Hi! I am new to this web site, and this is my first post, so I am not exactly sure how everything works! I am one week from being finished with my 6 month supervised diet, so time is winding down for me on my surgery date! I am excited and nervous all at the same time! My big question is how much loose skin am I going to have??? I am 30 yrs old, 5'4 and weigh 230, I wear size 18 clothes...the loose skin thing is really going to bother me! Is there anyone out there that was close to my size that could tell me about their skin after having the sleeve done???

Hi, I was close to youre size. I'm 38 and my skin is fairly decent. I did have a baby 4 years ago that really stretched me out, but for the most part, I'm relatively o.k. I will be looking into tucks in about a year I think. Also, the only area I'm concerned about is right under my armpits. My hubby said he can tell my skin is tightening up. Hope this helps =)

Loose skin is such a subjective thing and varies completely from person to person. Just going to paste from a previous post:

Skin is an elastic organ. It can stretch a little, or more - for a short period of time, and recover. Hence mothers can sometimes look as though they were never pregnant. This is not typical. The more that skin was stretched out, and for the longer, and the older you are -- the more the skin is damaged. Two things have happened -- your body has made more skin cells, and the skin that was there has been stretched. A heavy pannus, for example, isn't going anywhere without surgery.

If you're fair skinned, it's probably going to be worse than if you are not. If you smoke, it's probably going to worse than if you don't. If you're frequently dehydrated, it's probably going to be worse than if you aren't. If either of your parents scar easily, or were obese & showed signs of skin damage (saggy skin, stretch marks, etc.) it's probably going to be worse than if they showed more resilient skin.

The are(s) fat is lost from matter, too. I have a stomach so saggy you can't even see my bellybutton. And honestly, you can't really find it either. I've tried, in my attempts at stellar hygiene. I can stick an entire medical (the ginormous ones) qtip into my "belly button" and never actually reach it. It's like a bottomless pit, right in the middle of my abdomen. My elbows look melted. But my hands/forearms are fine, my face and neck and chest are ok, etc. BUt I lost 175 lbs, and wasn't even at goal - so I had a lot of skin to start with.

odon't just consider your age, size, height, etc. Those are factors, yes. Are you scarry? (e.g. do you have a lot of stretchmarks?) What shape is your skin on overall? What about your prents' skin? Are you fair skinned? Do you have sun damage? Etc.

Hi, Just like you I'm 31 years old, 5'4" and weighed 240 at the time of surgery. I'm fair skinned. I've lost 61 pounds already and the areas with the most loose skin are under my arms and my lower stomach. I don't have any children so no stretch marks. I started going to a personal trainer about a month ago and can definitely see a difference in the way my body is countouring. They always say you should wait a year after surgery to see the full effects. I know a girl who was bigger than me and wen't down to 135 in a year and her skin all picked up. I think it all depends on your genes. Just wanted to share my experience with you to see if it's any help. My goal is that if by March of 2012 (1 year later) I dislike the result then I will get liposculpture and a breast reduction.

Hi, I was close to youre size. I'm 38 and my skin is fairly decent. I did have a baby 4 years ago that really stretched me out, but for the most part, I'm relatively o.k. I will be looking into tucks in about a year I think. Also, the only area I'm concerned about is right under my armpits. My hubby said he can tell my skin is tightening up. Hope this helps =)

THanks so much guys! This helps a lot! That was a major concern for me! I have never had any kids and I dont have stretch marks , I expected for my belly to look a little saggy, but Im ok with that, since I plan on becoming pregnany in a few years! I really appreciate your input!!

Alot of plastic surgeons won't do a tummy tuck or anything until the weight is off at least 1 year to see if your skin gets better on it's own. My sleeve surgeon asks us about our skin and if we are getting any infections or sores from it. If we are, he can do a tummy tuck for us and get it covered by our insurance.