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Hey everyone! I'm about 8 months post op and down 110 lbs (which I'm ecstatic about!). I do have a bit of loose skin in the belly area and seem to be getting some kind of rash or infection in/around my belly button. I'm definitely documenting it and taking pics for possible insurance coverage of plastic surgery later, but my obgyn advised not to do any before I get pregnant again (I want one more child). In the meantime, I need to figure out how to stop these skin issues! Anyone have any experience or suggestions? Thanks in advance! Sent from my Alcatel_5008R using BariatricPal mobile app

Well, I had that appointment with a plastic surgeon back in January and he approved the thigh lift at 100% coverage. In case anyone wants to know, I have Kaiser Permanente Northern California now... not the same insurer as when I had the GR-DS surgery in 2004. I really want the excess abdominal skin removed but that part isn't covered. The abdominal surgery will be around $9000, $1000 paid prior to scheduling. Unfortunately, this whole COVID thing canceled all of these surgeries for quite some time. Kaiser started performing elective surgeries in late July but they are rationing OR time with all of the many different surgeons. I have been waiting to hear when exactly I'll be having my surgery. On Tuesday, I got a call from the OR scheduler and I was given a surgical date. October 8, 2020; that would be 16 years and 30 weeks from the date of my weight-loss surgery. Oddly, they are telling me that having a thigh-lift/panniculectomy/tummy-tuck is an out-patient procedure. Thankfully, the surgery is performed at a hospital, so if there is any complication, I'm already at a hospital but the plan is to send me home the same day. Now that I have my surgical date, I have a video appointment with anesthesia and a physical appointment with the plastic surgeon this coming Monday. Two weeks after that, just a few days before the surgery, I have to go in for a COVID screening. I also have a physical visit with the plastic surgeon four days after surgery and one week from surgery with a nurse. I'm getting excited. I am hoping it will be much easier to find clothes that fit after surgery. My current actual waistline, going over these folds of skin, is 38" but I have to go with 42-44" or sometimes even a 46" waist in order for pants or shorts to fit over my thighs. Because my inseam is 36", it is quite difficult to find pre-hemmed pants that long enough. Apparently, pant makers think that it is either big or tall and not big AND tall. Most pant makers, even in specialty stores, stop 36" inseams at a waist size of around 36-38" and almost never at 40" or larger. Due to this, I'm hoping that I can go with pant sizes with the waist size 10" or smaller than I currently do.

i know for me personally, my arms and back definitely tightened up. along with my legs. My mid section definitely got better but i still have that extra skin at the bottom of my stomach. i dont think that will go anywhere. but things definitely tightened up! Keep going!

I have been looking for something to take before my surgery, so that it will be a better quality of skin before losing all the weight. That is where I am frustrated looking for something "great" and comprehensive... I would really like to be on something at least a month in advance.

Belle & Evans roasted chicken thighs tossed in orange vinaigrette with chili flakes + mixed cauliflower, dates, kale salad for dinner with said vinaigrette. I ate the small thigh without the skin and ¼ of salad - the rest was Mr. Sophie's portion.

I'm on team, "the works". I had a lower body lift and breast augmentation done at the same time. My main concern would be getting optimized results with so many procedures at one time. I know some surgeons won't perform certain combos because the skin tension is in different directions. So they either can't get the desired tautness, and/or have risk for wound openings.

@darcyjae a Fluer De Lis tummy tuck is the normal surgical technique used when patients have excess skin on both their upper and lower abdomen.

how long did that take you to loose? Congratulations

I had the gastric sleeve . I feel like I’m not loosing weight ! Am I crazy for feeling that way so soon ? My mom keeps telling me it’s so soon that’s why I feeling this. I’ve been following diet and walking.

I am 5 days after surgery. i don’t get very hungry but I’m dying for a whole bottle of water I know I can’t have it that way ! I’m also scared to eat to much or to drink to much I feel like I wouldn’t loose any weight if I drink to much or eat to much. Am I the only random person that feels that way.

Purty lady for sure! Gorgeous skin. Superb sunglasses. ;]

Zombie thread alert— Sorry!—but I'm wondering if anyone else has had luck with this reverse abdominoplasty procedure? When I stand in front of the mirror and pull from just above my belly button up under my breasts it seems to not only remove the loose skin above the belly button but also pull up some of the loose skin from below the belly button. It doesn't remove all the lower abdominal loose skin but it seems like it is enough to make the lower abdomen more of a mound shape than an overhang—something I could live with. Is that a realistic sense of what this procedure might be capable of? I've found that some of my loose skin has reabsorbed in the few months at which I've maintained my current weight, but I still have a sort of double overhang shape above and below my belly button. It seems like this procedure would cause a minimum of visible scarring. It also seems like it might pair well with a minor breast lift? Also, if you had it, how much did it cost you out of pocket? Has anyone found insurance to cover it in lieu of the panniculectomy?

