Scared of saggy skin

[kimmerzj29 52]

Hi everyone...I am in the very beginning stages of finding out more info about gastric sleeve surgery!! I meet with all the docs on sept 8th for my very first visit!! I have a huge concern about saggy skin, I'm 5'3 and 240lbs, does anyone find that going to the gym and toning usually helps with this problem? I know you most likely are going to have it in places no matter what since u lose so much weight so quickly, but anyone know any ideas of how to avoid having it as much as u can?? Thanks

[Rovobay 920]

cross that bridge when you get there..... wouldn't you rather be at a healthy weight with saggy skin, than obese with health issues? skin depends on various factors. genetics, age, length of time being obese, exercise helps, Vitamin e too....

[pink dahlia 2,513]

I dont have any saggy skin and im you're height and was close to your weight when I was banded. Like Rovobay said, it depends on alot of factors. Going to the gym will help you in so many ways, but whether or not it will help with saggy skin, I dont know. Either way, loosing excess weight will make you stronger , happier and healthier, so its a win win any way you look at it. Good luck !!

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

You will have some excess skin but not sure you can predict how much or if it will really bother you. Rovo is so right, becoming trim and healthy, even with excess skin, is the big pay off. You'll look really good just by losing weight and more importantly improving your life.

Exercise has many benefits but it doesn't shrink skin. It does tone you so you look better. Your skin does tighten some with time too

[kimmerzj29 52]

Thank you guys I appreciate it, it might seem like a stupid question but I figured I would asked people who have had it and you are 100% right I would much much rather be happy and healthy then worry about a little excess skin!!!

[cheryl2586 3,053]

Sagging skin can be hidden very well with clothing. I still wear long shirts to cover my belly area. I dont want a Tummy Tuck so as long as I look good with clothes on I dont care.

[terry1118 1,274]

Thank you guys I appreciate it, it might seem like a stupid question but I figured I would asked people who have had it and you are 100% right I would much much rather be happy and healthy then worry about a little excess skin!!!

There are a lot of factors in how saggy your skin might be or even if you'll have any at all. How heavy you are, how long you've been heavy, your age, genetics - lots of things can be different from person to person. I'm 55, had twins (at only 5' tall I was as big as a person carrying triplets), a few years later followed by an 10 1/2 pound baby, was overweight/obese for 28 years (since twin pregnancy), yo-yo dieted for years, and due to my age am losing elasticity which is normal. I expected to have loose skin and I do but it's not as bad as I feared. My insurance will pay for cosmetic surgery if I get rashes but this summer is the first summer that hasn't happened. If I was a much younger person I would seriously consider cosmetic surgery to correct the problem, regardless of cost. See where you end up. You may not have an issue at all. If you do, perhaps your medical team can help you document and qualify for cosmetic surgery. :-)

[MichiganChic 3,262]

There's no way to know in advance how much you'll have, and no way to know if it's going to bother you. No matter what, I'd choose health and flabby skin over fat filled flab every day of the week.

[kimmerzj29 52]

Thank you all so much for your input and support!! I'm so excited to start this new journey and be on a healthy and happy path in my life, I just want to feel good all the way around and have it be worth it u know!!

[McButterpants 2,846]

I am 5'3" and my high weight was 256. I've been over weight since my 20's and am 44 now.

My skin is holding up better than I thought it would, but I do have excess (bat wings, inner thigh skin and tummy sagging). I embrace it. It's my payment for allowing my life to get out of control. It's my badge of honor - I worked hard to get this saggy skin! Hours at the gym and hundreds of miles in the past 9 months (about 700 to be precise).

I am doing what I can to tone and do some weight training. Started yoga and am seeing the benefits. Things are tightening up.

I will always have the saggy skin and that's OK - I would much rather have some saggy skin than the life I had a year ago.

I'm happier and healthier now than I have been in 20 years.

[LumpySpacePrincess 594]

I have a TON of saggy skin!! Do I hate it? Well, its not appealing to me. On the other hand, saggy skin doesn't make my knees hurt when I go upstairs, or keep me from breathing regularly when I go for walks, or get in the way when I need to bend over for something. I mean, sure, it sounds like someone jumping on a waterbed when I do jumping jacks, but at least I can DO the jumping jacks!!

[tsreed806 0]

I see everyone says saggy skin should not be a worry etc., I am 34 and I want to be comfortable in my clothes and do not want to feel like I have to hide my body, like I do now. Overall being healthy is the goal, however I would like to be comfortable in wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top. I do not think that is unreasonable. Is there any one that has success with maintaing the skins elasticity? I know many factors such as genetics,age, and amount of weight lose will need to be considered. I am pre-surgery and this is a big consideration for me, I really want to be semi comfortable in my body.

[planningband07 52]

From what I've read, the more drastic the surgery, the faster the weight loss = saggier the skin. lapband has the slowest loss, followed by sleeve, followed by gastric bypass. I had the lapband with plication, which is a newish procedure coupled with the band, some call it the sleeve without cutting. Also, the total amount of weight loss will obviously determine how much saggy skin you have. Guaranteed to have some saggy skin with dramatic weight loss, more so the older you are.

Edited August 25, 2014 by planningband07

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

I wore shorts and summer tops before plastics. My arms made me self conscious but I started to realize that I obsessed about them more than others noticed! I did often wear Shapewear but the.main trick was to make sure my pants were not snug. ...avoiding the skin muffin top. I wore alot of dresses as that worked well.

I still think people obsess way too much on this topic. Going from morbidly obese to "normal" improves your life immensely. I would say it improves looks 80-90% and plastics gets yo the last 10% or so. Think about what a difference 80-90% improvement in looks could mean in your life- so worth it!

[kimmerzj29 52]

Tsreed86 thank u!!! I am a newlywed and am very self conscious as it is with my husband I know he loves me the way I am and loves

Me for who I am and what I look like now...and nothing will ever change that but I. Do worry that excess skin will make thing worse for how I feel about myself I don't want to have to keep myself covered up all the time just because I only feel good with clothes on it's hard because this is my only

Worry about surgery