Plastic Surgery! How Long Should I Wait?

[Slim-Shady 79]

I plan to get plastic surgery to get rid of extra skin; Tummy Tuck, contour, lift, etc. Looking for recommendations on how close to my goal I should be before I do anything. Should I be at goal? 10, 15, 20 lbs away? Any suggestions from those who've done it/researched it?

[JamieLogical 8,727]

You should be done losing weight, so pretty much at your goal. And ideally you want to have maintained that weight for close to 12 months, though some people only wait 6-8 months. DO NOT rely on skin removal to result in any significant weight loss in and of itself. Yes, the skin that is removed will have some weight to it, but between months of swelling and at least several weeks of limited activity, you will likely see a weight gain post-op. By the time everything is healed up, the swelling has gone down, and you are able to exercise regularly again, at best you can hope for things to even out weight-wise.

[Proud2BMe 1,016]

I went to one surgeon who told me that I needed to be within 15 lbs of my goal weight before he would even consider doing skin removal. I'm going to do better and go below goal by maybe 5 lbs.

[autymn 27]

I have heard that most insurance companies will not cover skin surgery unless there is a lot of documentation of problems resulting from excess skin. Have you looked into the prices? I felt lucky to finally have an insurance that covered weight-loss surgery.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

[Slim-Shady 79]

I have heard that most insurance companies will not cover skin surgery unless there is a lot of documentation of problems resulting from excess skin. Have you looked into the prices? I felt lucky to finally have an insurance that covered weight-loss surgery.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I haven't looked into prices yet. I'm about to start. I know my insurance company doesn't cover plastic surgery, so I've been taking my time since I'll be paying out of pocket.

[JamieLogical 8,727]

I have heard that most insurance companies will not cover skin surgery unless there is a lot of documentation of problems resulting from excess skin. Have you looked into the prices? I felt lucky to finally have an insurance that covered weight-loss surgery.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I haven't looked into prices yet. I'm about to start. I know my insurance company doesn't cover plastic surgery, so I've been taking my time since I'll be paying out of pocket.

Prices do range very widely. I encourage you not to make a decision entirely just on price, because plastics is really NOT an area where you want to skimp. I don't know how you feel about traveling for plastics, but there are EXCELLENT options in Mexico for very reasonable prices with incredibly skilled surgeons. There are also specific areas of the US where some surgeons offer very competitive pricing, but still have excellent results.

I went to Mexico for my plastics (tummy tuck and breast lift with augmentation) and will be going back for a thigh lift in September. Originally I started looking into Mexico purely for the cost savings (it's about 1/2 to 1/3 the cost of the US), but I actually realized that going to Mexico gave me much more control over my decision. Where I live in the US, there are only about three practicing plastic surgeons who could/would do the kind of work I needed. That's not a whole lot to choose from. By being open to the idea of traveling, I really had my pick of surgeons. I also learned about the much better aftercare provided with Medical Tourism. If you have plastics in the US, you are discharged back to your house to fend for yourself the day after surgery or, in some cases, even the day OF surgery. Most surgeons abroad are affiliated with recovery houses or aftercare facilities where you can receive 24/7 support and assistance for days and even weeks post-op.

So ultimately, even if surgery in Mexico cost exactly the same as it does in my home town, I would choose to travel for my plastics. My experience with my first round of plastics was so great. I can't imagine what it would have been like if I had been here in the US and I had to fend for myself or my husband had to take off of work to try to care for me. I was helpless as a newborn those first couple of days after my Tummy Tuck. Literally couldn't even use the bathroom myself!

[Proud2BMe 1,016]

I have heard that most insurance companies will not cover skin surgery unless there is a lot of documentation of problems resulting from excess skin. Have you looked into the prices? I felt lucky to finally have an insurance that covered weight-loss surgery.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I haven't looked into prices yet. I'm about to start. I know my insurance company doesn't cover plastic surgery, so I've been taking my time since I'll be paying out of pocket.

Prices do range very widely. I encourage you not to make a decision entirely just on price, because plastics is really NOT an area where you want to skimp. I don't know how you feel about traveling for plastics, but there are EXCELLENT options in Mexico for very reasonable prices with incredibly skilled surgeons. There are also specific areas of the US where some surgeons offer very competitive pricing, but still have excellent results.

