Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery

For those of you that had virtual consults, especially if you traveled for the actual surgery, how did you gain confidence in your surgeon and their plan? Did they ask to see pictures? See on video? Did they make modifications to the plan once you were in person? I'm nervous about selecting a Dr. that won't actually see me until just before the surgery but I'm not really liking my local surgeons so far. I've had one virtual consult and one in person. The virtual one didn't fill me with confidence. That could have been the surgeon, but I'm curious about others experience. I have another virtual consult next week and maybe that one will be better...

Best plastic surgeon for skin removal and why do you love them? Also any pricing that could be included would be great. ?

How painful is the surgery to remove the loose skin and raise these saggy, non existent boobs

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24076675/ Have any of you seen this? My WL surgeon shared it with me. Makes me even more glad I had PS done!

I'm still in the research phase, but I have a few surgeons I'm very interested in. One of the surgeons often does a lower body lift, a thigh lift, chest work and an arm lift in one procedure. This is equal parts exciting and scary. He has an excellent reputation for results and safety, but that is a LOT of trauma. I think the other surgeons I'm looking at would likely require three surgeries for the that amount of work. If each surgery is two or three months before you're back to normal, that's an ADDITIONAL four to six months of recovery time versus having everything done at once. The idea of getting past the stage of my life in one surgery is VERY appealing. At t…

Howdy everyone, So, I'm planning to have cosmetic surgery once I get to my goal weight (or once I get close to it) and I'm wondering if I should let my surgeon know that I can't have NSAIDs because I had the sleeve, or if I tell him I have had the sleeve, that he should already know (because he is a surgeon, after all)? Just curious.

Hi all, Did anyone have a thigh lift and if so, are you happy with the results? Most of the before and after's I see online I can't see much of a difference. Would love your experience, including what your scar is like and what healing was like in addition to a "would you do it again". If you are open to sharing pictures that would be amazing! Thanks in advance, Lori

I am wondering if anyone has found something like a cream or what not that they use to tighten the skin under the neck area?

I'm getting ready to start having consults for a full body lift and arm lift. I will probably try for a June date (I am hoping to hit goal in January) but finding a surgeon and then coordinating time with work will take some time. I have a good start for what I want to ask during consults, but thought I'd check with the veterans. What question did you ask that really helped you get an insight into your surgeon and helped you select? Maybe you didn't ask, but one surgeon volunteered something you wish you'd thought to ask? Anything you didn't ask that you wished you had? Thanks in advance! Lori

Hi Everyone I had a panniculectomy done in December to remove my excess skin on my abdomen. I am wondering if anyone else has had this and still 9 months later had significant pain when wearing a belt, or jeans that fit just right? It is not instant, but within an hour or two of wearing something around my waist that's a little tight, I have significant inner abdominal pain. Has anyone else experienced anything like this? Thanks, Sarah

Hey y’all. I started weight loss journey w my sleeve in July 2018. Got to goal and have kept it off. Scheduled my big treat to myself! Anyone else doing PS in January too?

Hi everyone, I’ve been lurking on this board for a while but this is my first post! I am going to hit my one year gastric sleeve anniversary in a few weeks and have lost 95 pounds, putting me at a BMI OF 24.8 (with a lot of loose belly skin). I want to hit 100 pounds down total, but don’t want to lose much more than that. From researching this forum and elsewhere, I’ve seen most people say you should be at a stable weight for 3-6 months minimum before plastic surgery. Due to current circumstances, I am working remotely indefinitely and have moved in with family at least until late winter/early spring, at which point I may have to return to the office. Because of th…

Does anyone know if Molina/medicaid pays for a tummy tuck after doing the gastric bypass? Sent from my G60 using BariatricPal mobile app

Has anyone had skin removal surgery and then got pregnant afterwards? How did it affect your body? I need skin removal surgery and I haven’t decided if I want another child yet. I don’t want to wait to have the surgery because I don’t know if I’ll ever decide to have another child. But, I also am afraid that if I have the surgery then get pregnant it would be a total waste of money for the surgery. 

Hi, I'm scheduled for my tummy tuck in October. I'm wondering what I should make sure I have around the house to make the recovery as comfortable and easy as possible. For those of you who have gone before me, what would you recommend? (I did try a search but maybe I asked the wrong question.)

