excess skin

Start saving for skin removal and document any issues (rashes, infections, skin breakdown, etc.) photos, Dr/dermatologist appt's, Rx's prescriptions to build your case. Insurance may cover skin removal and then you can self pay for the bells & whistles or other procedures you want at the same time (so surgeon fees, anesthesia, hospital fees, etc. would be already covered)

I would do it all again. Loose skin is nothing compared to over 100 lbs of extra weight. Totally worth it. I can can hide my extra stomach skin. I am however getting my arms done.

So you haven't had WLS yet, but you're worried about excess skin and plastics? Clearly you're putting the cart before the horse (you even admitted that you backed out of WLS once before).

Please take a step back and prepare yourself for WLS. Once you reach your goal (and are at your goal for at least a year), then you can start thinking about plastics.

I had no infections, yet my insurance covered my tummy tuck. Every insurance is different.

Focus on the WLS, not the plastics.

Ditto what the others have said about focusing on the WLS right now, and deal with any skin issues later.

Everyone has a different amount of loose skin, and from what I've read it tends to be based on a bunch of factors including age, skin elasticity, and how much is lost.

Overall health improves for most everyone who is successful with WLS, so even if you have a lot of loose skin your body may become better at healing itself or even more resistant to skin issues.

So far, at 102# lost, my loose skin can easily be camoflauged and controlled with lightweight shape garments. Even my little bat wings can be easily dealt with using stretch lace sleeves under my clothes, if they're really bothering me in an outfit.

But even if I had huge amounts of loose skin, I'd say the surgery was worth it because of the improvement in my other health issues.

And if my skin gets to where it's bothering me too much, I'll save up for plastics. Considering how much I'm already saving on prescriptions I don't take anymore or will shortly be weaned off of, I think I could save up just from the savings with my medical costs.

I've lost about 160lb so far. My insurance has a total exclusion on plastic surgery since they suck.

I'm one of the "lucky" ones. I've had no physical or mental issues due to my excess skin but it does prevent me from doing the things I want to do - one of the reasons I had WLS in the first place! Do I NEED reconstructive plastic surgery to fix the damage the disease of obesity has done to my body? No. I could wear knee to elbow compresssion gear all the time and be fine. But that's not the life I want for myself and, thankfully, my family has the means to pay for plastic surgery. Sure - it means we won't get to renovate the bathrooms or kitchen anytime soon but, as a friend here said, there will always be bathrooms and kitchens to renovate.

Start saving now. Figure out your plan. Prioritize the areas of your body that bother you the most. And when the time comes, decide if plastics is the road that's right for you. :)

(I never thought it would be because even though I knew I'd have excess skin, I didn't think it would be a nuisance. And, for some people, it's not.)

Oh. And even with the excess skin? Life is 100% better now than +160 pounds. I'll take loose excess skin over skin filled with fat every day of the week.

I'm even more glad to hear lots more feedback saying the weight loss is well worth the excess skin. Have you ever seen the show, Skin Tight? All the people on there say they would rather be fat again than live with the excess skin they have. It put worry in my head..

I watched a few episodes of the show and had to stop since it was way too edited for drama. And the plastic surgeons weren't even ones with lots of experience with patients who had undergone massive weight loss! (Our skin is different after massive weight loss. It's in our best interest to go to plastic surgeons who specialize in people like us.)

The vibe I got from the episodes I did watch is that the people needed therapy more than surgery. They all seemed to believe that losing weight was going to leave them with a perfect body and perfect life. Shocking truth - it doesn't. You're still you, life still happens, your emotional flaws and foibles still exist unless you've spent time working on them as well as losing weight.

The people on that show are hand picked for their drama potential because that's what brings the viewers. They are not the typical weight loss patient by any stretch of the imagination. Thank goodness! I've yet to see anyone on OH say, "yeah, I'd rather be SMO again than have this excess skin." Which isn't to say people like that don't exist here, I just haven't seen them. :)