I will be one year out in sept an have lost 140lb so far. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should ask a plastic surgeon?

As someone who's going through exactly the same thing, here's what I would advise based on my consultations with a plastic surgeon.

1. Take a good, honest look at your body and prioritize what you really want/need to change, and what you can live with. Due to anesthesia limitations, my surgeon told me that I couldn't wake up and be "fixed", but could choose two of the 4 procedures I wanted done at a time. For me, that ended up being the boobs & arm lift- the two things I felt caused me to feel the most self conscious and were the hardest to disguise, especially in the summer. The other two can wait till winter time.

2. Get an expense estimate with the length of validity. Plastic surgery is quite expensive, and depending on what you're interested in, many insurance companies won't cover the cost. Check out financing options to help guide your priorities.

3. Ask to see before/after pictures, and allow the surgeon to "manhandle" you to give a relative idea of the results. This part was a living nightmare for me to be honest- standing in a pair of (horrifying) surgical panties in front of a complete stranger who was pushing, pulling and tugging at parts of me that I didn't want to touch, let alone someone else But....it gave me a semi-realistic view of what he could do to help, and he realized my discomfort immediately and said something along the lines of "I know this is rough for you, but think of it this way. I see women just like you every single day. I'm not looking at what you are, but what you can become. I'm an artist, and your'e my canvas. Let me show you the beautiful artwork I can create." I was sold.

3. If you're going for a boob job, don't be afraid to try them on for size. My surgeon had a special bra you could pop implants in to get an idea of how you'll look- kind of like those maternity belly pillows some of us tried on in the store when we started needing maternity clothes It's ok if you have no idea what would look good- he/she will, and will be able to explain the types of implants and what they would recommend.

4. If the idea of scars freak you out...I asked my surgeon to use his marker to actually draw the placement of the scars on me. I "wore" them for a day and decided I could live with it.

5. It's your body, but it's his/her specialty. My surgeon was recommended by my RNY surgeon as the best in our area, and I couldn't agree more. I did a ton of research online about him, his practice, and the procedures I was considering. If there is anything about any procedure that I'm not completely happy with, he'll "fix" it without charge. I'd recommend that anyone else do the same.

Hope this helps!

Edited August 4, 201510 yr by SuzeMuze

Thank you so much I have a appt. this week an I am a little nervous

Yep, so was I. So much so that I asked to have extra time to see the surgeon again at my pre-op appointment last week for a 'lil extra assurance that I was going to turn out ok. The surgeon was happy to oblige to ease my fears.

"Can I have a coupon please" I'm not looking forward to seeing the price tag on this next year.