I have my final appointment scheduled in a few days. I am doing a lift and implants along with my arms... my question is I’m really not sure how many cc to get right now I’m a 34B and I don’t want it to be really noticeable so I’m not sure if I do 350cc if that’s going to be super noticeable. My doctor recommended 350cc for my body type and the amount of skin I have, I’m just worried about it. It’s not like I can return them ?

I am looking for surgeons who specialize in post weight loss plastics in the US. I'm willing to travel for the right surgeon (I'm looking to start booking consults and will also be meeting with local surgeons). My hope: Surgery 1: - Breasts: Remove implants, lift, and maybe fat transfer - Abdomen: Tummy tuck ( - Arms: Arm lift Surgery 2 - MAYBE -Thigh lift. I've been looking on real self but having a hard time navigating so your recommendations are appreciated.

Do you still have (if you ever did) overhang around the outside of the elbow when your arms are down?

Anyone willing to share PS cost? LBL? Thighs? Fat transfer to da booty!

Heyyyy it's yo girl. Got my arrival time for my butt lift and thighplasty tomorrow at 7:30 a.m., then 450cc silicone implants in-office on the 15th! Thus will conclude the plastic surgery journey. Prior to bypass I had a breast reduction w/ full nipple graft breast lift and full body liposuction. Post-bypass I had bra-line excision, arm lift, tummy tuck, and soon-to-be butt and thigh lift and implants. AMA! I'm officially an expert. lmao. There's nowhere else for them to nip and tuck! $$$$$$$$$$$ He was supposed to email me my before and after tummy tuck and arm lift but he forgot. I will post them this week when I remind him at my follow-up Friday.

Today, I am One Month, Two Days out from my Mommy Makeover (Tummy tuck, butt lift, fat transfer, LIPO, breast reconstruction, and lift, as well as augmentation) with Dr Niebles ( Neibles) in TJ Mexico. This man is a miracle worker, and I feel like I am finally in the body that I was meant to be in my whole life! I had my gastric sleeve May 15, 2012. Lost my weight (110lbs) right away, and then stayed at my goal and held for 6 more months until May of this year, and booked my body reconstruction with not so high expectations of the outcome. Every day I look at my body and I can't believe that it's mine! I am finally in the body that I belong in! I am about 10 more lbs d…

I haven't ever had a surgery but in on Keto diet and intermittent fasting and I've lost almost 35lbs in 3 months. I love the food on this site, it's a little expensive but allows me to eat sweet stuff without the sugar. Anyways. I was wondering if anyone has had a tummy tuck or nose job and could recommend a good Dr in Connecticut that's good but not 1000000 dollars. Thanks

Hi I had a gastric sleeve done 7 years ago and recently I started to notice skin irritation around my waist line I have lost about 120lbs so there is loose skin. I never had a tummy tuck or anything like that. So I was wondering if anyone had gone through this and what they had to do to correct it. Thanks!

So, I am having my butt skin and leg skin removed in 2020. I had a breast reduction in 2017. I went from a 48H to a 42D. 8lbs of boob was removed. After weight loss, I am now a 34B. But my boobs are empty. There is NO volume at all. It's basically just skin. Because the breast reduction included a lift, they aren't droopy, but if I bend over they look like skinny pregnant dog nipples. I had a LOT of back pain from my large breasts. I hate boobs. I kind of just want the excess skin removed, but that would make me 100% flat-chested. I am nervous to get implants because of the percentage that need to be swapped out after 10-15 years. I don't really want to have more surgerie…

I have the flab ABOVE my belly button, and pulling the skin down, doesn't touch that part. I was looking online and read something about the reverse abdominoplasty, where they pull it up, towards your breasts... There were few and far between articles on it, it said it was a fairly UNCOMMON procedure.. I am curious to know if anyone has had this, and how everthing went, results, etc... Please, and Thanks!

I saw my plastic surgeon and he is going to do a local injection to revise some problem spots from my brachioplasty. He also want to do a little steroid injections at some of the darker, thicker incision areas. My bypass surgeon said never to have any anti inflammatory or steroids. He said to not even have a steroid injection in a joint etc. He is very conservative. Has anyone else ever had steroid injections locally just skin deep after bypass? Would you ever consider it? If I do can I take tums or something to help prevent an issue. The steroid obviously wouldn't be taken orally but would go into my blood stream.

