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I hear ya. All my scars pretty much suck, but the arm ones and my side boob ones from the breast lift can’t always be covered by clothes. I looked into tattoo scar camouflage a while back but my scars are much darker than my skin AND are not smooth, and I was told this type of procedure is more effective on white, flat scars 😭😭😭 So i’m just getting a for real tattoo strategically placed on the worst side boob scar. Am gonna wait out the arm scars for now and just hope they get better. But do keep us updated, would love to see some good after pics…even if its on someone else’s arm!

I had Neve heard of this so was curious and looked it up. I would be really interested in hearing any results from others. When I looked it up it compared it to CoolSculpting and it came out with a better result. However I have to say I spent €1800 on a CoolSculpting session for my hips and it did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. NOT ONE THING. €1800 flushed down the toilet. I did have a breast reduction (one of the best decisions EVER!). And a tummy tuck which I have not been so happy with. Huge scar was left, and the recovery time was so long that I put on 5-6 lbs because I couldn't work out. Happy the skin in gone but in my case I probably could have lived with it. A personal choice for all of us. Good luck and let us know what you decide.

A lot will depend on how much loose skin you have. But really the only way to get rid of skin that has been stretched out is to have it surgically removed. Sorry. ☹️ Depending on your age & genetics you may have some retraction of your loose skin but unless you’re young, with good skin elasticity & weren’t at your higher weight for a prolonged period of time, it won’t be a noticeable bounce back. Radio therapy tends to have only short term benefits around stimulating collagen growth. I had several weekly sessions (12 in a package deal) on my face & neck. Did it tighten my skin? No. Did it reduce any sagginess? No. Did it smooth & even out texture? Yes. Was the treatment & accompanying facial soothing? Yes. But you can always give it a go. You may see more benefit then I did.

Bananas (and other fresh fruits without the skin,) a variety of baked fish, cottage cheese with taijin seasoning, string cheese, hummus. Sent from my SM-N986U using BariatricPal mobile app

Extended Abdominoplasty complete! Surgery was at 7:30 today, and all went well. I was home by about 3pm. Surgeon said he took off 9 lbs of excess skin. Amazing! Still feeling a bit groggy this evening. Mostly just sitting and sleeping other than short walks around the house. I came home with a catheter and 2 drains. I am to take out the catheter on my own tomorrow morning. Should be fun. I'm still trussed up with a couple of compression wraps Not much pain now, but have only been home a few hours. More updates to come.

I’m 13 days out from surgery but my surgeon started me on soft food at one week out. The first time it happened was with scrambled eggs (I thought). It lasted about 40 minutes and was so painful and awful that I tried to make myself throw up. I couldn’t. It happened again last night. I’m now thinking that it’s not the food (cause last night I was drinking my protein shake). I’m thinking it’s my big gel cap colace. This time it lasted 2 hours and it was AWFUL. Super painful, lots of “foam”, and this time my body was trying to make itself throw up. Guess that’s something I can’t do anymore. Racing heart, flushed skin, dizziness- This morning I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck. I’m almost afraid to eat. I would do an awful lot to prevent that all from happening again.

our stats are pretty similar. With that much of a loss, you're going to have loose skin. I had a lot of it. Fortunately, it was pretty easy to hide in clothes - I'm the only one who knew it was there. I've since had it removed, though...

I will like to start of with saying Hi, I’m jazaysha. I’m a 19 year old that is 370 pound, and I’m tired of it. Ive been like this for too long every since the Risperdal lawsuit from j&j. Even though it’s been since 7th grad I was apart of that, I struggled with loosing weight. It just got worse and worse and im the biggest in my family!! I got approved and I’m excited but what makes me super nervous is that I’m afraid that my sleeve will make me sick all the time. I have a terrible phobia about throwing up, because in the past I had a eating disorder as I struggled with the weight in the past. Now I gained a fear of just vomiting or just nausea in general. It got so bad I called my lover on the phone crying because I’m so scared. the other fear is just my sleeve staples loosing and falling off. (I know that It’s really doubtful that happening but ya know I’m scared) I don’t have a choice, I need to do this for me. I planned on it so much and all I want to do is this but my fear and anxiety is like a deer on a empty highway. can anyone help me?!?!

