What are the odds that I'll be able to get to a point where I'm comfortable with my shirt off WITHOUT surgery?

For the record, I'm 39 y.o. male with a BMI of 42. I have a big tummy, but it doesn't droop down over my waistband. I have some stretch marks from a rapid weight loss/regain in my teens.

What I'm HOPING is that with sufficient exercise (and eventually weight lifting) I can avoid most of the super-invasive plastic surgeries. However, I'm trying to figure out how realistic my hope is, or if I should set my sights a little lower...

The odds of me having tens of thousands of dollars for plastic surgery any time soon are... slim to none.

Oil hardly works for loose skin. Surgery is the only option as the skin becomes loosened as it looses its elasticity.

Hi, I see that you had your surgery at Puget Sound Surgical Center. I am having mine there also on the 9th of February. How were they? Are they Friendly? Is there any Hotels near the Center? It's so cool finding someone else who's had their surgery there also.

PSSC was amazing. Their level of care and follow-up was phenomenal; I can't recommend them highly enough.

As to hotels, I don't know (I live locally, so I didn't look -- I just came home after the surgery). I'd just check on Yelp or something, I'm sure that there's something!

Oil hardly works for loose skin. Surgery is the only option as the skin becomes loosened as it looses its elasticity.

Oil can help to moisturize skin, and when skin is both loose and dry it gets the "crepe paper" consistency that we all hate. Moisturizers don't "fix" loose skin, but they can make it look less... well... gross.

But yeah, now that I'm approaching two years out from my surgery, I'm coming to believe that surgery is the only option to remove significant amounts of loose skin. Small problem areas may fix themselves -- skin DOES resorb over time, to an extent dependent upon genetics and age -- and you can build muscle underneath some problem areas to give the skin something to reattach to. But for significant amounts of loose skin -- like most of us have/had around our belly -- surgery is pretty much the only realistic "fix."

I talked to someone that lot 160lbs in their 40's and they didn't have to have any surgery, and looked pretty good. They swore it was the yoga they did, and lots of Vitamin E lotion. Worth a try.

I'm a pear shape.. i knew i was going to have loose skin around my arms but i was suprise to see it in my thighs.. i don't know what to do.. i don't want more scars but i would love to wear bathing suit without shorts

I am probably going to have my thighs and butt done. I don't care so much about a flat tummy I like it to be mushy, but a bathing suit for the first time ever is a must. I just wish there were more people talking about it on this site...As this kind of doctor is WAY more scary than finding a VSG doctors. A lot of these surgeries are outpatient and in the doctor's office...NOT A HOSPITAL. So I am getting worried about who to choose, but I will see where I am in June, make an appointment and find out the cost. I don't mind the scars so much. They fade over time. You can still see them, but you could have a scar from anything.

I talked to someone that lot 160lbs in their 40's and they didn't have to have any surgery, and looked pretty good. They swore it was the yoga they did, and lots of Vitamin E lotion. Worth a try.

I hope that is my story. I'm in my early 40's and just don't wnat to have another surgery if at all possible.

I thought I'd post on my success so far. I was terrified I was going to need skin removal surgery (one of my biggest fears pre-weight loss) but eight months out I'm confident that I won't be needing surgical intervention. I've lost 150 lbs so far, I still have a bit more to lose but I've noticed the only thing that truly helped flabbiness was extreme exercise (intense cardio/weightlifting). Oils/creams seemed to moisturize and improve the appearance, and light activity just helped with weight loss and not with toning. It was only after I started doing very intense workouts (with a nutrition regimen specifically for toning) that I noticed a huge change in my body's appearance. For a while I was afraid I'd have to have a bunch of skin removed all over, but now it seems the only issue I have left is a bit of tummy/arms which my trainer is confident can be reduced with more exercise. This has been my experience, so others might have different results...but I really think intense activity (yoga, weight-lifting, boxing, martial arts) will give you satisfying results. It may not be the perfect sculpted body we long for, but your body will appear so fit and healthy that no one really notices little patches of skin. Youth and elasticity definitely play a huge role, but you've got nothing to lose by giving it a shot. Good luck everyone