LBL - Expectations (way) Too High

I had my lower body lift over 6 weeks ago - 6/19.  At first my surgeon said I would have a fleur de lis because of the extra skin above my belly button.  As he's marking me on the morning of surgery he informs me that he won't be doing the vertical incision.  A few weeks post-op, I noticed that above my belly button was still loose.  From the side profile, I am flat.  From the front I look flat but you can tell the skin is loose as there is some skin creasing above my new belly button.  

I just saw him today and I asked him "WHY NO VERTICAL INCISION, look at this handful of flesh..."  He said, he didn't want to give me that major scar (even though I have a HUGE scar around the circumference of my body).  I told him frankly in our first meetings that I would LOVE a vertical scar if it meant getting rid of this excess skin (scar me up, I don't care! HOW METAL!)!  

So now he has these plans to do a revision and use the excess skin with part of my breast lift.  Great but I don't think insurance is gonna pay for that.  My pubic mound is larger than expected and he thinks that could be revised as well.  "You're a work in progress" he says.  "It's a dramatic improvement" he says.  

I guess I was just wishing for a little more normality.  Stupid being morbidly obese weighing over 300lbs and making my skin all stretched out and thin.    

He is a great surgeon no doubt as he's a teaching surgeon at a prestigious public ivy league school.  I think I was just expecting to come out looking like um.. that girl over there in a bikini who has always been thin.    

I just posted some pics of my tummy in my profile.  They are almost 6 1/2 weeks post-op.  The other ones are 3 day post-op (maybe?  I forgot)

At 6 weeks, I'd say give it more time because things are going to shift and change.  I'm not sure about the excess skin above the bellybutton, but my mons was about twice it's normal size for months - yes, MONTHS - after the LBL.  When all the swelling was truly gone, everything was right where it was suppose to be.

But I was also shocked that I didn't wake up with Jessica Alba's figure. 

First, let me say that you look great. Teeny tiny!

I had LBL on 6/6, so I'm 8.5 weeks post-op. Mostly, I'm thrilled with my results. I went into surgery as a size 8 and came out a size 4. I only had 5 pounds of skin removed and no lipo, but those were apparently 5 important pounds to lose! Having said that, I'm becoming more critical as time goes on. My mons is also larger than I expected too (it was lifted, so it's high, not saggy, thank goodness) and I'm hoping it's just still swollen. And my butt crack. Oh lor-dee. If it were any higher, it would be up to my bra strap. Again, I'm hoping I still have some swelling back there.

It's like I forgot how bad things were before the LBL. I keep thinking, with all the money I spent hitching up my britches and getting ironed out, so to speak, I ought to be PERFECT. But of course, perfect doesn't exist without PhotoShop. Damn good has to be good enough.

I thought my butt was too high and flat and that my belly button was way too high.  Everything dropped down to where it was supposed to be. Have faith!

You give me hope :-)

You want perfection when at best we can get major improvement.
Many on this Board write of PS revision policy up to the end of the first year as body shifts and swelling settle down.
Check with your PS about his revision/tweaking surgery and prices.
Scars are in place of excess skin however personal satisfaction with your body is a sense of body acceptance and expectation to look like the image we want to be.
Ibbecer lost all my excess weight and even after my panni (HMO considers it a TT) and my BL/BR, I still look fat but at least I don't look FAT as I once did.
We fix one area and then want our other body areas to look better too; maybe not financially realistic but emotionally normal.
BTW, I am not a therapist of any type, just one of many here on this Boatd.
Mikimi in Israel

I think you look GREAT, Jessica!   Maybe I can't detect the excess skin because you have your arms holding up your shirt or something.   I'm glad that people like you come on here and post your pics and results because it helps me to get a better understanding of what I can expect.  I'm a whole lot older than you so I don't think I can expect to even look this good post-plastics.  

By the way, I love how you have a nice little waist now where before you couldn't see that :-)  

 I am 7 weeks out today...............I had the vertical incision and still have some lose skin above my belly button.  Surgeon stated that it will improve slightly but not a lot.  In regards to the mons area, the surgeon stated that is always a hard area for weight loss pt.  I plan on having it lifted.  I think you have great results.  Since I hold all of my weight in the tummy............ I would die for your waist.  At 50, all I want to do is wear a one piece swim suit, then I remember that will never happen since I am a 4 on the bottom and 12-14 on top.  I know freak. 

P.S.  I took a look at your pre pic.............I think you got wonderful results.  WOW! 

You look great to me! I too thought I was getting the ancher cut. I had lost over 300 lbs and was shocked to wake up with the same cut you have/no ancher. My stomch was very hard after surgery and swelling didn't go down till 5 months after. I am so upset and now have skin that hangs and moves under my clothes. at 4r months he said oh no I should have done the ancher...but you saw how tight it was when you woke up right? I am very upset and the revision he says I will need (initally told would be done in office) is so major (he removed 15 lbs of skin and i nees 15 to 30 more I believe) that he said I will have to be inpatient all over again, repay hospital. Mad about it!