As others have said, these are all questions you should be bringing to your appointments. It might be helpful to keep a notebook with questions so you can jot them down as you think of them, and then bring them to your appointments. Don't feel like you need to know it ALL right now. This is a process and it takes time to get to a place where you are ready to commit. Do your research, find resources, as your questions. All totally normal. I would also STRONGLY suggest some counseling before you decide. It is absolutely imperative that you work through any trauma or baggage that might be contributing to unhealthy habits. Surgery is just a tool, it will only work as well as you are able to wield it. Making sure your mind is healthy is absolutely the best thing you can do to set yourself up for success. That being said, I took a stab just to help give you some guideposts. 1. What am i supposed to weigh before surgery? Is there x# of pounds or bmi im supposed to lose from the time of my consultation til my surgery? - This is program dependent. Some have a goal weight or BMI, others want you to loose xxx pounds before surgery. Ask your program. 2. What should my end weight goal be? - The expected weight loss with VSG and RNY is 60-80% of your excess weight. So, if you have 100lbs to lose to get to a healthy BMI, you can expect to lose 60-80 of those pounds. Some programs set a goal weight, others do not. Again, ask your program. 3. Can i really not have fruit, potatoes, corn, noodles or breads? These are huge things in my list of foods i would go to eat. I am a big sweet tooth n fruit is 1 way i would want to eat healthier. - Most programs do not say you can "never" have specific foods again. But there are a host of factors that determine what your long term eating habits will look like (what can you tolerate without feeling sick or having dumping, etc., are you hitting your water and protein goals, do you have any nutritional deficiencies, etc.). That being said, if you aren't ready to commit to long term changes, you may want to hold off. Sometime WLS requires we give up certain foods in order to be at our best.  4. Has anyone ever experienced any big side effects risks or complications? Ones drs dont usually discuss as risks til... bam u have been diagnosed. - Yes, side effects can occur. Surgical complications include internal bleeding, leaks at the "seams," anesthesia issues, all the normal stuff. Post-op complications can include GERD, hiatal hernias, malnutrition, and other things. Research the possible complications so you are well informed and ask your surgial center what their complication and surgical infection rates are. Overall bariatric surgery is very safe, but all surgical procedures carry risks. 5. Anyone know the death rate, complications or big risks being elevated with certain family backgrounds? Example... maternal family with several cancers? - See above, surgically very safe. All of this is available online, just do some scholarly Googling and, as always, as your program. 6. What if i start smoking again? - Just don't. It will kill you just as fast as obesity. Learn new coping mechanisms, go to therapy, pick up a hobby. From a surgical perspective, smoking greatly increases the risk of complications and can greatly increase recovery time. 7. What if i consume alcohol? - This is a combo of personal and program. Most programs have a strict prohibition for a period of time, others say try not to drink ever. In the end, its empty calories and you will get drunk MUCH faster than you did pre-op. Plan to abstain for a good long time. 8. What if i think my 14 yr old needs this surgery? - Talk to their pediatrician and get them into counseling. Do NOT rush into that. This is a major, life altering surgery and could be massively traumatizing for a child.

I think it is trial and error. With that being said, I make a point to try new foods for the first time at home. That way, I don't ruin an evening out or being with others. I haven't had real pasta other than a single noodle or 2 since surgery in December. I still struggle with chicken breast but have no problem with other pieces of chicken or other types of meat. I've lost about 190 lbs from my HW. I have very saggy skin. It's too soon for me to even think about surgery. I'm not sure what I'll want to do. For now, I dress to disguise it.

I had the sleeve done on June 29th, 2020. My starting weight was 334, and I am down to 173 as of this morning. I still drink my premier shakes every morning and maintain a high protein diet. I still have issues keeping certain foods down, though, and I need to figure out what I can eat without them coming back up. I can go and get 4 pieces of fatty tuna sushi on rice and be perfectly fine but have a bite or 2 of pasta, and I am in the toilet a few minutes later. Any tips on trying to incorporate more food into my diet? To be totally honest, I am afraid of getting too much of the carbs and gaining weight back. Also, I am having some loose skin, any tips on anyone that has been able to help that without spending a fortune on surgery? Thanks for any advice

49yr Male, 5/18/20 VSG HW 382, SW 309, CW 217 First visit to the surgeon was 6/27/19 and first nutritionist visit was 7/3/19. Had a long pre-op program then was delayed by COVID-19, so wasn't sleeved until 5/18/20. Lost 73 pre-op, 92 since - for a total of 165 lbs down! I hit 218 in mid Dec 2020 and have been maintaining in the 213-222 range over the past 9 months. The next step for me is getting rid of the excess skin on my stomach. I carried most of my weight in my abdomen and it shows. I feel like this is the last thing I need to complete my transformation. While I could live with it, I am tired of "tucking" my excess skin into my pants. I can mostly hide it, but it is evident to me. Still 100% better than weighing almost 400 lbs. I am scheduled for an extended abdominoplasty in my local area on Thu 9/30/21. I am ready, but nervous (thus the 3am post on BP). I plan to post regularly over the coming weeks to document this for me and others on this forum. Thanks to all who have shared their PS stories before, especially the men, whose stories are rare. Wish me luck! 

Ugh. Your poor thing, that sucks. I have reactive skin and will welt up with some adhesives, so I know how that feels.

I would love to have the other plastic surgeries, but my insurance only covers skin removal of the abdomin. I wish I could afford the rest! But this is just too uncomfortable for me. I didn't go through all of this to still be miserable. Thx for sharing your story.

I want to wish you good luck on your upcoming surgery. It’s exciting yet nerve wracking. I’m going in for conversion from sleeve to roux en y this Wednesday the 29th. I’m so nervous. I have heard many things in regards to loss the second time around. My surgeon (who’s new to me) feels in time I can do even better than I did with the sleeve (down 85lbs with sleeve). He did follow that up with “especially if you get the excess skin removed” which I cannot see happening in my foreseeable future 😣 I get mixed reviews on weightloss range from fellow converters. I wish I heard from more people who have made the switch, good or bad. Hearing the stories and seeing pictures really helps.

