Skin removal surgery

[ms.sss 15,662]

36 minutes ago, ashd13 said:

I didn’t listen right after my surgery about moving my arms or lifting them and have scar tissue now that’s painful.

How long ago did you have your surgery? I had some thick scarring that reduced my mobility on my right arm, which would hurt a little if I pushed it beyond the tightness. My surgeon made 2 cuts along the "cord" to ease up the tension and its all good now. Have you discussed the issue with your surgeon?

[ashd13 26]

1 hour ago, ms.sss said:

How long ago did you have your surgery? I had some thick scarring that reduced my mobility on my right arm, which would hurt a little if I pushed it beyond the tightness. My surgeon made 2 cuts along the "cord" to ease up the tension and its all good now. Have you discussed the issue with your surgeon?

I had my first surgery in 2018 and the second in 2019. I then had my lapband removed, had weight regain and now will be having the sleeve in April. My arms still look fine but when I’m ready to have another surgery down the road I’ll discuss it with him.

[Lynnlovesthebeach 626]

On 3/12/2021 at 10:44 AM, victoriaciminelli111 said:

Has anyone had plastic surgery to remove excess skin?

I had lower body lift and both arms done last Aug 25. It was tough for the first few days, The arms were painful but the lower part not so much...I had a nerve block for that. I only used one dose of narcotic once I got home. The combo of gabapentin and robaxin on a round the clock schedule is being used more and more post op for pain control and has been effective for me after my RNY, my hip replacement and now plastic surgery. I was in surgery for 12 hrs for all 3 procedures and spent 2 nights in the hospital. I recovered at home alone except for my brother would come over every day at lunch time and bring me food and change my arm dressings. The first 2 weeks I didn't do much except sit in my recliner with my arms elevated. After that, recovery became much easier. I had 4 drains for my LBL and I managed them myself and even was able to wrap my own arms and then get into my compression garments once I got them. My brother drove me to my first post op appointment but after that I drove myself to my weekly appointments. I have now scheduled my next surgery, breast lift and back lift and scar revision on left arm, for Aug 2. I'd love to do it sooner but that's when I could get enough time off from work. My third surgery will be a thigh lift and scar revision on right arm, hopefully in January (depends on work schedule). I wouldn't change anything other than wishing I had done it all sooner! My arms are 10 inches smaller and my hips are 33 inches! I wear a size 2P and will probably be a size 0P after I get my thighs done. I never dreamed I'd have this kind of success when I was at my highest weight a few years ago! Good luck with whatever decision you make and you can do it alone with a lot of planning and determination!

[Kris77 1,534]

Had TT, breast lift w augmentation in January. Love my surgeon. He is amazing. Did All three at the same time. Best decision I made next to getting the sleeve done. Wish I had done sleeve sooner, maybe then I wouldn’t have needed the PS. **Do your research on Surgeons.**
But PS was worth it. So happy how it turned out! Keep us updated on your PS journey.

[victoriaciminelli111 43]

On 3/16/2021 at 11:31 AM, WishMeSmaller said:

I am scheduled for lower body lift and breast lift/augmentation at the end of May. The surgery is expected to take 5-6 hours, which like most surgeons, is the top end of what my surgeon will do in one surgery. I am anticipating pain, and scarring. I have pretty fair skin, so my scars tend to take a very long time to fade from the pink/purple color. Thankfully, my scars won’t be visible in clothes or bathing suits if all goes as planned. And I will have top notch wound care post-op, as my husband is a wound care nurse.😊

I have faith skin as well so this is good to know

[victoriaciminelli111 43]

Just now, victoriaciminelli111 said:

I have faith skin as well so this is good to know

*Fair

[sillykitty 10,776]

I'm 16 months post op from a lower body lift and breast augmentation. I had several consultations and chose the surgeon that would do it all in one surgery (not the only reason I chose my surgeon, but one of them). My surgery was only 3.5 hours long. My surgeon seems to work unusually fast, which is at least in part due to his male PA, who assists in surgery.

I have scars, but are quite faded by now. In general fair skin scars better than darker complexions.

It was painful, but manageable, I took opioids for only a few days. (If opioids make you nauseous, try a scopolamine patch. I have the same issue and it works wonders) I have actually had a 2nd round of plastic surgery since then. Both times I didn't need a significant amount of help.

I have no regrets about plastic surgery. It has given m a body I had never dreamed was possible.

There is a plastic surgery forum on here. You can read about a lot of people's journeys.

[summerset 5,265]

Still fighting with my insurance over plastics. That I will an at-least-partly self-pay is something I have accepted already (I want a lower body lift as well and a thorax wall lift with breast skin-removal). It will be four surgeries in sum I guess, each being 3 months apart. I'd like to have it in two rounds as well but the surgeon I chose (seems to be the most realistic and honest one plus his results seem to be good and I don't want to travel far away) won't do that. Oh, well...

Germans have a different stance on everything self-pay than Americans, I notice it again and again. It also irks me that I have to take vacation days for surgery.

What I also notice again is that every time I think "Ok, weight loss is finally done!" there goes some more weight. I already noticed that I started losing again after my board certification on 22nd March. (So much for that "window of opportunity" regarding weight loss.)

Since a weight loss of e. g. 3 kg or so really shows once you seem to be past a certain BMI I'm saying once again: glad I've waited!!

@sillykitty: wasn't it you who said something in that line as well? Like a rather small amount of weight made a hell of a difference you didn't expect?

[sillykitty 10,776]

26 minutes ago, summerset said:

@sillykitty: wasn't it you who said something in that line as well? Like a rather small amount of weight made a hell of a difference you didn't expect?

