Hi everyone,

I'm in the preop phase of lapband surgery so I may be getting ahead of myself here, but I'm really curious as to whether I'll really need cosmetic surgery someday (assuming I'm successful in losing the weight!). For those of you who have lost 75-100 pounds, was your skin incredibly loose? I'm not looking at all to have perfect skin tone, but I don't want my belly hanging down to my knees either. I'm almost 52 by the way, and I'm female. What was your experience?

I have lost 85 lbs so far and it looks like I'll definitely need a tummy tuck. I have 25-40 more lbs to go so we'll see.

I've lost about 85 lb and am now at a healthy weight and I dont need plastic surgery.

Would my body be improved by plastic surgery, yes. But I have no apron and no loose skin, I have the type of problems I would have had anyway. My tummy is perfectly flat, but is doughy from 3 pregnancies, I could do with a touch lipo around the hips, thighs and flanks and my poor old empty breastfeeding boobs, sigh.

But aprons and bat wings and melting thighs, I dont have. My skin has shrunk back just fine. I look great clothed, no worse than a lot of other people naked but I wont be wearing a bikini on the beach.

Oh, I'm about to turn 40 by the way.

Jacqui: Congrats on not needing surgery. I hope I'm so lucky. I'm curious though, did you have much of a stomach when you started? My stomach right now seems to be a real issue, even hanging a little. I'm 42 and need to lose about 90 lbs. Also, does anyone know if taking extra Vitamin E will help at all? Thanks, Becky

No, I didnt have much of a stomach, I always carried my weight more on my backside and thighs. I mean I did probably look 5 months pregnant, but it wasnt a "big" stomach.

I also didnt get huge during pregnancy, and I think that helps, I"m 5ft 10 and have had 3 8 or 9 pound babies, I didnt get enormous because there's so much room in there - didnt even need maternity clothes till 25 weeks or so. I think that really really helped to preserve my stomach skin.