I saw your pre-plastics pictures on another thread and believe me, I have a TON of excess skin compared to that. I can lift large amounts up from my stomach. It’s nasty. And yes, the plastics will be about the look - not about the number on the scale, but I am confident I will lose at least 5 lbs from skin. I could be wrong but just given what I can see at this point, it’s pretty significant. I have done a couple of tests where I know my resting metabolic rate is 1385 - which is what my body would burn if I was in a coma for 24 hours. So I know my caloric deficit is still pretty good given my activity (the last time I had the test was in mid-July - plan on doing it again in early November for a status check - and they also check body fat % as well).

I’m at around 1200 cal/day and I am very active - weight training 3-4 times a week and 45-60 min of cardio on the other days (and usually 15-20 min of cardio on the weight training days too). I get in around 200 oz of water and I don’t drink anything other than water save for the rare occasions I’ll get a small diet lemonade at chic-fil-a. I’m also focusing on protein first and don’t have many carbs. I’m still losing, but just not as fast (understandably), but having mini-stalls now. Didn’t have those before. I also know that I have a lot of extra skin and I’ll reach a point that I can’t go much lower without plastic surgery (which I will be looking into soon).

Recovery was/ is rough however not physically but mentally, it feels like being on a super restrictive diet 24/7 that you can never cheat on, separating eating and drinking is also very hard. Loosing weight has happened because of the difficulties i have had eating which i just dont feel like doing. I had no comprehension of how hard this would be, the chew chew chew and sip sip sip drive me crazy. I really regret having this surgery and i am now struggling mentally. You really need to be very disciplined with meal prep, planning and to be able to eat for the sake of eating no matter whether you will enjoy it or not. I am finding it difficult because i cant eat something if i dont like the taste of it. I thought it would be a case of eating my old diet but in smaller portions, but no its not. It is so hard and this is what we dont see, we look at others and see a new slim person, we dont hear how hard it is or the struggles they face. I also feel let down by the whole process i started at 100kg my gp gave me a referral without giving me options or discussing how serious the surgery was, the dietian asked me questions to which i responded in a way she should have seen i wasnt suitable no meal prep, working odd hours, etc. The surgeon well no surgery no pay so once again no patient care. All in all considering i didnt have that much to loose other options should have been presented but it was made all to easy to get a surgery that is forever going to change the way you eat and drink. All I can say is if you go ahead get councilling before lots of it and after surgery, practice taking smal bites and chewing 30 plus times before swallowing, dont drink 30 mins before or after eating, drink only water. But even when you practice this its different to the real deal. Oh i nearly forgot, if you enjoy a good BM that changes too a tiny little poop every couple of days 😕 and i havent had a decent burp since surgery just these gurgling throat noises.

I feel your frustration and worry. I just came off a 3 week stall. I think I was emotionally surprised I still have to work so hard at loosing weight. My mind knew the surgery was one tool, my emotions thought the first six months would have the weight slip off like water. I woke up and realized I still need to truly work it! The difference with WLS, when I try hard 2-4 lbs comes off versus 1/4 lb. I applaud your move to reconnect with the weight loss community. Maybe your dietitian can help? Does your weight loss center have a group to meet with? That helps me stay on track too.

Did anyone need to do 3 months of physical therapy to get their breast reduction surgery approved? I know some insurance wants it to see if PT helps the back problems. I know rashes, split skin, etc. will also get approvals. I would like to hear from only people who needed this approval done and what their experience was. Thank you.

This could be eczema or psoriasis from a possible allergy to something or may be related to the stress on your body after surgery. I would see a dermatologist. There are also a lot of skin conditions that mimic either of the above.

I am 10 weeks out and really struggle to eat. Nothing is appealing. I know I am loosing weight to fast and I can't even eat just to eat it's crazy. Unlike the rest of you my mind is consumed with thoughts of food constantly. I keep thinking you have to eat etc. It's a struggle.

I am 10 weeks post op and regret it deeply. If you are loosing weight on your own stick with it. Once the surgery has been done there is no going back. I firmly believe unless people have serious life threatening illness this should not be done. I want my stomach back !! I am struggling physically and most of all mentally. I would happily take back the weight I have lost to be normal again and loose the weight the conventional way

I had surgery 7/13 and now have developed circular dry patches on my legs, arms, hips. I do take vitamins, biotin, and drink my water. Has anyone else had skin issues like this?

Height 5'6.5" HW 325 (2/11/2020) SW 311 (3/9/2020 RNY) CW 148 ( I have lost 177 pounds thus far) GW 136 (bariatric surgeon's ideal weight goal is 136....but my goal was 150...and I'm still losing without trying). Sorry for all of the pics. Just wanted to share. Pics are from Today, 9/24/2021, yesterday, 2 weeks ago (9/10 the bathroom selfie. Lol. Took my soon to be 18 y.o. to their 1st concert and its my 18 month surgeryversary pic) and then collage is of me night b4 surgery (3/8/2020, at 12 months 3/9/2021, and 8/9/2021). Plastic Surgery for abdominal skin removal scheduled for October 2021, pending earlier date if there's a cancelation!