Skin removal - healing issues?

I am having my first skin removal surgery (tummy tuck) next month. I have UCTD (Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease), and I am being treated with Plaquenil. I originally wanted the full body lift, but my surgeon is afraid of healing issues and flares. She wants me to do it in pieces. 

Have any of you had plastic surgery? Are you on any medications? Any healing issues? 

Thanks in advance!

~Dejah

My plastics are focused on my legs and thighs, since that became a medical issue.

I have been taking Plaquenil for about 14 years, and it hasn't caused any healing issues at all. Nevertheless, because of the amount of skin, my surgeon decided to do it in stages as well.

My skin has always been prone to hyperpigmentation, hypertrophic scarring and keloids, way before I was diagnosed with Lupus and Fibromyalgia.  My first diagnosis was also UCTD - which was called MCTD back when I was first diagnosed.

I also take Cymbalta for the fibro, as well as Lyrica, Flexeril, and Omeprazole for GERD (something the DS doesn't fix, unfortunately)

No healing issues because of the Plaquenil for me.  You may respond differently. 

Thanks for the information. I am nervous, but really excited too.

How have your leg and thigh surgeries been? That will be the third piece that I am looking at having done (inner thighs).

Prior to surgery, I had been told by people who'd had that type of surgery as well as the surgeon, that the thigh skin is the hardest to heal, especially the inner thigh.  The surgeries took from winter into spring to heal, and I had a six inch wound separation on one inner thigh that required home care nurses to come in and treat for about eight weeks.  That is the exception rather than the norm, though.  My best advice would be to make sure you have your protein stored up for healing, and if you smoke, stop.,  Nicotine constricts the tiny capillaries in the skin and interferes with healing.

It went well, but I did have a healing issue on about six inches on my left inner thigh.

You might want to discuss scar placement with your surgeon.  My surgeon put my incisions on the back of my thighs, so I wouldn't  have long scars on my inner thighs. and the surgery itself was a skin excision, not a thigh lift, so exercise and muscle building to contour my thighs has been the result.

I exercise anyway, so that isn't a big deal; I just focus a bit more on muscle-building for my thighs.  I'm expecting to have some liposuction to even out the back, but since that's cosmetic at this point (unless my surgeon feels it is medically necessary, and presents it to the insurance company that way), then it's going to be up to me to pay for it.  The skin excision was deemed medically necessary.

Just an update after my TT... I am 6 weeks post-op, and I did not have any issues with healing. I have noticed that I am dealing with more fatigue than usual since the surgery, but it is still manageable. I am thrilled with the results of my TT, and I am so happy I had it done. :)

I am scheduled to have my arms done in December. 

Great to hear!  I want my arms and boobs done, but since its cosmetic, and not medeical necessity like my thighs and legs were, It'll be on my dime, and I don't know if I'll have that kind of money before I'm 60.  Once I get out of my 50's, I will probably not even think about plastics.

I would really like to have at least some skin removal surgery done. My question is charcuterie did you have to meet to be considered medically necessary?