It’s tough, I hit a lot of walls because I was diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis from age 9, it’s lifelong and is one of few medical conditions that exertion and exercise are damaging. I found out the hard way and the medical community didn’t call it post exertional malaise until recently. So I ended up with many other medical conditions. I’d hoped to not get over 200 Lbs again but before my gastric bypass surgery I did. My BMI was over 40 which helped qualify me for my insurance but it was hard. Eating similar healthy foods to my mom, maybe even less calories yet gained weight. I was At a point that I knew what to do, I had studied holistic health and nutrition. I knew how to eat low carb. Holy heck I let loose and ate a kale salad with Gardein crab-less crab cakes that was my version of cheating 🤣 or Gardein Fishless fish filets with a few veggie tots. I just couldn’t be quite as strict low carb with my gallbladder acting up. But the rate my weight was going up was crazy. so I was on the verge of giving up. It was all or nothing. I knew that I needed the tool of gastric bypass surgery to help me reduce calories, the bypass would help as well with the hormones. At least that’s what I hoped. I kept to extremely strict low calorie after surgery and my main goal was protein. And I was grateful when I finally saw results. I think RNY might have more of a hormone impact but I don’t remember the exact science of it. I know I wouldn’t have gotten here without it. I’m struggling with a few issues but that’s the life with chronic illness. I hope you have. A good doctor. Mine hasn’t a clue. I had to do my own work. I begged for help as I gained. And her response oh your weight is fine, even at my heaviest. I’m only 5’ 208lbs is a lot to carry on a already exhausted body with severe muscle weakness and fatigue and chronic pain. I didnt have any hormone therapy because I had surgery for endometriosis and the hormones would just cause it to grow. i think you can succeed because you know the right tools to get there and along with the tool of bariatric surgery It’s another tool in the box to get ahead. It helps to find the right balance of protein and calories. I have log of my protein and calories and weight not quite from the start but as soon as I realized it was beneficial. all the best to you

Im assuming this was a typo you mean 1.25 YEARS after surgery...? My own experience (may and will differ from others): I had my plastics surgeries (Tummy tuck/Breast Lift/Arm Lift) 14 months after my sleeve surgery. I would’ve done it earlier, closer to my one year mark, but my preferred surgeon was booked up (I had hit goal at 7 mnths post op). My surgeon did not have a time requirement to being at a stable weight prior to surgery. He did say though that LOSING “alot” of weight would affect the results more than GAINING “alot” weight. He explained that that scar tissue does not stretch as well as regular skin, and is even worse at shrinking. He said I should be prepared for this especially since I tend to scar badly historically (keloid and hypertrophic scarring). His example of “alot” was either losing 10-15 lbs OR gaining 20-30...but these numbers were for MY frame (I was 5’2” and 127 lbs at the time of consult), others with different body types would have different numbers. Anyhoo, fast forward to my surgery and I was 12 lbs less than the date of my consult 6 months earlier...so I guess it was good he was booked up (although I did lose those 12 lbs BEFORE my earlier date I originally wanted, but I digress...) I’ll be 2 years post-sleeve next month, and am 9 months post-plastics today. I am basically still the same weight as plastics surgery day: 115lbs (give or a take a couple lbs, depending on the day). Had been this weight for months before plastics, actually. I am thoroughly happy with my decision. There were people who told me I was rushing it, that to just exercise more and I can firm it up naturally (sounds familiar to my obese days when I was contemplating WLS, lol). But I knew what I wanted and was prepared to take the responsibility to maintain what I worked for...and should I eff it up, am prepared to take the responsibility for that too. Everyone is different, and only YOU know if you are ready to take the plunge or not. But I will say that plastics was a total game changer (at least for me). Would do it all again, in the exact same way in a heartbeat. Good Luck! ❤️ P.S. This may or not be helpful: Even if you do gain or lose weight after plastics (whether you wait 2 months or 2 years), to the point that your results become undesirable, who’s to say you can’t get a revision to correct? Obviously, it would be ideal that one wouldn’t have to, but who says life is always ideal? Do what makes you happy and is in your means and ability to acheive. P.P.S. Sorry this was so long!!

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. 

