Is further surgery inevitable?

Hi, I posted on the main board, but didn't get but one response. I am wondering of any of you all have lost most of your weight and feel that you don't look so bad that you HAVE to get plastics done? I really worry about that. It looks totally painful! I realize that most have lots of saggy skin after such a quick loss, but do any of you know of a way that will prevent this? I was thinking of things like keeping yourself completely hydrated with water, exercising often and using some kind of great lotion on your skin to keep it's elasticity moving. I also read the post about the wonders of tofu..interesting! Any advice guys? I am 5'3 and 324# and 38 y.o. so I know my skin isn't exactly young anymore. Okay, I'll stop for now. Kelly

Kelly; I wish I had an answer, but I've been wondering the same thing. My tummy and boobs already sag and my arms are soooo flabby. Plastic surgery seems so painful, and I'm such a chicken! Patty

Kelly, My cousin had WLS and has lost a total of 110 lbs. There is no plastic surgery needed and 50 years old. Just sticking to the vitamins, exercise, and especially the water regimin helps a great deal. I also think the trick is to wait at least a year after getting to goal because your skin has natural elasticity and will take some time to retain it's natural shape. I have not heard anything you can do pre-op that will help reduce the amount of excess skin. Good luck! Becky

That's cool! I hope that I'm as resilient as your cousin. At least my skin is younger. I fully intend on doing all the right things to assure I live a very long, healthy life. I am not going through major surgery to die of malnutrition, etc. I read Gina from Headbattles.com advice and she is so right on target about so much, it's amazing. She has made spectacular changes and is very informative! I want to grow up to be like her! It IS scary to think about skin-removal surgery though. I really want to take lots of precautions to prevent it. Thanks for the input, guys, Kelly

Kelly, I believe it's partly genetic and partly age. I'm pretty old (53)compared to a lot of people on these boards and my face looked awful but my body's no ttoo bad. I'm getting 'the works' I started m 'first round' of reconstruction last month with debulking of the trunk areas w/ liposuction and a face, neck, and brow lift. For me, the facelift has given me much more discomfort than the lipo but they tell me most people feel the liposuction is more painful. Supposedly, the breast lifts and TT's are less painful than the brachioplasty and the inner-theighlifts are pretty bad because of where they're at. I'm feeling pretty good now so it only took about 4 weeks to feel good. Don't worrry hunny, I am ecstatic about how great I feel after having WLS. Hope this helps. ~best, barb