plus size section any more but there's a flip side to everything. I can buy a size 12 but they have to be mom-jeans that come up over my muffin top. No low rise. I have to buy long shirts to cover my panni. I have to wear 2 sports bras and a Spandx tummy shaper to exercise/run and I'm still uncomfortable with the jiggling. I can't wear tank tops because I have bat wings AND a roll of fat over my bra band. I've been getting rashes. etc etc etc ....

Sometimes I just get really bummed out about the damage I did to my body. I guess today is one of those days.