Excess skin after WLS

[Happy Stylist 86]

I'm a 50yo woman. 5'6" 220lbs. I go for my wls consultation tomorrow. For those that have had the surgery. Did you have the excess skin? Did you have to get the extra skin removed? I'm wondering those with the lower bmi did your skin look ok enough not to get the surgery?

[mi75 1,235]

I do have excess skin, 8 years post VSG and swore I would have it all taken off. In total transparency, I had a small amount of regain so I'm focused on getting back to where I should be, but then I will be taking it off. Sadly I carry ALL my weight around my middle and so my excess skin literally looks like deflated balloon.

I have different insurance than I did at the time, due to advancing my career, but the insurance I used to have would cover skin removal IF you lost 100 lbs after surgery. They're all different.

I don't wear compression garments or anything but have gotten expert-level at buying the correct shirts that are billowy and flow-y so they hide it. For now..

[Happy Stylist 86]

15 minutes ago, mi75 said:

I do have excess skin, 8 years post VSG and swore I would have it all taken off. In total transparency, I had a small amount of regain so I'm focused on getting back to where I should be, but then I will be taking it off. Sadly I carry ALL my weight around my middle and so my excess skin literally looks like deflated balloon.

I have different insurance than I did at the time, due to advancing my career, but the insurance I used to have would cover skin removal IF you lost 100 lbs after surgery. They're all different.

I don't wear compression garments or anything but have gotten expert-level at buying the correct shirts that are billowy and flow-y so they hide it. For now..

Thanks. And congrats on your weight loss journey. My health insurance doesn't cover and weight loss stuff. So I'll be out of pocket on the sleeve surgery that I plan on getting soon. I'm hoping my extra skin won't look to bad 🤷🏼‍♀️

[Arabesque 6,484]

There are several factors that influence how much excess skin you will have: age, gender, weight loss history, how long you’ve been overweight, genetics, etc. I was almost 54 when I had my surgery. I had been at my high weight for about 4 yrs. Before that I bounced between 60 & 75 kgs. When I reached my goal of 60kg I had hardly any loose skin. A little on my inner upper thighs, a little on my upper arms & my tummy. Just little pinches really. I was pretty pleased with myself. Then I dropped the extra weight & there was noticeably more loose skin.

I’ve chosen not to have surgery because I can cover the loose skin with my clothes including body conscious dresses & I don’t wear ‘suck it in & hold it tight’ underwear. I do pick clothes that don’t reveal or highlight the loose skin - no shoe string straps, no shorty shorts but they don’t appeal to me anyway. Do people notice or comment? Not that I’m aware of & believe my mum would say something. 😉 I’ve even been told I have lovely arms but then I don’t wave them about in the air. 😁

I look at my loose skin as something I’ve worked hard to earn by losing the weight. I’d rather have some loose skin than carry all that weight. But that’s me.

[Tierra T Tij 56]

I have so much excess skin I'm practically tripping on it, lol. I lost A LOT of weight though so go figure!

[catwoman7 10,867]

you'll probably have some, but you're at a lower starting weight than a lot of us so it may not be too bad. I had a ton - but then, I started out MUCH heavier than you.

[Happy Stylist 86]

2 hours ago, catwoman7 said:

you'll probably have some, but you're at a lower starting weight than a lot of us so it may not be too bad. I had a ton - but then, I started out MUCH heavier than you.

2 hours ago, catwoman7 said:

you'll probably have some, but you're at a lower starting weight than a lot of us so it may not be too bad. I had a ton - but then, I started out MUCH heavier than you.

yea, I was wondering that but I also understand that everyone body will do different. So I guess it's just a wait and see after surgery. I'll just be happy to start losing. I need to put my focus on the goal ❤️

[ShoppGirl 3,366]

I am one year out and 5 pounds from a normal BMI and I do not have any excess skin at all. I was a 35 BMI and a slow loser and I think all that helped plus I am 43. I also wasn’t at my highest weight for very long as a result of many yo yo diets.

Edited March 11, 2022 by ShoppGirl

[Happy Stylist 86]

3 hours ago, ShoppGirl said:

I am one year out and 5 pounds from a normal BMI and I do not have any excess skin at all. I was a 35 BMI and a slow loser and I think all that helped plus I am 43. I also wasn’t at my highest weight for very long as a result of many yo yo diets.

I'm kinda hoping to be slow at losing. Because I thought maybe dropping fast will cause more loose skin. I've probably been at my highest for 2 years now.

[ShoppGirl 3,366]

2 minutes ago, Robz said:

I'm kinda hoping to be slow at losing. Because I thought maybe dropping fast will cause more loose skin. I've probably been at my highest for 2 years now.

The NP at my clinic told me that with my BMI being low and my age that I shouldn’t have alot. She said not to expect to have a six pack but not enough excess skin that it would cause any medical issues for sure. In other words insurance wasn’t gonna pay to remove it because at my BMI I wouldn’t have enough. But I guess I’ve got genetics on My side. My guess is if I lost much more I would have some though because this is the weight I always got down to on diets. Never smaller.

