the skin thing...

Thanks, Susan, I'll keep on working out! Lisa

Hi Guys many years ago a herbalist recommended mixing a few drops of yarrow oil with a carrier oil and massaging it into the skin after bathing. it cost about $28 for a tablespoon amount. i have not been able to find any of the yarrow oil lately, though.

Hi, Lisa... I have tried a few products to lessen the appearance of loose skin. The best so far has been the torso to thigh Spanx, which is about $68.00. It has 4 small straps that attach to your bra. This Spanx gives extra contol and is very comfortable, once you position all of the extra skin. LOL Actually... try to position the skin to look your best... it moves more than you may think and you can get a nice flat look with most shapers. A knock-off, which is licensed by Spanx, is sold at Target under the name Assests. I found that the leg stitching releases and needs to be mended, but the look is pretty good for about $17.00. I wear panty girdles that have a slightly higher top (just eye-ball one pair against another... no special brand) to conceal the "muffin top" effect. The body shapers are great, but some skirts may ride-up and the panty girdle is the way to go then. As for breasts, I wear a larger size that has broad side panels so that the extra skin remains hidden. The smaller size bras have narrower panels and cause skin overflow problems for me. I wear Wal-Marts Enhancements bra inserts, which cost about $17.00 to fill the hollow cup area. The Enhancements do NOT have adhesive, which is important to many WLS patients, as they sometimes notice a sensitivity to adhesives / bandaids... I usually wear the Enhancements as intended and they stay in place very well. I have worn them in a "push-up" manner by placing the nipple side toward my body, under my breast with the heavier part going upward. My breast sits nicely on the insert, but I do this when wearing a looser top, as they could "show" in a tight blouse...worn this way, which is not the way they were intended to be worn. LOL To be honest, I have lost so much of my breast texture that I have purchased an addtional insert from Victoria's Secret, which does have adhesive. I lined the pair of "cutlets" with Press 'n' Seal and trimmed the edges. I place a tissue in the middle (noise control for the Press 'n' Seal) and fold in half before placing them (open edges up / fold slightly under the Enhancements) in the top part of my bra. I still have space in my bra, but I do look more shapely. The VS inserts are expensive for what you get, in my opinion, especially since they have adhesive and are rather thin. Used as a filler, they help, but last week some of the Press 'n' Seal or the VS adhesive touched my skin. I did end up with what looked like an open scratch, which needed to heal... that's when I tried the "push-up" / up-side down Enhancements for the first time. I wear mostly 3/4 sleeves for the bat wings. I have found that Skorts fit better than shorts after WLS, as I have had a body melt-down. TJMaxx sells a brand of jeans called Kikit Jeans that have fit my body through many stages / sizes. Since WLS, I've had a number of break-outs, which left brown marks on my face. I checked out a few products, which were over-priced. If you are trying to lighten scarred areas, you might want to purchase Porcelana, night fade cream at Wal-mart for about $5. It has the same active ingredient as the pricey versions. I use a lipstick brush to dab only the brown spots to get the best results. Other than that I just eat as many colorful foods as I can! BTW, I am 5'1.5" and 51 years-old... I have no pics in my profile...actually no profile, or friend list... but I do PM ... and DELETE afterwards... LOL! DH and I are remarried; he has 3 sons and I have 1; the oldest is 29 and the youngest, my son, is 23. I wanted to share the "skin" info, as I know that it may help someone. Best to all! Ro HW: 332+ SW: 274 CW: 145