Yes ... my weight loss slowed, then plateaued a bit as I got to what I thought was my goal. But then I lost another 10-15 lbs in 4-6 weeks. That weight loss took me from a C cup to an A cup. Even after I was at a steady weight, below "goal" my body seemed to shift. I have pictures of me in a dress, and then 6 months later, at the same weight it hung on me.

[summerset 5,265]

1 hour ago, sillykitty said:

I have pictures of me in a dress, and then 6 months later, at the same weight it hung on me.

That's something I didn't notice.

[CathleenG 0]

On 3/16/2021 at 5:38 AM, victoriaciminelli111 said:

I can't take narcotics so for me it's about finding. A pain Man plan for post op.

Medical marijuana in a tincture or a small pill you dissolve under your tongue. Good luck with your plan.

[ABA 4]

Is there a specific surgeon that anyone would recommend? Also, is it better to have multiple procedures completed at once, versus having one procedure completed at a time? I am just thinking about the cost financially and the cost that is associated with having multiple procedures completed previously before. I had a breast consult done completed last year and plan to have another consult done to talk about my stomach area but want to loose the remaining weight first (20-30 pounds).

Thanks for your recommendations!

[catwoman7 11,214]

34 minutes ago, ABA said:

Is there a specific surgeon that anyone would recommend? Also, is it better to have multiple procedures completed at once, versus having one procedure completed at a time? I am just thinking about the cost financially and the cost that is associated with having multiple procedures completed previously before. I had a breast consult done completed last year and plan to have another consult done to talk about my stomach area but want to loose the remaining weight first (20-30 pounds).

Thanks for your recommendations!

I see you're in Virginia. If you want a nationally known surgeon who specializes in body contouring for massive weight loss patients, then Joseph Michaels in Bethesda is one to consider. I believe he's also on the faculty at Johns-Hopkins, and he does his surgeries at two different hospitals.

it's usually cheaper to have more than one procedure done at a time, but some surgeons don't want their patients under anesthesia for more than six hours or so (plus...they get tired! I don't really want some tired guy with a knife working on me!). If yours is one who limits the time, then whether you have it done in one or two surgeries depends on what all you want done. You might want to set up some consults - somewhere between 3-5 consults is good, because some of them will have different ideas than others. Sometimes consults are free, sometimes they'll charge you for them ($100 or so), but if the latter, they'll usually deduct that cost from your surgery if you go with them. Even if they didn't, it's still not bad - they're spending time with you, so...

if you're comfortable going to Mexico, you'll usually pay much less for surgery. Just do a lot of research before you go. There are some excellent surgeons there - and some not so good. Francisco Saucedo in Monterrey and Laura Cardina Carmenas in Tijuana also specialize in body contouring for massive weight loss patients and have done several of us.

I've read on here that plastic surgery in Miami tends to be cheaper than elsewhere in the US, but i don't know of any surgeons there - but some people on this site have used them and can get you names.

[ABA 4]

10 hours ago, catwoman7 said:

I see you're in Virginia. If you want a nationally known surgeon who specializes in body contouring for massive weight loss patients, then Joseph Michaels in Bethesda is one to consider. I believe he's also on the faculty at Johns-Hopkins, and he does his surgeries at two different hospitals.

it's usually cheaper to have more than one procedure done at a time, but some surgeons don't want their patients under anesthesia for more than six hours or so (plus...they get tired! I don't really want some tired guy with a knife working on me!). If yours is one who limits the time, then whether you have it done in one or two surgeries depends on what all you want done. You might want to set up some consults - somewhere between 3-5 consults is good, because some of them will have different ideas than others. Sometimes consults are free, sometimes they'll charge you for them ($100 or so), but if the latter, they'll usually deduct that cost from your surgery if you go with them. Even if they didn't, it's still not bad - they're spending time with you, so...

if you're comfortable going to Mexico, you'll usually pay much less for surgery. Just do a lot of research before you go. There are some excellent surgeons there - and some not so good. Francisco Saucedo in Monterrey and Laura Cardina Carmenas in Tijuana also specialize in body contouring for massive weight loss patients and have done several of us.

I've read on here that plastic surgery in Miami tends to be cheaper than elsewhere in the US, but i don't know of any surgeons there - but some people on this site have used them and can get you names.

Thank you for sharing this information! This is very helpful. When I was living in NC I researched surgeons there but didn't find any that I felt would provide the results that I was looking for, just based on reviews that I had seen on their websites. I completed some very minimal research for surgeons within the US as well. I am excited about losing the rest of the weight and having skin surgery in the future. When I had my breast consult completed last year, the surgeon that I spoke with told me that ultimately I would need to also consider if I wanted to have any future surgeries before or after I have children because pregnancy can affect the results. However, I feel like because my skin has been stretched out from weight loss/gain over the years repetitively (especially in my abdomen area) if I were to get the skin removal surgery on my abdomen before I have children it will make a significant difference because the elasticity within the skin on will be reset to a certain degree, and there will not be as much stretching/sagging afterward.

The breast surgeon that I completed the consult with told me that pregnancy could potentially cause my breast to become raised and plumper. He also recommended breast implants and provided me with the side effects and other recommendations that come with that surgery. I will definitely research the surgeons you have recommended to see which one will be the best option for me financially and will go from there.

Thanks again for all of your help!

Edited June 7, 2021 by ABA

[kristieshannon 1,649]

On 03/16/2021 at 09:36, victoriaciminelli111 said:

We're they separate surgeries or all at once?

All at once. I had 5 consultations. Three wanted to split the surgeries up. 2 would do it all at once. I wanted fl get it all done and not go through recovery twice. However, now I’m looking at a thigh lift as well so I guess I’ll be going through it all over again!