I thought that this might be a good place to post questions to me, so that other people can see your questions and my answers. I will continue to answer questions from those of you that private message me, but this is a nice way to share the information with others - since many of your questions are relevant to other people.

I will try to answer the questions as quickly as possible, and include links and pictures when appropriate.

I am obligated to add this disclosure.....any information provided by me is my opinion and cannot substitute for an actual consultation with your qualified physician.

Hi Dr. Schulman,

Thanks again for the great advice regarding scar treatments. I've been using the paper tape and the local pharmacy was able to order a product for me called Dermatix. I was wondering if you know anything about this product and if so, what you think of it.

Hi Dr. Schulman,

Thanks again for the great advice regarding scar treatments. I've been using the paper tape and the local pharmacy was able to order a product for me called Dermatix. I was wondering if you know anything about this product and if so, what you think of it.

I have not heard specifically about Dermatix, but it appears to be a silicone base, which should work well.

I have not heard specifically about Dermatix, but it appears to be a silicone base, which should work well.

Thanks Dr. S ! You are always so helpful and generous with you time and advice -- it's great to have you on this site helping us out. :wub:

I have another question for you, do PS patients sometimes have a "foreign body" reaction to their surgical drains? If so, what might indicate that this is happening?

Dr. S....I started a thread and so far, no one knows the answer to my question so I'm asking you. Who invented the lap band? Whoever it is, they are my hero! A woman in one of my support groups said I should let whoever it is know how much weight I've lost and see what the record is. I'm a bit competitive and I would love to be his biggest loser!

Just an update on one of your suggestions to me, I'm waiting to hear from the plastic surgery residency program at UT Southwestern in Dallas. I applied and basically I'd be up for whatever they'd want to do. The residents get to pick who they want and I've got my fingers, toes and eyes crossed that someone will pick me! Thanks for the suggestion and I'll keep you updated. Thanks again for all your support!

Becky, I can answer that question for you. This very subject just came up on another thread I read. His name is Lubomyr Kuzmak. Google his name for more info. You are not going to be able to contact him though because he died of pneumonia in Oct of 2006.

Good luck with the residency program at UTSW. I just had my lower body lift there in June. Dr. Jeffrey Kenkel is my surgeon and happens to be the Vice Chairman of the Department of Plastic Surgery. Not that I have any pull, but I will mention you at my next appointment. It couldn't hurt.

Oh Becky, I would appreciate that so very much! I've been so down about what I'm going through with my insurance company and I'm just hoping and praying that this might be the answer to my prayers. Thank you for the information about Dr. Kuzmak. I just hope he knew how many lives he made better. He literally gave my life back to me. God bless him!

There is no such thing as "bariatric certified." What you want is a PS experienced in post-bariatric patients. Ask our bariatric surgeon who they refer to for this. You can look at American Society of Bariatric Plastic Surgeons (www.asbps.org) - this will list PS in your area that concentrate on this area. Also, check obesity help (www.obesityhelp.com) - this site has a listing or doctors and patient reviews. It is a great site.

Next, when you make an appointment, ask if the dr does a lot of weight loss patients. If the person answering the phone is confused, then the answer is probably "no". In consultation, make sure to ask for pictures of similar patients. They should be able to show you pics if it is an area they specialize in.

Do your homework. This is a very specialized area of plastic surgery.

Thank you for clarifying my error and I will check these sites out. I am probably a year away from any surgery and wanted to start research now so that I will be better informed. Again, thank you for your reply!

Thanks Dr. S ! You are always so helpful and generous with you time and advice -- it's great to have you on this site helping us out. :crying:

I have another question for you, do PS patients sometimes have a "foreign body" reaction to their surgical drains? If so, what might indicate that this is happening?

I have never seen a true "foreing body reaction" to drains. This is because the drains are veny inert and are designed not to be reactive. Also, they are in for too short a time (1-3 weeks) to really cause a problem. Sometimes people have a reacion at the skin, where the drain exits. This may become very sensitive and may bleed easily - but this gets better almost immediately after the drain is removed.

The more likely cause of an internal FB reaction is the sutures - especially permanent sutures. This may be cause hard lumps and tenderness over the sutures.

Dr. S.

I haven't seen any guy posts on here. What is the most common surgery for men post weight loss. I am thinking it is similiar to the TT stuff already mentioned. I lost about 130 pounds. I keep telling my wife I have another 50 to go but she disagrees. She thinks 30 tops. Anyway, the extra skin is the problem now of course.

Thoughts

Jonathan

Dr. S.

I haven't seen any guy posts on here. What is the most common surgery for men post weight loss. I am thinking it is similiar to the TT stuff already mentioned. I lost about 130 pounds. I keep telling my wife I have another 50 to go but she disagrees. She thinks 30 tops. Anyway, the extra skin is the problem now of course.

Thoughts

Jonathan

The operations are similar for men, but the technique varies a slight bit. Men commonly undergo TT or LBL, as well as chest reduction. The thighs are usually less an issue in men as compared to women because men tend to have the excess skin above the waist.

It is important to have your PS with a doc who is experienced working on men who have lost weight. This is because it is important to preserve the "male" shape. You see how women complain about not having a waist, or not having a butt after LBL...well, that is exactly the way we want it to look on a man. So, you can see the techniques are slightly different.

Dr. Schulman: I was reading about your work with light therapy and wondering how that is going and if you have any good data yet on it's efficacy? I find it fasnicating on so many levels, both physically and metaphysically as light is always seen as healing. Is it a red light or some other kind of short frequency light? Do you think other plastic surgeons will be offering this service soon? (It's the New York thing, so far, from Utah, Ugg!).

Dr. Schulman: I was reading about your work with light therapy and wondering how that is going and if you have any good data yet on it's efficacy? I find it fasnicating on so many levels, both physically and metaphysically as light is always seen as healing. Is it a red light or some other kind of short frequency light? Do you think other plastic surgeons will be offering this service soon? (It's the New York thing, so far, from Utah, Ugg!).

The data is complete and the efficacy has been established. In fact, there are now several companies that market LED technology (it was my associate who did the original research for this technology). Basically, we use visible light for different purposes - Red light stimulates collagen and also is anti-inflammatory (I use the red light on myself to help reduce muscle soreness), and blue light is anti-bacterial and is used to treat acne. It is a painless, visible light.

There are many plastic surgeons and dermatologists using this technology - you just have to ask for LED (light emitting diodes). This is not to be confused with IPL (intense pulsed light) which is very different, although based on a similar premise.

I was a guest on a radio show Monday, and I specifically discussed body contouring after weight loss. It was an interesting interview and you may find it useful (or at least, interesting).

You can listen to it online, or it can be downloaded as a podcast. I hope you enjoy it!

Here is the link.

Dr. S: It was great to hear your voice on the radio link! I have seen LED lights for sale in various catalogs are they worthwhile or just not powerful enough to get the job done?

Dr. Schulman! Just listened to your radio interview and THANK YOU!! You hit the nail on the head. There are a lot of us that never realized how much excess skin we would have after we began this journey. I also agree that when we are faced with this excess, we are not necessarily looking at the vanity point of view but the completion of this journey that has brought us into a healthier life for the duration of our years. I also agree with the radio hostess when she was making comment on your compassion for any bariatric patient, you can hear it in your voice the determination you have to help us! Thank you! That is one of the important criteria on my list in the search for any plastic surgeon I plan contacting in the future! Thank you again!