Vanity and plastic surgery after weight loss

Thank you. I do believe a lot of this is really reconstructive rather than cosmetic. At least by my definition of what reconstructive is, which is not necessarily what insurance companies think reconstructive is. I spoke with a friend last night and she said that in the good old days insurance companies were more liberal with considering these procedures as reconstructive rather than cosmetic. As we know, that is not the case today. 

Therre re seems too be much more criticism of face work being a vanity driven surgery versus the body work (aside from breast augmentation). I am curious why you consider your turkey neck to be vanity versus returning your face to a sense of normalcy. 

Fair enough question- I am 59 yrs old- going to be 60 in June.  When I look at many women in my age group, women who have more or less held normal, healthy weights all their lives, I see the same "problem area"under the   chin at the front of the neck- turkey neck.  Now, if reconstructive surgery is a return to the norm, then this procedure for me is purely cosmetic- vanity.  ie. I wish to optimize my appearance-  look better-younger than my actual age.  Is there anything wrong with that (that it is cosmetic vs reconstructive?  Nope.  I seriously am thinking of having this proceedure.  I consider myself to be an attractive person, and the thought of ridding myself of the neck is a hopeful thing.)

Thank you for your additional perspective. I am really glad that I did my face, as well as my entire body. I think the line between cosmetic and reconstructive gets a little blurred for me in regard to some of the work I had done. 

I didn't consider getting my turkey neck fixed as purely cosmetic.  What I ended up with, still the waddle/fat under, is about the same as most 50/60 year old.  He was able to pull most of the stretched and wrinkled skin out.  That was reconstructive as with out the years of fat stretching it, that wouldn't have happened.  I do feel a little bad about the $$$.  I know there is other stuff I really SHOULD be doing with it.  My kitchen really needs a make over worse than me.

Some of my surgery was reconstructive. The line becomes blurred with some of my other surgeries. But in the end, it makes no difference to me if they were reconstructive or cosmetic. I am so very happy that I did this for myself. 

For me, I had been overweight/obese pretty much all my life.  Since about 3rd grade.   All during school, although I wasn't ugly, I wasn't exactly the girl that boys were interested in really.  I met my husband when I was 17 and he loves me for who I am, but in all honesty, I have always felt like if he had gotten a "better offer" he would have taken it back when we first started dating.  

After I had RNY, I achieved a lot physically.  I was pretty fit and strong from weight training.  I had the endurance to run 1/2 marathons.  But still I felt embarrassed by my body.  Truth be told, I  of course had enough excess skin to warrant surgery, but I was not as bad off as a lot of bariatric patients are.  I had always been fairly proportionate in my size and my skin wasn't that bad.  But still, when I saw it, I felt inadequate.  Like despite loosing 100lbs I STILL wasn't "normal" or "pretty".  

So last year I had a lower body lift.  And the only way to describe the outcome of that is this "Bariatric surgery saved my life, plastic surgery saved my soul".  Dramatic maybe, but here is why I say that.  Pretty much for 30 years of my life, I hated my body.  I always knew I was the fat person in the room, I never felt pretty, I had confidence in my brain but none in my body/looks.  Sure, I got hair styles and wore makeup.  But I never really put that much effort into dressing because really, fat woman get like 2% of the racks in a store and the many of the clothes are matronly.  When you can find a style that looks ok and doesn't make you look 70, you buy one in every color.  (I was never a Lane Bryant shopper, not sure why but just didn't)  All in all, when I looked in the mirror, the best I could hope for was "not bad".  That eats at a woman, in so many ways that I don't have enough space on the whole internet to fully capture it.  

 

But after my lower body lift, things changed.  Even though I still have other areas that needed to be addressed (thighs, which I just did 3 weeks ago, breasts & arms which I will do in the summer).  I CHANGED.  I could fit into clothes that were cute and attractive for the first time in my life.  With that, I started to shift my thinking when I looked in the mirror from "not bad" to "hey that looks good".  (HOLY CRAP!)  I started to feel pretty.  I got my hair straightened, started getting my nails done and bought lots of clothes.  (in my defense, I needed a whole new wardrobe after my LBL since nothing really fit anymore)  Now when I get "dressed up" to go somewhere I look in the mirror and think "kinda pretty" (baby steps ladies, baby steps).  My wardrobe now consists of dresses that I wear just because, and cute tops, some of them even form fitting.  I have some tight jeans (NYDJ jeans are sent from heaven!) that my butt looks good in.  I have a confidence in my body that I have never, ever, EVER had. 

I haven't had anyone say to me that I am being vain doing this.  I do occasionally feel a little guilty about the amount of money I am (and will) spend, but I shake that off pretty quick because for me, I am not doing this for vanity.  I am doing it for sanity. And if someone has a problem with that, they can bend down, pucker up and kiss my much-perkier-cute-for-the-first-time-in-my-life butt!  

Your sig icon-nanananana
Can we rewrite what you just wrote into a poem or WLS plastics anthem?
Vanity is not sanity and if someone else think our plastics are vanity they do not understand the value of inner sanity!
Reconstructive surgery to a body of more normality I think is the official wording under California HMO appeals.
We each deserve the best that we can get; the best we can be.
Mikimi

Love this! 

And love that you are living life fully and loving your new body. Thank you for putting into words what I have struggled to convey for months now: "Bariatric surgery gave me back my health. Plastic surgery gave me back my soul."

i also love this pearl: I am not doing this for vanity. I am doing it for sanity. And if someone has a problem with that, they can bend down, pucker up and kiss my much-perkier-cute-for-the-first-time-in-my-life butt! 

I had plastic surgery because I came to the painful realization that life is short and I wanted to spend the rest of my years here on earth very happy (hopefully many more decades of health and happiness). It took a tragedy in my life to wake me up to that. So I made several very significant changes in my life and plastic surgery was one of them. 

And although I was a thin and pretty teenager, that did not happen until I turned 16. Before that I had been obese from about the second grade on. I became MO somewhere in my twenties. I did not feel pretty any more after that, not until recently having gone through PS. It feels good to look into the mirror and like that reflection looking back at me now. 

The only regret I felt was that I allowed my body to get fat and NEED surgery....but I never caught any flack from anyone I know, and my dear husband didn't bat an eye the day he had to write the check at the PS office.....hmmm.....down payment on a beach condo, or new tummy, ass and boobs for my wife????  Luckily, we chose the bod work.  I did not have really bad skin issues, and am very toned from working out a lot.  BUT I did have hygiene issues from the profuse sweating under my belly skin....and I just didn't want to keep having my own private applause section every time I went running. I do not regret spending it, and yes, I am proudly vain!!