Hi All, Do any of you have a good plastic surgeon in the San Jose/San Francisco bay area that has experience with weight loss patients? I'm still in the weight loss phase (down 130 of a target 163) and am already seeing that I will want my arms done. I also have breast implants from years ago that I want removed and likely just a lift with no replacement implants. I may also want to consider tummy and legs, but maybe not -we'll see where I end up. I would prefer someone who specializes in weight loss since the amount of skin and damage can be so different. If not in the bay area, anyone have someone good that does travel patients with good setups to stay the…

I went in for a consult with a plastic surgeon last week and we booked in an extended brachioplasty surgery for September. Yesterday I got a call saying there's a free spot next week on Thursday... so I was like, ok, cool, let's get it over with. I don't want to panic about it for months - this is a good opportunity. So now it's happening next week. I'm a bit worried that I'm unprepared. I'm hoping to have it as a day surgery so I can come home, if not, there's a room booked for me - I'll take an overnight bag just in case. I've taken leave from work. My mother and sister are around to look after me. If the drains gross me out, I can call a community nurse to do them (it'…

I’m interested in knowing if anyone has looked into this or had a drainless TT. From what I have read, it reduces healing time which would be great for me and taking time off from work. Thanks!

I've been researching plastic surgeons for several weeks and I have a few that I'm very interested in, but I'm constantly on the lookout for additional surgeons to consider. I've repeatedly seen Florida mentioned as a spot with top doctors at affordable prices. I've also seen folks referencing recovery centers in Florida that are more similar to the aftercare many Mexican surgeons offer, which is very appealing. I'm looking a surgeon with great reviews who has done A LOT of body lift surgeries and I'm simply not finding many who fit that billing. Every time I see a Florida surgeon recommended I look them up and I either can't find body lift review or I only find a cou…

Hey I’m wondering if anyone knows about how much money it would cost me to get a full body makeover. Upper and lower body. Arms and thighs included. (Not breasts or face or neck but just about everything else)

I am seriously considering round 2 of plastic surgery! ? I'm interested in an arm lift. But I am hesitating over the scars and the healing/recovery process. I'd love more insight from those who have gone through this already. I know recently there has been @ms.sss, @rs, @mousecat88, but I know there are more! Experiences and pics would be much appreciated!

There's not been much good news about this pandemic and having to wear masks all the time. But I finally found one! I've gotten sensitive about my "turkey wattle" but don't want to pay the cost of plastic surgery. But wearing a mask--instant face lift! I look YEARS younger with a mask on!!?

So I’m officially booked for my arm lift, breast lift/augmentation, and extended tummy tuck for January 14. I’m a big planner, so am happy to have a few months to get all my pre-op ducks in a row. Those who have gone down this path before me, what things did you buy (or wish you bought) for your post op period? My surgeon includes a post op bra, faja, and arm compression garment in my package. I assume I’ll want at least one more of each so I can wash one while wearing another. Anything else?

I've been researching plastic surgery for several weeks. I've built a list of surgeons that I'm interested in (Sauceda, Cardenas, Galvez, Katzen, Michaels, Agha, Capella), but I'm still looking around. One of the big problems I'm running into is a lack of male before and after photos from all surgeons. From what I gather, roughly 95% of skin removal surgeries are for women. I guess a lot of the guys don't care as much about their loose skin, but THIS guy does. A lot of women have INCREDIBLE results, but obviously I want my body to have a masculine shape. The photos of men are much harder to find and I've seen far fewer amazing male results. Are there any surgeons tha…

I am at 3 months post brachio and revised tummy tuck (skin only not muscle). I had a 3 month follow up and he pointed to a few areas like by my elbows and on one side on my stomach and said it still a little swollen. I know it takes a year to see more of a final result but I kind of assumed that once the initial swelling was gone after 2-3 months any changes after would be very subtle. My waist is measuring 31 inches. I don't feel swollen but has anyone else really seen a big difference this far out. Could I go down a whole inch from here? I think he will need to go back in another 6 months to fix some bagginess and skin laxity still near my armpit and h…

Hello! I’m nearing the point of plastics and I’ve been looking into surgeons. I haven’t been impressed with the online presence of Indianapolis surgeons (meaning, I’m not that impressed with the before/afters and their general online presence). I also know that there are probably some great surgeons who are just not great at self promoting. I’d also really like to stay local if at all possible. Does anyone have personal experience with any Indianapolis (or nearby) surgeons?

