Do you think it is possible to lose all the weight without having to have the skin removal? What I mean is, is there a way not to have excess skin after all the weight loss?

I think you will have some loose skin if you lose a large amount of weight, but the skin is elastic so if you loose slowly and tone muscle as you lose, it won't be as bad. Slow loss is the key.

My highest weight was 370 the day of surgery I was 352. It has taken me all this time to get to 248. I have just now started exercising so I hope it is not to late to tone and firm. I don't think I will ever be able to afford skin removal.

It's entirely dependent on your age, how long you've been obese, and skin elastisity. If you have great skin genes and are only 25 years old, you might be fine without a bunch of loose skin. However if you're 40 and have been obese for a decade or two, chances are good you're going to have loose skin.

Exercise can only go so far but it's always worth a try.

Yep I fit the 40 something category and have been overweight my entire life. I have not been under 200 since 1988.

I watched a youtube video of a postop who said she did not have loose skin and attributed it to exercise and increased muscle mass

I watched a youtube video of a postop who said she did not have loose skin and attributed it to exercise and increased muscle mass

And that may well be true. But if someone already has a fat apron hanging off their stomach and has for years, chances are good no amount of exercise is going to make all that skin snap back. Skin can only shrink so much (unfortunately).

Bottom line? I'll take excess skin to excess fat any day.

Mis73 so very true! I asked a friend that have the sleeve how she felt about the excess skin and she said the exact same thing!

As Others have said it depends on many factors. personally I have some excess skin that I can live with on my legs and arms... I couldnt live with the tummy so I had a tt. You can see my pics on my gallery if you are interested.

i am in process of loosing, and i cant write out a check to pay for them to remove skin and i have no idea if my ins will cover or not..i figure when i get there, i will cross that barrier. i have lost and gained over the years and i was not ever concerned about some fat skin hanging, def rather have saggy over seeing 300+ on a scale

since you are in process, dont worry about skin surgery til you are at goal..and then you will have a better idea of what you need or not need

Being a married guy I figure if my wife can bear to look at me now then should have no problems accepting my loose skin. I would rather be flabby then fatty...LOL

I agree with most that there are a lot of factors in whether you will have excess skin or not. I think it mostly has to do with genetics, age, how much you lost, how you carry your weight, etc. I am 25, and although I did not work out as much as I could have, I did have a decent amount of excess skin, and underwent the tummy tuck, and the arm lift a month ago, tomorrow. I was actually told by personal trainers that I had worked with, and doctors tell me that even if I exercised to the extreme, I still would have had the skin...

I also think it depends on if you are a guy or a girl because my father also had the lap-band and lost 160lbs. He has the sagging skin on his abdomen but he can hide that in his clothes. He has no hanging skin on his arms or legs...just looking at him you would never be able to tell he was large. He chose not to get the skin removed as it isn't causing him any problems and he can hide it.

I was 40 when I had the surgery, at my highest point in my life I was at 296. I got down to around 155 and had no hanging skin anywhere. I have gained weight in the last two years so after I lose my 30 pounds it may be different, but I'm not thinking so. I started exercising right away, drank a lot of water, and lost my weight very slowly compared to most. I'm not sure if this made a difference or not.