Why does gastric bypass patients look sickly?

I don't think or feel sickly.  I think it has a lot to do with how a person dresses themselves and how they take care of themselves. 

RNY causes rapid weight loss pretty much via semi starvation in the first few months.  While you're used to seeing a round, wrinkle-free body--- it soon gets deflated, saggy, loose and sometimes anemic and deficient.

Some people just get hit harder than others.  You'd never know some people ever had WLS - some you can tell.  (AKA Me, without makeup.  LOL)

quite honestly, i would much prefer "sickly" to the way i looked before (bloated).  i could barely even walk around the block or up the stairs.  and i was sweating and disgusting ALL the time.  not that i am the most fabulous looking individucal now... but i would prefer some dark circles and a little hanging skin to the way i looked before.

It seems to happen after rapid weight loss of any kind. I think it takes our bodies a bit of time to catch up to the new realities, and this shows.

Please explore ALL your possible WLS options. There are several.

I've got lots of malabsorption and look perfectly healthy, thankyouverymuch.
As for others, it could be for many reasons, but likely dehydration or malnutrition if they're not nourising themselves properly.

Then again, Heidi may have a point about just needing more makeup.

Although a lot of people who lose a lot of weight look very different because of the loose skin on their faces... but I don't think that qualifies as "sickly".

As the others have said... look at our pics.... do we look sickly?  I think not!  A little saggy/wrinkly, but definitely not sickly.

Lora