To all the PS vets out there: I’m about 20 lbs from goal, which if I continue to follow my same loss trend I should hit in late October. I’m eager for plastics (yes, I know so some say to wait), and am consulting with three surgeons in my area this week. I’m tentatively planning for PS after the first of the year. I’d love your guidance about what questions to ask the surgeons to be able to make a good decision about which one is right for me. I have three areas I’d like work done on: first priority is getting rid of my epic bat wings, second is getting a breast lift and either fat transfer or smallish implants, third is a tummy tuck. Not sure all three can be don…

230 June 6, 2012 and today July 6th, 2014 after plastics. Loving my world:)

does anyone know an affordable place to go maybe somewhere with in house financing?

Hi I have ended up with a turkey neck gobble gobble ... I HATE it!! Cn't afford plastic surgery and have seen some great thermage pics, but you never know if they are photoshopped. Anyone had it and had great results? This is a selfie i took earlier

Hi! I am researching surgeons and pricing. And I am NOT looking for the cheapest surgeon. But one that creates art! Does anyone have any recommendations? I am willing to travel, I am in Colorado. I have searched local surgeons and went to consults but I do not like their “style” it’s very “flat” I want a more Brazilian or Spanish look. Defined waist etc. I have looked into surgeons in mexico and they honestly have the exact style I want. But wanted to check here to see if anyone refers anyone closer to Colorado than Mexico. Or anyone that is in the states? I am looking for 1.breast lift (with aug if needed) 2. Lower body lift with pubic lift and muscle repair 3. B…

I had rny and gallbladder removal 5/2018, I am now getting Extended abdominoplasty, monsplasty, mastopexy and lipofilling on the 26th. (So excited!!!) Does anyone have any before/afters, what to expect, etc?

Insurance approved my lower body lift! I can't tell you how happy I am. I literally cried tears of joy! Sometimes insurance will only approve a portion of the lift, usually panniculectomy (sp?) but they approved everything for me. I had a history of rashes, boils, repeated yeast infections in my belly button. My belly skin sagged to the pubic region, which is probably why they approved me. Not only will this improve my look but my quality of life! I won't have to move my skin around to do things, like pee, or putting on clothes or shower! So now... What do I need? I need a shopping list of things for this surgery. I might only have a month or two to prepare…

Statistics Cost: $16,000 for BREAST LIFT AND FLEUR DE LIS STYLED TUMMY TUCK (saved up and self paid) Date: January 21, 2020 surgery date Surgeon: Dr. Dana Goldberg, Jupiter, Florida Three days before surgery Hibiclens antispetic showers and application of Mupirocin ointment. I ate my regular routine and variety of high quality salads, fresh fruits, nuts, veggies, baked seeded crackers (Firehook brand) with cheese nibbles along with hot tea/1% milk + 80 -100 oz. water per day. Day One Surgery 9:00am - 3:30pm yesterday. Was administered Experal, Valium (if needed) and Enoxaparin. Recovery time until 6:00 pm. Hubby takes me home and I'm…

I am at 3 months post brachio and revised tummy tuck (skin only not muscle). I had a 3 month follow up and he pointed to a few areas like by my elbows and on one side on my stomach and said it still a little swollen. I know it takes a year to see more of a final result but I kind of assumed that once the initial swelling was gone after 2-3 months any changes after would be very subtle. My waist is measuring 31 inches. I don't feel swollen but has anyone else really seen a big difference this far out. Could I go down a whole inch from here? I think he will need to go back in another 6 months to fix some bagginess and skin laxity still near my armpit and h…

Thighs. I need thigh help! Please tell me your story!  I will not wear shorts. I just have severe cellulite.  Lipo?  Thigh lift?  Anything help and if so was it worth it? NOTE: I couldn’t see what I was typing. Something is wrong with my settings ?‍♀️.  I meant I look awesome dressed. I can’t edit the title or delete the post. I’m very new to this. 

My weight finally stabilized around 145 (original goal weight), so I went forward with surgery for a breast lift with implants (Dr. Ciaravino in Houston is amazing). I lost 72 lbs total after the sleeve but added approximately 1.5 lbs of implants (Mentor MemoryGel Smooth Round High Profile 350cc). I cry when I see these photos side by side. I got sleeved on 2/28/2018 and got these boobs 9 months later on 11/30/2018. What a year.

Has anyone had their initial PS consult through telehealth? Just wondering what to expect... thanks!

Does anyone know how to get your insurance company to help with the loose skin part?