The stigma of Cosmetic Surgery

[Pastor Chuck Cody 4]

Although I have not had my surgery yet - I thank my doctor for telling me all along about weight loss and skin sagging. I am 47 and male. One of the main reason I have held off on the surgery is the saggy - excessive loose - too much skin issue. It can't shrink back as quickly as it was stretched, And this more than a vanity concern as is the lapband. I more 175 lbs over weight according to Michelle Obama. I have diabetes now and have had high b.p, for too long. Like you all and my doctor i / we have tried every diet out there - medifast, Atkins, south beach, ketogenic, and while we could crash weight with some form of major carb restriction the rebound gaining was horrible.

I think I have - no I know I am having a real issue with the removal of skin (call it any name or procedure you want) following major weight loss as COSMETIC. It is not in the category of me choosing to have (forgive me here for the lurid example) girth added to my a certain part of my anatomy, Nor is it straightening my broken nose, or shaping my lips (God forbid) but you see what I am getting at? There is a point at which after making a major change in your body's composition that I think it is medically necessary to have a procedure that reshapes and refits the skin to the body. Otherwise you are limiting your life. It is hard to move with the excess skin so exercising becomes difficult - chaffing is the norm....and the once motivating and gratifying look in the mirror is now depressing - I already have dang man boobs -imagine when gravity hits the lack of fat holding it there,,,I can only imagine the body issues this creates in women. So I;d like to start a drive to see the word cosmetic removed from this surgery - it carries stigmas of vanity and choice - neither of which are at play here. Now God bless you if you want to go further and you want enhanced cosmetic surgery - hey you've earned it - but lets make a line that removes the stigma from medically and mentally necessary and that which is not....

[Terry Poperszky 2,784]

We could call it plastic surgery, but that is just as bad IMHO. Personally, I think we worry too much about labels, I have started a savings CD to pay for my Excess skin removal when that time comes, regardless of physical health concerns, many feel they need it to address mental health concerns.

BTW, here is something that I find useful upon occasion when my moobs aren't as perky as they once were https://www.instaslimshirts.com/?x=bab

[DELETE THIS ACCOUNT! 12,703]

Actually, if the excess skin is severe enough, it is considered medically necessary to have it removed and insurance will cover it.

I'm going to be having abdominal skin removed in the next few months and because I've lost more than 100 pounds, how low the skin hangs, and rashes insurance sees it as medically necessary and will pay for it's removal.

As far other skin that I likely will have to pay out of pocket for removal- the truth is I don't care if someone does think I'm vain. The way I see it is this: I have worked my big butt off to lose almost 200 pounds over the last 14 months. Because of the weight loss, I now look like a Shar Pei naked. If someone thinks I'm vain for wanting it removed then I'm totally ok with that, but vain or not, I earned this new body with my sweat and dedication. I deserve to be able to enjoy it without looking like I'm wearing a skin suit that's 3 sizes too big.

In my heart, I know it's medically necessary to be removed. I honestly don't care if anyone else agrees with that assessment. I lost this weight for me and I'll get the skin removed for me.

Best wishes

[☠carolinagirl☠ 18,721]

saggy is based on alot of things

age, weight, persons skin, their heritage etc...everyone is different.

if you are large like me, there is gonna be saggy....there is skin surgery and

you can exercise and tone as best you can OR you can do what i am doing, living with it.

id rather have a saggy a s s and thighs and bat wings then my scale to show 330+

[Scamp 207]

To be honest - I don't look upon what I have done as 'cosmetic surgery' (OK maybe the boobs were - I had a reduction, no implants). But - I look upon this as ''RECONSTRUCTIVE surgery''.

No nose job or anything - Just reconstructing the normal human form from the mess I had been left in.

So - This should not be called cosmetic - It should be re-labeled reconstructive - As that is what 99% of it is. :-)

[FLORIDAYS 3,040]

I could care less what they call it. Reconstructive, Plastic, cosmetic, elective... I was against it from the start. Every other time I lost weight it wasn't an issue.,.., of course every other time I didn't lose 224 lbs!!!

Fast forward to the end of my losing journey and see how i changed my mind...check out my Tummy Tuck pics and you will understand why I did it and paid hard earned cash for it. Was it vain... Maybe. Am I embarrassed about it...absolutely not. Would I love to do my thighs and arms....yes. Will I... I don't think so because I am not at the point of hating it.... I don't love it but I can live with it...unlike my tummy and tubular flaps I used to call breasts. Having the procedures I did really made me feel like I finally had the body I worked so hard to get.

[CHEZNOEL 4,061]

Most plastic surgeons who work with bariatric patients call it revision surgery. Get over what it is called and do what is necessary to be healthy!

[dfav3412 116]

This is an interesting thread. I had arms, breast lift, and panni surgery. It never crossed my mind to think what someone else thought about it. Hubs was ok with it, even helped me pay for guess what....boobs....lol. Ins. paid for my tummy and since I had tummy and boobs done at the same time it was really a savings for me. Like I said insurance paid for my tummy and since I was already in an operating room and under ...having the boobs done at the same time saved me about 2500.00. I had my arms done 3 months later. One thing if you guys don't already know this....even if you pay out of pocked like I did for arms and boobs......you cannot claim as medical on taxes since it is considered cosmetic....maybe that is one of the points the orginal person who started the thread was thinking too.

[leannel90 206]

Here in Canada...throughout health insurance will pay for a Tummy Tuck if you've lost more than a hundred pounds. Which I have to lose. It would be better to pay for it...than pay the hundreds of thousands of dollars my obesity would eventually cost the taxpayers. Regardless...no one works this hard to still be disappointed in how they look. I'm hoping to require a tummy tuck...that will mean that I'm healthy and ready to show the real me to everyone. There are some that consider the lapband to be plastic surgery as well. And I really don't care...I will continue to do what's right for me.

[Cazzy 725]

I lost over 230 lbs and being 58 yrs old I had more skin than I care to remember, I had a full abdominoplasty 360 degrees , arms done, inner thighs lifted, now I am about to go into hospital for my final surgery of a breast lift. So far I have 18 hours of surgery with a possible 5 hours this next one, as I have some small revisions to do from previous operations too.

If someone had said to me 3 yrs ago would u ever have plastic Surgery I would have said no but I see this as just surgery, it's not for cosmetic reasons, I feel it's all a medical need, my life is impacted by saggy skin and therefore I want it gone. Saggy skin is more or less inevitable with this much weight loss. What would I do if I couldn't get it removed.. Wear it like a badge of honour and be proud that u no longer fill it !

[ladybug108 7]

We could call it plastic surgery' date=' but that is just as bad IMHO. Personally, I think we worry too much about labels, I have started a savings CD to pay for my Excess skin removal when that time comes, regardless of physical health concerns, many feel they need it to address mental health concerns.

BTW, here is something that I find useful upon occasion when my moobs aren't as perky as they once were https://www.instaslimshirts.com/?x=bab[/quote']

I like the idea of the CD to save for the surgery. Don't know if I will need it but I will have money saved just in case!

[BayougirlMrsS 3,933]

I had my tt a year ago feb 2012 and I could not be happier. Next too lb. best thing ever!!!!!