Caution..Caution enter if you dare...Excess skin issues and problems that come with it

This is for all the people out there with excess skin and the issues that come along with it....like the rashes, boils, smell, and anything else that you may have in regards to the excess skin. How do you deal with your excess skin issues? Does exercise make it worse, and what do you do to alleviate the pain or discomfort from it. If you dont want to post on the board please email me privately, I am having some issues and I was just wondering what other people were doing to get a handle on it. Just to give you a little info on some of the problems that I've been having here is the thick of it......I have a fungal infection in the crack of my a$$...how can a sister wear sexy underwear with that.....I have had multiple boils at different times on my inner thighs where they get really big and then pus and pop open when I am exercising from all the friction, and I still occassionally have my vaginal problems with the friction causing burning and itching on my lips from the excess skin.....it is not a pretty site....also some people may think this is a good thing but it is not.....My **** is always available, it rubs up against my underwear when I am exercising, i just feel it all the time...at times when I dont need too. Sorry for all the graphic info.....but I dont mind.....its just apart of my journey......I like to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth...so like I said if you dont want to post on the board but you do have some suggestions or comments please please email me.....I wont tell nobody. Tyshea - Remember only you can make you happy 315/162/150

one thing that really helps me is monistat's chafing powder-gel, you can get a free sample from their website: http://www.monistat.com/soothingcare/request_sample_buffer.htm i mostly only have problems during the summer, but i still have issues w/my thighs rubbing together when i wear skirts and this stuff is wonderful for that. i used it under my panni when i was a bit bigger and it really helped with the sweating and rashes when i exercised. michelle 277/145/140

Tyshea, I'm not sure if this will help. But do you wear shaping garments to hold you in? This might help with the friction problems. I'm not sure if those would cause more moisture issue for you in the summer or not. I wear a tight spandex cami and briefs under all my clothes to hold things in and up I'm not sure how I'll fair once the weather gets warmer. The area that I have been having trouble with is my bellybutton. And I always seem to be itchy in my "kitty" area but no rash there so far. Spanx makes a garment that comes down to your knees that might help with the leg friction. Suzanne

Our surgeon told us the instant you get a rash, call him or take pictures, and get ahold of the plastic surgeon. It seems you need to have rashes under the panniculus (the fancy medical term for all that skin) to get insurance to take care of it for you. Otherwise, I found athlete's foot powder works really well on the rashes. It's designed to take care of yeast-like rashes and they're mostly caused by moisture and friction. Using the blow dryer is a great idea also, and I have done that myself on more than one occasion Linda 280/143/160

I am glad that I read your post. I thought that something was wrong with me because I am constantly getting boils, especially in my private area and on my stomach. I never related them to weight loss surgery though but now that I think about it they are way more frequent. I mentioned it to the doctor that I have been seeing (I don't see the surgeon anymore) as well as my primary care physician and neither of them really gave me a solution. I even had to have a little minor surgery to cut one out that was under my arm the size of an egg. I am going to have to do some research on this to see what I come up with. Angela

Thanks for being so open and honest. I am also having a problem with my booty crack-it's killing me. No sexy underwear and it frequently itches so bad that I just want to run into the backyard nekkid and rub against a tree. heehee. Actually, I have scratched it raw on more than one occasion. I also have gotten repeated perirectal abscesses, which I never had before-but the doc told me in March is not related to anything. (I don't know about that.) My problem is, I no longer have health insurance-I am working two jobs trying to make ends meet and I can't really afford to go to a doctor. I am trying to self treat. Any answers you get will be greatly appreciated by many! Thanks Becky R Size 20 to size 2/4 in only 15 months!!!

Hi Tyshea, I'm glad you posted this. I've never had any issues with topical yeast infections (except in the "usual" place when I take antibiotics). But I have had the condition with the boils for YEARS. Of course, the outbreaks are in all the worst places - armpits, groin, upper thighs, belly, bottom. Ugh. HATE IT. I went to dermatologists for years and it was just treated superficially. Antibiotics don't really help,though the docs used to give them to me constantly (hello yeast infection). I will also add that at the time of my worst outbreaks, I had to have one area surgically excised after admission to the hospital from the ER (oh, the pain!). Turns out that my blood sugar was out of control at the time also. Since getting my blood sugar under control, I no longer have these "runaway" outbreaks which send me to the ER in pain (I'm talking softball-sized places). I'm no doctor, but since diabetes affects the body's ability to heal wounds, it makes sense to me that this condition would worsen with uncontrolled high blood sugar. Then right before I left Georgia, I saw a dermatologist who said she thought I had this condition called HIDRADENITIS SUPPURATIVE (hope I got the spelling right). Here's a link with some info: http://www.hidradenitissuppurativa.net/Disease.asp. This condition often goes underdiagnosed by medical professionals. It is not really treatable, except with courses of antibiotics and pain medication. In extreme cases, the only proven treatment has been removal of the affected areas by a plastic surgeon. I had been referred for a plastic surgery consult for this condition long before my WLS. The condition has not really improved since my WLS either, so I found a local dermatologist with some knowledge about it, and have been seeing her to have it documented. She is actually the one *****ferred me for the PS consult. The most humiliating experience in my life was standing in her office naked with the lights full on, as her assistant took photos of every bit of this on my body. I had to pose in the most unbecoming positions, while lifting and hoisting this and that to show underneath and oh good heavens. Not fun. In about six months, I'm going to start consulting with plastic surgeons to see about having this condition treated with plastic surgery, and (fingers crossed) I hope I will be able to deal with the removal of some of this excess skin at the same time and have it all covered by my insurance. When I first looked into this, I was told taht they would remove affected areas, and then graft on skin harvested from my thighs. Well! Wait till I show the PS all the bonus skin he will have to work with! I would encourage all with this condition to see a dermatologist and read up on this and see if you actually have Hidradenitis Suppurativa. Take care, Kathy