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Loose Skin Worry



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I am in the very initial stage of sleeve surgery. Met with the team (Dr., NUT, Exercise Physiologist, Labs & EKG done). My question is ... Can I do anything in this PRE-Surgery mode to assist with future loose skin? I am 50+ and have a lot to lose (100+) and fear that I will end up looking horrible with loose skin everywhere. Any advice?

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I don't know if it will help at all, I'm also in the beginning stages. I've decided to do light weights until surgery. I feel it will help out with the rapid weight loss and put me ahead of the game.

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Here are some things you can do that *might* help lessen loose skin. It really just depends on a lot of factors, most of which are out of your control. But here is what you can do:

  • moisturize daily
  • stay well hydrated
  • take your Vitamins (vitamins C & E, as well as beef Gelatin can improve skin elasticity)
  • strength training (you can "fill in" loose skin with muscle where you lose fat in some areas)

Just remember, you should not let the prospect of loose skin discourage you from WLS or losing weight. A little loose skin never killed anyone, but excess weight has killed millions of people.

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Yes start light strength training now. You can get a lot done in 6 months. You're at a good starting weight so don't be afraid like I was to lose more before surgery the closer you can get to goal the easier your journey will be. Good luck.

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I am in the very initial stage of sleeve surgery. Met with the team (Dr., NUT, Exercise Physiologist, Labs & EKG done). My question is ... Can I do anything in this PRE-Surgery mode to assist with future loose skin? I am 50+ and have a lot to lose (100+) and fear that I will end up looking horrible with loose skin everywhere. Any advice?

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I think a lot of it depends on where we carry our excess weight. Working with weights can help, especially with arms and legs, because the muscle gets bigger and fills in some of the space where the skin is sagging.

Go to Youtube and watch vidoes about weight loss and excess skin. People will show their before and after pix and strip down and show it all. They are BRAVE! They call them "skin flicks". Ha.

I am not worried about it at all. I am almost 54. I figure my bikini days are way past me. Tummy trouble is easy to hide with shape wear. My legs have never looked good, even before I gained the weight I have always had big legs, I am not expecting them to magically be awesome!

Sleeveless tops may always be out of the question for me, but I have heard a lot of people are cold all the time after WLS so that might not be comfortable anyway.

Good plan to start working on it now though, I need to do that too :)

Edited by laceemouse

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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
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      1. LeighaTR

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

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        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
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