[ms.sss 14,679]

Ok: obligatory response to the oft-asked question/concern about excess skin: Basically what @Arabesque said above and that you will know how weight loss affects u when u know. There is no real way to guarantee no excess skin other than NOT losing weight…and im sure thats not an option, right?

With that said, here was my experience

I started off at 235 with a BMI of 43…yep im short. (223 on surgery day). I was healthy/normal sized until about age 30, at which point i steadily gained weight until i got to morbid obesity by the time i got into my 40s. I had surgery when I was 47.

I lost my weight relatively quickly, getting down to 127 in 7 months. I lost a few more lbs over the next couple months as settled into maintenance. Ive hovered around 115 (give or take 5 lbs) ever since. This morning i was 118.8

And yep, I had excess skin. But it was literally just that…skin. I had very little fat tissue underneath so I didn’t look so much rolly, than it did crepey/lumpy …it looked crumply-bedsheet-looking.

I did get the skin removed when i was 14 months post op via Tummy Tuck, arm lift and breast lift. As i had very little actual fat, the total weight removed from my body was a measly 400g.

To those around me not really paying attention (which was probably almost everyone) the difference before and after PS was not very dramatic, if they noticed anything at all. It just looked like i toned up a little.

I felt awesome in a bikini after plastics. But honestly, i felt awesome in that same bikini BEFORE plastics. But don’t get me wrong, i am super pleased i got it done and would do it all again 10 times out of 10.

You may find you are quite happy/satisfied with your body after weight loss excess skin or not. Or you can go the plastics route. I’ve seen plastics results on here that are jaw dropping. But thats still a ways down the road for you. Your time and energies are probably better expensed on getting the weight off and changing and adapting to a new lifestyle.

Good Luck! ❤️

P.S. For a visual, here is my progress pic covering the first 3 years (im 3.5 post today). You can see the skin situation with and without clothes on the top two rows. The bottom row is after PS.

Edited March 12, 2022 by ms.sss

[Happy Stylist 86]

2 hours ago, ms.sss said:

Ok: obligatory response to the oft-asked question/concern about excess skin: Basically what @Arabesque said above and that you will know how weight loss affects u when u know. There is no real way to guarantee no excess skin other than NOT losing weight…and im sure thats not an option, right?

With that said, here was my experience

I started off at 235 with a BMI of 43…yep im short. (223 on surgery day). I was healthy/normal sized until about age 30, at which point i steadily gained weight until i got to morbid obesity by the time i got into my 40s. I had surgery when I was 47.

I lost my weight relatively quickly, getting down to 127 in 7 months. I lost a few more lbs over the next couple months as settled into maintenance. Ive hovered around 115 (give or take 5 lbs) ever since. This morning i was 118.8

And yep, I had excess skin. But it was literally just that…skin. I had very little fat tissue underneath so I didn’t look so much rolly, than it did crepey/lumpy …it looked crumply-bedsheet-looking.

I did get the skin removed when i was 14 months post op via Tummy Tuck, arm lift and breast lift. As i had very little actual fat, the total weight removed from my body was a measly 400g.

To those around me not really paying attention (which was probably almost everyone) the difference before and after PS was not very dramatic, if they noticed anything at all. It just looked like i toned up a little.

I felt awesome in a bikini after plastics. But honestly, i felt awesome in that same bikini BEFORE plastics. But don’t get me wrong, i am super pleased i got it done and would do it all again 10 times out of 10.

You may find you are quite happy/satisfied with your body after weight loss excess skin or not. Or you can go the plastics route. I’ve seen plastics results on here that are jaw dropping. But thats still a ways down the road for you. Your time and energies are probably better expensed on getting the weight off and changing and adapting to a new lifestyle.

Good Luck! ❤️

P.S. For a visual, here is my progress pic covering the first 3 years (im 3.5 post today). You can see the skin situation with and without clothes on the top two rows. The bottom row is after PS.

That's awesome! I love hearing successful stories. Tonight I've had the moment of questioning myself if I'm doing the right thing by having surgery. (Just worrying that something will go wrong) but reading and seeing your success. Help me take a deep breath and know I'm doing the right thing.

[Esi 179]

Pre-op BMI almost 42. Current BMI 27. I was obese for 20 years.

Yes, I do have excess skin. It’s mostly on my upper arms. With higher-waist (but normal) underwear and an awesome bra, the only time it’s noticeable is when I wear short sleeves. I choose clothes that accentuate my slim parts, and I have to say I look really good in them! 😊

My upper arms aren’t enough to bother me. I look for clothes that have sleeves down to the elbows when possible. Having surgery is a huge deal to me (pain, recovery time, cost, risk of anesthesia) and I am not willing to undergo it again unless it’s really necessary.

I hope this helps, good luck!

[blackcatsandbaddecisions 844]

I went from a bmi of 48.6 to 23.7. I lost over 175 lbs and I’m in my 40s. I have less loose skin than I pictured. It’s easily covered up by clothes, and even in a bathing suit it’s nothing too bad. With that being said I am looking into surgery, to see if it would be in budget to remove.

[Brooklynwmn 1]

When I was 29 I was 220 at 5’5. I lost 90 lbs and hit my goal weight and had no sagging skin whatsoever. I even developed a 4 pack abs but I also incorporated daily cardio and strength training in my life as well.