Excess skin

Feel good when clothed, put up with it when not!  I never wear short sleeves, always cover my knees, accept I don't look good in things which cling.

but so much better size 10 with limited clothing styles to size 28!

How do you move now at 383 lbs? 

The skin you worry about is there already... Now is it fill with fat... Some of the skin will shrink... The rest - you can hide under clothes. Having panni removed in surgery should really make a differences.  As for the rest - if that would really bother you -start saving...a few dollars here and there... Plus after you lose the weight - maybe getting a second job and using that money just for plastic? You may have to wait a few years, but it can be done.  

BTW: I choose to have plastic and used my savings. But now I am working on replacing that.  One way to do is to find out what and how I can do it.  I see people who complain about not being able to afford this or that, yet they regularly have their nails and hair done, eat out rather often,  and waste money on other things. 

I am not saying that is you... But sometime helps to really look what a person can do. 

I'm 9 yrs post op DS and never had plastics.  My skin is loose and definitely not worthy of a bikini, but I can camoflague nicely with lycra undergarments.  My legs are attractive only with Bermuda shorts, but I can live with that, too.  This time of year, the shapers also double as longjohns, too.

Thank you so much everybody for putting things in perspective. You're all right. It's better to have loose skin than fat filled loose skin!

Becky

I worried about the excess skin too, which is funny to me now because I worried more about THAT than I did how hideous I looked at 5'3" and almost 250 lbs.  Really, who was I kidding?!?!

You will be able to hide the excess skin with careful dressing and the use of good shapewear underneath clothes that fit closer to the body.  The panni will be the worst part and you'll get that paid for.  And believe me, moving around is MUCH easier without the excess fat.  The excess skin isn't going to hold you back from the things you really want to do.  Can you say that now about being 383 lbs.??

Think of it this way:  would you rather be dead at 383 lbs. with some excess skin (but admittedly lots of excess fat) or living your life at a healthy weight with a little excess skin tucked away that nobody sees unless you're naked?   I know which one I chose 

I've lost 120 pounds so far and I definitely have loose skin.  I deal with it by, well, loving my body and being proud of my weight loss.  I wear sleeveless dresses when they're comfortable to wear, I wear tank tops at physical therapy, I wear shirts with short sleeves.. I love myself too much to hate my body now, especially when I'm working so hard to be better!  

Loose skin and hair loss seem to be people's top 2 concerns pre-op. Honestly, the overwhelming majority of us are happier post-op even with loose skin and would choose surgery again.

Good luck on your journey!!

The loose, drooping skin is a small price to pay for the vast improvement of my health, both mentally and physically.  Morbidly obese people will never become super models, no matter how much we might fantasize about it in our heads.  We can, however, feel better and lead longer and healthier lives by losing weight.  

Yes, there's a huge puddle o' skin clustering around my ass when I sit down naked.  I don't care.  I feel so much better that this a very acceptable trade off.

The Victoria's Secret ladies won't be out jobs now that I've lost weight. I look exactly what I am: a forty-something woman who spent years SMO then lost massive weight. I have excess skin. No big deal.

Even if you can only put aside five dollars a month, put it aside. If you decide not to pursue plastics, spend the money on something else. If you do, you'll have a little seed money. There are a lot of creative ways to finance things that don't involve knocking over a bank.

I have been blessed with good genes as far as my skin goes so I have no personal advice for you, but I can offer up what a woman in my support group does with her loose skin.  She's had the surgery and lots of sagging skin.  She wears body shape wear aka spanx.  Full body coverage and 3/4 length sleeves.  I wish you the best.