Plastic Surgery and Black Folk............

Very true. That is one thing we don't talk about over here regularly. Hopefully I'll be able to afford some good tucks and what not next year. I def want my boobs done and a tummy tuck, but we'll see about the tummy tuck. I also want a fat transfer to my azz. So hopefully 2 rounds of plastics will get me there.

Let's get some good plastics talk going on the end of the year so I can prepare. I wanna see lots of pics!! lol

I'm late as a mugg on this one but better late than never! Plastic surgery was ALWAYS in my mind with this journey. It was never a question of if but when and what arms, boobs, tummy or all!  With 200lbs to lose, there was no way in HELL I wasn't going to need it.  At the very least I will have to have my stomach done.  However, I am thinking now I just may need body lift.  Right now, I am looking at three ways of paying for it and it may have to be a combination of all three but IM GOING TO GET IT DONE. 1) Insurance - I've already started going to my PCP complaining about my belly and the rashes 2) Outta pocket-shoot If I stopped going to the hair salon every week that's $260 a month at a MINIMUM.  There are lots of other luxuries I can cut out as well. And my last resort is 3) Financing. 

Come hell or high water, my plan is to have plastics by summer of 2010! 

You are so right - 200lbs coming off does NOT snap back!!!!  Working out will help  but ain't NO way in HELL you can get it tight AND right naturally.

I am finding it interesting that folk are thinking and planning on it more than I thought - we just need to TALK about it - so many little things about plastics get overlooked and folk end up learning the HARD way.......

Not only that we have sooo many more issues than our Caucasian counterparts.  A big issued for me is Keloids.  In trying to determine what to have done, I'm trying to weigh which one I can deal with the excess skin or the big keloids that are sure to form after being cut.  I'm ok with them on the tummy area but not so much on my arms. 

Scarring is SO serious!!!!  My surgeon last year jacked me SMOOTH up to the point that my insurance APPROVED my TT this year as a SCAR REVISION!!!!  And I don't keloid!!!  Arrrggghhh -  that was so damn frustrating!!!!

My surgeon this year is Black and my scars are coming along like BUTTER!!!  I am so amazed at the difference - it's such an important detail and I think a lot of folk just get excited to get stuff done, they overlook seriously important details.

Given my saga over the last year I am SERIOUSLY considering finding some way to advocate or work with post WLS patients who are in their plastics stage - i want to share my story and help anybody I possibly can so they can avoid the same craziness I went through! 

WOW You Pull Me out of Lurk Mode as well with that one. Very interesting. Great Post

DB

No problems here. Gettin lift with implants in T minus 23 days.....

morn'ting.

i think it still has a stigma b/c true to your point, it does seem indulgent like older generations were concerned with serious shyt right so for them this'd seem like "oooh, they spoiled".   the rest of the haters might just think it's unnecessary.  pancake tig bitties?  so what?  flat booty? oh well, like it's just not so big a deal to be risking your life to fix. especially if they can't relate.  2 of my closest girlfriends regularly make a game of spotting chicks with implants (they live in different cities).  it wasn't until recently that i asked each why they're so focused and it's cuz they both think of themselves as flat chested so when they see a woman it's what they hone in on.   now gurl until they said it, i swear to you their size never occurred to me, so i think part of the negativity or ignorance is that a large # of folks just can't relate.   i'm hoistin some floppy deez over my shoulder so i would not make the decision to go under to fix em, but then again i've never been self conscious about em.   i understand discouraging *unnecessary* surgery from a safety point of view but i dude i had my stomach chopped off so i also really get wanting to improve something nobody but you sees is a problem.  plastics are hard to bring up cuz they're ALL of:  vain/(unnecessary)/expensive/risky.   the exception would be excess skin b/c that causes a whole new health hazard.  the shunnation contiues. 

 Too each his/her own. I see nothing wrong with plastics if that's the thing that will make a person happy and more confident and/or comfortable. I don't rule it out for myself, however I do struggle internally with the amount of money that I will likely have to play out of pocket. I could use that money as a down payment on a second rental property. In this day and age of decreasing 401k plans, I'm concerned about positioning myself for financial stability for the future. Sagging skin, I can live with. This is my dilemma.

But, to more specifically respond to the question, I think that it's sometimes a topic of taboo in our community, much like WLS.  Lots of black folks would live with the health risks of obesity before considering WLS, so plastics is not a topic that would enter their minds. I don't know if it's an issue of education, or just having this opinion that we shouldn't alter anything, and if we do, we are trying to fit in with other cultures.

Another good question bringing me out of lurk mode today. 

I see nothing wrong with PS if it makes you feel better or fixes a problem.  What gets me is people not willing to get PS when it could improve their quality of life.  One of my cousins had one boob significantly bigger than the other one.  How do you buy a bra for one big boob and one little one?  The heck if I know and insurance allows for matching them up.  Fix them. 

I don't think I will be having PS after I finish losing weight because my skin is tightening up quite nicely with the weight coming off slowly.  I've debated over the years about getting a breast reduction but I think I'm going to just live with what I got.  Now if we are talking Botox.  I have been wanting to get a shot or two of that for the "11" crease that's between my eyebrows.  The only thing that has stopped me is the cost in the past.  The price has come down so much I think I might do it before the end of the year.