I went to Mexico for my plastics (tummy tuck and breast lift with augmentation) and will be going back for a thigh lift in September. Originally I started looking into Mexico purely for the cost savings (it's about 1/2 to 1/3 the cost of the US), but I actually realized that going to Mexico gave me much more control over my decision. Where I live in the US, there are only about three practicing plastic surgeons who could/would do the kind of work I needed. That's not a whole lot to choose from. By being open to the idea of traveling, I really had my pick of surgeons. I also learned about the much better aftercare provided with Medical Tourism. If you have plastics in the US, you are discharged back to your house to fend for yourself the day after surgery or, in some cases, even the day OF surgery. Most surgeons abroad are affiliated with recovery houses or aftercare facilities where you can receive 24/7 support and assistance for days and even weeks post-op.

So ultimately, even if surgery in Mexico cost exactly the same as it does in my home town, I would choose to travel for my plastics. My experience with my first round of plastics was so great. I can't imagine what it would have been like if I had been here in the US and I had to fend for myself or my husband had to take off of work to try to care for me. I was helpless as a newborn those first couple of days after my Tummy Tuck. Literally couldn't even use the bathroom myself!

I went to Tijuana for my sleeve. However, I am currently too scared to even consider going there for plastics due to the thought of traveling while in so much pain. So how was your experience coming home? What was the plane trip like?

[JamieLogical 8,727]

I have heard that most insurance companies will not cover skin surgery unless there is a lot of documentation of problems resulting from excess skin. Have you looked into the prices? I felt lucky to finally have an insurance that covered weight-loss surgery.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I haven't looked into prices yet. I'm about to start. I know my insurance company doesn't cover plastic surgery, so I've been taking my time since I'll be paying out of pocket.

Prices do range very widely. I encourage you not to make a decision entirely just on price, because plastics is really NOT an area where you want to skimp. I don't know how you feel about traveling for plastics, but there are EXCELLENT options in Mexico for very reasonable prices with incredibly skilled surgeons. There are also specific areas of the US where some surgeons offer very competitive pricing, but still have excellent results.

I went to Mexico for my plastics (tummy tuck and breast lift with augmentation) and will be going back for a thigh lift in September. Originally I started looking into Mexico purely for the cost savings (it's about 1/2 to 1/3 the cost of the US), but I actually realized that going to Mexico gave me much more control over my decision. Where I live in the US, there are only about three practicing plastic surgeons who could/would do the kind of work I needed. That's not a whole lot to choose from. By being open to the idea of traveling, I really had my pick of surgeons. I also learned about the much better aftercare provided with medical tourism. If you have plastics in the US, you are discharged back to your house to fend for yourself the day after surgery or, in some cases, even the day OF surgery. Most surgeons abroad are affiliated with recovery houses or aftercare facilities where you can receive 24/7 support and assistance for days and even weeks post-op.

So ultimately, even if surgery in Mexico cost exactly the same as it does in my home town, I would choose to travel for my plastics. My experience with my first round of plastics was so great. I can't imagine what it would have been like if I had been here in the US and I had to fend for myself or my husband had to take off of work to try to care for me. I was helpless as a newborn those first couple of days after my Tummy Tuck. Literally couldn't even use the bathroom myself!

I went to Tijuana for my sleeve. However, I am currently too scared to even consider going there for plastics due to the thought of traveling while in so much pain. So how was your experience coming home? What was the plane trip like?

I made arrangements with the airlines to have wheel chair or golf cart transportation through security and between terminals, which helped. I was pretty miserable on the plane ride home because my second flight was delayed and I was stuck in the airport in Chicago for a couple extra hours. But it was nothing I couldn't survive through. The attendants and passengers were all really great and helped me with my bags and whatnot. I had stayed in Mexico for a full two weeks post-op, so I really wasn't nearly as limited in my range of motion or anything at that point. Just had lifting restrictions. I'd had my drains removed by the time I left too, so didn't have to worry about those either.