Thanks! Still need that brachioplasty + abdomen scar revision to pull the dress off without a shawl. Re-scheduled surgery for November due to client/project needs early Fall. Need my arms and hands fully operational right now to draft up floor plans, elevations, architectural details etc. effectively. It will be wonderful someday to wear a short sleeve dress or blouse without the need to cover the bat wings! Pretty scary, right? Skin is so heavy on my small frame now. Each arm probably weighs one pound in loose skin. Oh boy. Until then - wiggle jiggle at the drafting board we go... Haha. ;]

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 this, I’m considering a tummy tuck and possible breast lift in late December. The pros are that I have my family to help me recover, I can use my holiday break time to request less time off from work, and I will be able to continue recovering while working remotely (and won’t have to deal with explaining my absence to a bunch of coworkers). The major cons are that I will only be about 2.25 months out from my sleeve surgery and wonder if I’d get better results if I wait, and also feel nervous about doing this during a pandemic! I’m wondering what you would do in my situation, or if you have advice based on having skin removal sooner or later from your bariatric surgery. I’m leaning towards taking advantage of my current situation, but also want to avoid subpar results. Thank you!

Congrats! Your progress is amazing! I am weightlifting also and am seeing some definition, but what are you doing for the flabby excess skin...does it ever tighten up? Sent from my Pixel 3 using BariatricPal mobile app

Weight this morning 137.0, but not real. I couldn't walk this week due to wildfire smoke and I overdid the salt. I have figured out another contributor to my bowel movement miseries--dairy. All these weeks I've been eating so much dairy (I love dairy) and finally it hit me that I might have become lactose-intolerant. So I quit dairy except for a small amount of half&half in my morning coffee. Bingo! no more loose BMs, no more frequent BMs, no more gas and bloating. I experimented with Lactaid on Friday and Saturday and it seems to help, but doesn't totally prevent gas and bloating. So I guess now I'm buying lactose-free products.

I weigh myself the same time every Monday morning, wearing nothing but my own skin. You can *very* easily get obsessed with the scale, and it fluctuates so much during the day. It's best to do first thing in the morning. Try not to fixate on it, if you can? You're doing really well, and the scale number is just a number.

Pre-Op/Gastric Sleeve: 10/2013- 248lbs (also skin removal surgery 10/2019 of abdomen & thighs) As of today, 8/12/2020: 103lbs

I was only in the hospital for one night, so I really didn't need much. Here's what I used: Comfortable pants (with a loose waistband that won't bother your incisions) and underwear to wear while I walked around the hospital (since the gowns can be skimpy in the back) Phone and charger Tablet (just for something to do -- you can bring books, knitting, or whatever you like to do to pass the time) Hairbrush Deodorant Listerine breath strips (be careful with these -- I got oral thrush after surgery, probably because I used too many of the breath strips and they killed off the good bacteria in my mouth) Water enhancer (makes it easier to drink water) I just wore the same clothes to go home as I wore to the hospital. I wore Crocs to the hospital so I could wear them when I walked around and so I could wear them home without having to deal with putting on socks.

Hair brush, phone, phone charger, deoderant, chapstick, toothbrush, toothpaste (and cpap w distilled water if you have one). However, the hospital provided toothbrush and toothpaste, comb, a minty chapstick had I not have brought my own. It's a really short stay (mine was 4 days). Wear the outfit you go home in to the surgery (loose and comfortable) then you dont need to pack second outfit. Wear their gown until you are about to check out because the incisions and drains can leak. mine did soaking entire side of gowns. They will give you little mesh panties while you are there so i didnt even need to pack any except to have a going home outfit. It was hard carrying everything out due to covid no visitors were allowed so I had to have one nurse push my chair and the other push the cart with bag on it.

Years ago after losing a lot of weight I had a breast lift. I went from tennis balls in socks to perky, small breasts. (DDD/E to B). He did a keyhole surgery. However, even after the lift I still had excess skin at the TOP of my breasts that felt like pleats. SO --- I had a second surgery to have implants put in. I asked for just enough to fill in the extra skin and ended up back at a DD. After regaining and losing the weight, I'm wishing I hadn't done the implants and when I go in for surgery I'll be having them removed. I've decided I just don't want the implant. I may ask about the fat graft depending on the size I'll be after the implant is removed.

+1 on the comments above about getting loose skin. You won't really know how you will fare until after you lose the weight. Some are lucky in this regard, others are not (I got mine surgically removed last year) I started walking on Day 1 (started by doing laps around the kitchen island, lol..worked my way up to walking around the block once, and then multiple times, etc., etc.) Was cleared for ALL exercise at 4 weeks, but didn't really get into a regular routine until month 3. By month 3 I was walking 3km a day and doing some sort of other exercise 2-3 times a week (hot yoga, zumba, salsa, bouldering) Fast forward almost 2 years and my regular routine is running a minimum of 5km a day and 20 mins of some sort of strength training almost every day (I haven't gone to the gym or any classes since pandemic started, not sure when I'm going to be comfortable going back..but this works for me for now). My only tip would be to find something that you like (or at least don't hate, lol), you have a better chance of sticking with it Good Luck!