Hi everyone, I am getting close to scheduling my surgery date and as my surgery gets closer and closer I am starting to wonder about the glamourous topic of LOOSE SKIN. I am 20 and have a BMI of about 53-54 (depending on what scale I use) lol and my stomach is (to me) my biggest feature. I have always tried to pick out clothes to hide this stomach. I have heard that lifting weights will help with loose skin on the arms. I am assuming I can do squats to get rid of excess skin on my legs and thighs?? (any other advice or solutions are appreciated) But what about the stomach? I know that surgery would correct excess skin but honestly I am hoping that this will be my only surgery for awhile! Lol So for all you experienced sleevers what has worked or not worked for you? How bad is your situation with loose skin? What are you planning to do about it? What steps can I take to make my stomach situation better? Do creams work, what excercises help, what can I do? Any comments, advice, questions, facts, anything will help. Thanks!

Muscle toning is really your best bet. Unfortunately a lot of factors will go against you, such as how much you needed to lose, your age (elasticity), and if you smoke or other factors. It is a necessary evil of weight loss. No one person's end result will match anothers, no matter how many weights you lift, etc.

Mine really isn't all that bad considering. I've already lost close to 100 Lbs, but have lost more. It was ok then. However I'm only 36, I've Asian blood and I don't smoke either. Rather I'm sure the longer I wait to get to goal, the less elasticity my skin will have.

Then again there are some who are older than me and are still fine. Only will know when you're at goal and see the end results.

The first few months, my arms and thighs looked really weird. You know that odd looking wrinkly skin on a chicken? That was my thighs. I did some toning with a "thigh-master" type of machine, but in the past month, I have neglected it. But, to my surprise, the thighs are shaping up nicely.

That being said, you hagve a lot of weight to lose and the stomach may not "bounce back". If it doesn't, you can wear compression garmets to help under your clothes. If you develop what's called a "flap" of skin and can document bacterial or other similiar medical issues, insurance will cover the removal as a medical procedure and not consider it cosmetic. By no means amd I saying to fake or cause an infection, but I would imagine that it would be the perfect place for bacteria to want to hide and grow.

For now, focus on the weightloss ... if you need to repair the skin, you can think about that a year from now. Best of luck!

Oh gosh, That is scary! I hope everything works out!

Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. I know a few girls who have had RNY. Both said that you need to start taking good care of your skin before surgery. Give it the best fighting chance that you can. Even after you reach goal, DO NOT let up on skin care.

During the 1st yr after goal. Your body will redistribute some of your body fat and during that year, the skin will bounce back to some extent.

As mentioned already, there are also several things that play into it. Race, genetics, age, smoking, bearing children, etc.

I exfoliate my entire body twice a week and have hubby rub me down with BASQ Resillient Body Oil. I get it at Bed, Bath and Beyond. It had won awards from Pregnancy magazine and is made specifically for pregnancy AND ppl going through rapid weight loss. I swear by this stuff. However, I'm not suggesting you spend lots of money either. Just moisturize, no matter what kind.

I agree with the above posters. I do not think my skin looks horrible after losing 145lbs at all. I have a little baby fat roll on my lower abdomen, but it doesn't really bother me cosmetically. I don't know many 33 year old women that had c-sections that don't have a little "pooch" on their lower abdomen. I have wrinkly skin more than anything, and if I'd stop being lazy and work out I could fill in some of the flabbiness with muscle.

I agree with moisturizing, and taking care of your skin. I do believe that has been part of the reason my skin looks as good as it does post-op. Other might see my skin and think "HOLY CRAP", but in all honesty, I've shown my stomach, arms, and inner thighs to other women considering surgery, and they've all said "ehhh I could live with that, or man I was expecting it to be worse". These are all friends, and are brutally honest people. Plus, my husband doesn't think I look bad naked except for the boobs. And, even then, he doesn't say anything negative, we both agree they look horrible.