I am wanting to go down the plastic surgery track,and it is as daunting as when i was researching the lap band, want doctors, procedures, cost, outcomes etc.I am certain there are alot of people out there like me.

Thanks

Hi slimmy!

I'm happy to have a chat with you about it matey. I am going down that route, as you know, but I have to admit I found it incredibly difficult finding any feedback about WA surgeons, costs and aftercare information. I eventually went with the PS my bariatric surgeon recommended, because it was the only real recommendation I managed to get!

I'm trying to research the surgery (and my surgeon) as much as possible, but can't find anyone in Perth who's done it that's still around. I did find one lady who posted in a yahoo group who was operated on by my PS and she raved about him, but that was in 2004 and she hasn't posted in a long time, so I can't pick her brains about it.

So I do feel like I'm going in a little blind. I like my PS, he certainly inspired confidence when I met him, but I'm a bit of a control freak - I want to know exactly who I'm dealing with. Unfortunately, it's not that easy to do with Perth surgeons.

Hi Lellow,

May I pls ask....what is a body-lift? How much will it cost and how long is the expected recovery???

thanks

Megan

megsy,

a body lift is also called a belt lipectomy - it's when they excise a 'belt' of skin right round your lower body so you end up with a scar that goes right the way round. They then pull the skin down and suture it all up, so that all the 'slack' of excess skin from your stomache, back and hips end up getting tightened.

In my case, I'm also having a upside down conical vertical incision (from pubic area to belly button) to remove excess skin from my upper tummy area, and my belly button will be repositioned. I will be having some body contouring and the fascia underneath my upper tummy will be 'knitted' together, to get that 'flat stomache' look. My PS will also do some lipo on my mons area to ensure that everything's 'flat' all the way down.

All in all, after Medicare rebates and health insurance rebates, and inclusive of my PS's fee, anaethetists fees, autology and hospital fees, it will cost me around $16 000.

I will be in hospital 4-7 days, and will be expected to recover at home for at least 4 weeks before returning to a desk job. If I were doing something more active, like working as nurse, I would be expected to take at least 6 weeks off for recovery.

Lellow... OMG!!! That sounds like a huge procedure. You are so brave!

I can't believe you need that much work after losing 27kg. I need to lose another 45kg and I am hoping that I wont need anything done afterwards. I am kidding myself aren't I??? God, I hadn't really thought about what I would need done, not to mention how much it would cost!!!

can I ask how old you are??

Oh, its a lot to do with genetics, luck and where you carry your weight. I lost 45kg give or take and I dont really "need" anything done.

There's stuff I would like - like my lower body would look a lot better if I did get ringbarked and pulled up but its just not bad enough to really justify it, if that makes sense. Its flabby, yes, its dropped a bit but I'm 41 and its huge surgery and you just couldnt say I really "needed" it.

I do NEED my boobs done, but in the scheme of cosmetic surgery, that's not a big procedure. What I wish they could do is pull my stomach up towards my boobs at the same time, just that inch or two of flab that's there bothers me but its mostly ABOVE the bellybutton which is rather weird for a woman who has had 3 babies and was pear shaped and never overly fat in the abdomen.

You just dont know, in short. Some people's bodies really take a beating from pregnancy, some dont. Some people's bodies recover after weight loss, some dont. Some people's skin would always have been looser than others, weight problem or not.

I think in reality I am not surprised how I turned out - I think I could have predicted it with good accuracy, I could tell by the shape of my body etc. Do you have hanging, flabby areas or big rolls now for example? I didnt. Do you have big upper arms? I didnt. But I did have large breasts and they were saggy from the time they grew in puberty so there's no surprise there.

In contrast to Jachut, I kinda figured I'd always need surgery. I carried all my weight around my stomache (check out my pics in the link in my sig, and you'll see) and I've had 4 big babies, and each time my stomache would get more stretch-marked and would never bounce back.

When I had my last baby, I was huge, and YET I still had an overhang of skin under my big pregnant belly. I knew then that if I ever lost weight, the skin would still be an issue.

In fact most bariatric patients are expected to lose, get to goal and then maintain before getting PS just to see if their skin will 'bounce back'. But my PS took one look at my skin and said that it would never bounce back (well, d'er!). It's covered in stretch marks, and looks like an empty balloon.

And just to answer your question, I'm almost 39, but Jachut was about my age when she lost all her weight and she hasn't had the kind of skin issues I have.

The funny thing is, I look great in clothes! But naked, I look like I have a 'skirt' of skin all around my hips, over my pubis and now it's developing in my back as well. I just look like my skin is several sizes too big for me.

megsy,

a body lift is also called a belt lipectomy - it's when they excise a 'belt' of skin right round your lower body so you end up with a scar that goes right the way round. They then pull the skin down and suture it all up, so that all the 'slack' of excess skin from your stomache, back and hips end up getting tightened.

In my case, I'm also having a upside down conical vertical incision (from pubic area to belly button) to remove excess skin from my upper tummy area, and my belly button will be repositioned. I will be having some body contouring and the fascia underneath my upper tummy will be 'knitted' together, to get that 'flat stomache' look. My PS will also do some lipo on my mons area to ensure that everything's 'flat' all the way down.

All in all, after Medicare rebates and health insurance rebates, and inclusive of my PS's fee, anaethetists fees, autology and hospital fees, it will cost me around $16 000.

I will be in hospital 4-7 days, and will be expected to recover at home for at least 4 weeks before returning to a desk job. If I were doing something more active, like working as nurse, I would be expected to take at least 6 weeks off for recovery.

Since you in Perth can you give me the name of the surgeon, sounds worth doing. Oh and what a difference so far.

slimmy,

I'm seeing Dr Bruce Allbrook, you can get his contact details simply by googling him. Good luck with it, matey!

PS is something that i have in my head that will be a path that i will need to go down, I am only 24 but i have a very bad over hung apron belly, masive thighs that are extreamly bumpy and lov ely saggy boobs. I havnt had my Lap band in yet but i am very concered how my skin is going to go. I want to be prepared now for plastic surgery, i am a public patient and i dont know what im going to have to do finacially to be able to have PS.

I dont want to sound like im jumping ahead of myself as i havnt even had the band in yet, but it has been playing on my mind.