Ok... So I've pretty much decided to get the lap band surgery.... My main concern is excess skin. Are there any banders out there who can give me advice in how to keep it tight?

Losing weight slowly is meant to help and so is rigorous exercise, hydration, moisturising etc but alas if u have a lot of weight to lose, age, sex, etc all means that this impacts on the amount of excess skin u may get, some get none others like me gets quite a lot.

I will be getting rid of mine later this year, but i would still rather be lighter with excess skin than where i was before

Lol that's true ... Thanks I'm hoping my age will help it bounce back.... And I'm sure there are exercises that will tighten skin... I appreciate you not being extremely upset with the skin... That helps a lot... I think I was just being dramatic lol

I lost my 100+ lbs over the past 2 yrs, so very slowly. I have minimal sagging skin on my tummy, none on my arms, and very little on my thighs. I work out an hour, 3x a week. Mostly walking on the treadmill, but also weight exercises. If I had the money now, I'd probably have the skin taken care of, but I figure the only people who see it is me and my husband - and he doesn't care. So, the moral of the story? Lose it slowly, work out, and don't worry about it. If you're meant to have saggy skin, you will - and then you can take care of it if you want.

Marci

I'm kind of worried out this too. My arms and legs are my biggest concern as I have no hope to have some bangin bikini rockin body but it would be nice to feel comfortable in shorts and a tank top in the summer time. I am hoping that age is on my side with this one. I have been told that they key is to lose weight slowly, exercise plenty, and keep hydrated and moisturized. I am not sure how I feel about having surgery to remove excess skin but I guess after working so hard to get in shape it may be something I would consider, not until after babies though. : )

The fact is if youre going to have excess skin, you already have it - the damage is done as you get bigger, not asvyou get smaller. If those collagen bonds are broken, they cant be fixed. How resilient your skin is depends on age and genetics. No amount of moisturising, exercising, fast or slow weightloss, hydration etc is going to prevent loose skin. Its not encouraging news, but you just have to face it if and when it becomes apparent.

I'm hoping that age is on my side too lol... But if its out of my control I might as well save for the surgery. Thanks for the replies!

I've heard several plastic surgeons speak on this subject. They all said that the key factors in how skin will respond to massive weight loss are genetics and age. Skin loses elasticity as we age. Once it's stretched out, it's there for good (or until plastic surgery to remove/tighten it). I was 54 when I had band surgery and although I have good skin genes (thanks, Mom), I still have excess skin, most noticeable on my arms and throat. IMO, fear of excess or loose skin is not a good excuse for avoiding weight loss, and unless my excess skin interfered with my ambulation, caused skin infections, or posed a safety hazard (for example: if I worked as a cook and my bat wings hung down and draped over hot saucepans), I'd rather have excess skin than excess weight any day.