Plastic surgery Q&A
I see there are a lot of men considering plastic surgery so here are a few of my thoughts regarding my PS (gut tuck and pube tuck) which I had done last May/June.
1. It's tough finding a plastic surgeon which has done work on WLS patients especially men. My surgeon was an award winning boob specialist but literally no experience with WLS patients. Unfortunately for me, I was unable to find anyone in Denver who had experience so I rolled the dice.
2. Since she was so good with the boobs, I figured she was very quality focused and meticulous. This proved to be the case for the most part. Overall, she did a nice job but I'm still left with what I would call a B grade surgery. Not an A to be sure.
3. She was extremely (overly?) careful not to take too much skin. As a result, it took her 2 surgeries to get the bulk of the skin. PS is definately an ART, not a science. It's tough to figure how much skin needs to be cut off especially for those of us who had lots of excess skin. The good news is if she had taken too much skin, it would have literally pulled apart from the seams and died leaving a huge mess. On the other hand, not enough and you're left with excess skin which is my situation. Not bad mind you, but I would have preferred to have everything tighter. I believe her lack of experience didn't allow her to "dial in" how much she needed to cut.
4. My weight and muscular composition had stabilized for a year prior to PS. I'm glad I waited the nearly 2 years post-WLS. If I had continued to lose weight post-PS, I would have had much more excess skin. Better to wait than have PS done too early.
5. I had worked my abs big time prior to PS so I didn't have to have the ab muscles sewed together which is good (i.e. less cutting and sewing, the better).
6. I didn't have a full PS around my trunk which has left me with excess skin around the back. Think about whether to have a full PS (i.e. all the way around instead of just hip to hip).
7. Talk to your doc to see what happens if subsequent PS is required. Who's going to pay? My doc ponied up for the cost of the second surgery which was extremely cool on her part. Insurance covered the bulk of the first PS due to documented rashes and boils. My total out of pocket for both surgeries turned out to be $3K. Bottom line - if you have a lot of excess skin to be removed, it's extremely complex for any surgeon to get it right the first time so discuss the possibility and financial implications up front.
Hope this helps and that others who've had PS can add so you guys considering it can go into your PS with your eyes open.
Boner
1. It's tough finding a plastic surgeon which has done work on WLS patients especially men. My surgeon was an award winning boob specialist but literally no experience with WLS patients. Unfortunately for me, I was unable to find anyone in Denver who had experience so I rolled the dice.
2. Since she was so good with the boobs, I figured she was very quality focused and meticulous. This proved to be the case for the most part. Overall, she did a nice job but I'm still left with what I would call a B grade surgery. Not an A to be sure.
3. She was extremely (overly?) careful not to take too much skin. As a result, it took her 2 surgeries to get the bulk of the skin. PS is definately an ART, not a science. It's tough to figure how much skin needs to be cut off especially for those of us who had lots of excess skin. The good news is if she had taken too much skin, it would have literally pulled apart from the seams and died leaving a huge mess. On the other hand, not enough and you're left with excess skin which is my situation. Not bad mind you, but I would have preferred to have everything tighter. I believe her lack of experience didn't allow her to "dial in" how much she needed to cut.
4. My weight and muscular composition had stabilized for a year prior to PS. I'm glad I waited the nearly 2 years post-WLS. If I had continued to lose weight post-PS, I would have had much more excess skin. Better to wait than have PS done too early.
5. I had worked my abs big time prior to PS so I didn't have to have the ab muscles sewed together which is good (i.e. less cutting and sewing, the better).
6. I didn't have a full PS around my trunk which has left me with excess skin around the back. Think about whether to have a full PS (i.e. all the way around instead of just hip to hip).
7. Talk to your doc to see what happens if subsequent PS is required. Who's going to pay? My doc ponied up for the cost of the second surgery which was extremely cool on her part. Insurance covered the bulk of the first PS due to documented rashes and boils. My total out of pocket for both surgeries turned out to be $3K. Bottom line - if you have a lot of excess skin to be removed, it's extremely complex for any surgeon to get it right the first time so discuss the possibility and financial implications up front.
Hope this helps and that others who've had PS can add so you guys considering it can go into your PS with your eyes open.
Boner
Hey Boner,
Thanks for some helpful advice. I'm one of those considering PS and my surgeon had told me to look for a body contouring specialist, not a boob and face-lift guy. Your story seems to confirm that. Also appreciate the advice about waiting rather than rushing into it.
I'm glad your surgeon erred in the direction of taking too little--taking too much sounds awful.
I'm saving your post for future reference.
Doug
If we're treading on thin ice we might as well dance.--Jesse Winchester
(deactivated member)
on 2/6/08 3:55 am - Houston, TX
on 2/6/08 3:55 am - Houston, TX
Damn Boner......
you put in 4 paragraphs what it would have taken the chicks 6 days of journaling to do...
very compact and correct....
one quick addition....PS is not instant gratification...you will not see a good result for many weeks, or months...
I love the mens board
Russ
Thanks Russ. I'd also add that what initially began as a journey to rid myself of the rashes and boils did ultimately turn into a pseudo-vanity trip for me as "visions of six pack abs began dancing in my head."
Don't mean to dash anyone's hopes, but if that's your expectation, it ain't gonna happen. Do I look better now than I did before PS? Ya, if I'm standing naked in front of a mirror or, possibly, in my cycling togs. Pretty much the same though when I'm fully dressed. Believe it or not, my weight (215) and waist size (34) stayed the same after PS.
I think the best way to view the necessity of PS for a WLS patient is as the insurance companies do, medically necessary. Wow, I never thought I would ever agree with those bastages. 
Admittedly, it's nice to get rid of the floppy skin. Even better is not having to frickin' deal with the rashes and boils which came in droves during the hot summer days out on the bike. So....before you go through the cost/risks/pain/recovery of PS, seriously consider why you want it done.
Boner
Admittedly, it's nice to get rid of the floppy skin. Even better is not having to frickin' deal with the rashes and boils which came in droves during the hot summer days out on the bike. So....before you go through the cost/risks/pain/recovery of PS, seriously consider why you want it done.
Boner
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