PLEASE RESPOND Plastic Surgery?

I am wondering how much plastic surgery I will have to have after losing all my weight.  Can people who have had it please tell me their experiences and help me decide what I need to do.  I would like to know which surgeries are best as well.  I am only 3 months out for RNY but want to start saving now.  Wonder how much it will cost to get whole body done?  Can you finance some of that?  I am assuming the insurance wont pay for any of it and even if they did I don't think they would pay for how I want it done.  I have heard to wait until two years out.  Is this what you guys did?  Or did anyone have it sooner then the two year mark? I would love to be able to wear a two piece or even shorts at this point.  Just want to make sure I know what I am getting into when it is all said and done.  Also I don't think you can have all the surgeries done at once or can you?  Can you take medical leave for these types of procedures?  Wondering how long I will have to be out for.  Would like to have it all done in one surgery but I don't think logically they would allow me to do that.

Please respond with as much as you can.  Really would like to hear from the ones that have had it to prepare.

Thanks so much!!

That is a lot of questions!

I would recommend checking out realself.com - that is a plastic surgery side with lots and lots of pictures and stories. It also has costs and reviews of surgeons.

The best thing to do, in my opinion is as follows:  When you have lost the weight you need to list the procedures in order of importance to you.  Many people would love to have everything from head to toe but that is so very expensive.  You can also save by combining procedures.  You can save money by going to Mexico as well - depending on your thoughts about medical tourism.

You can't save too much money, so start now. Tummy tucks, lower body lifts, breast lifts, arm lifts, thigh lifts, butt lifts all are options.

I was at goal by 14 months, I had my first surgery at 18 months and my second surgery at 2 years post op. 

Many places finance. The place I went does not. 

Just do your research!

Yeah it was a lot of questions..... One of those nights I am in deep thought.  Thanks for your post!!  I will check out that website and see.  I definitely know it will be expensive that is why I want to try to have a plan in place and like you said pick out what I want to do first and go from there.   May I ask what two procedures you had done?  Were you happy with the outcome

Sure, they are all in my signature. I have actually had 4.  Three the first time and I am 2 weeks post op butt lift today.

I had brachioplasty, abdominoplasty and breast lift on 8/28.

I am very happy so far!

You're not going to know what you need/want done until you've lost the weight and can see how your body responds.  So while it's good to plan, in the end you'll need to be a little bit patient with yourself.  :-)

I lost 116 pounds and was at goal at 10 months.  I had my plastics done at 20 months.  When I first did my consults, I was pretty sure I wanted a lower body lift, breast lift (with excess skin removed) and a brachioplasty.  All the docs I saw said I would regret doing my arms because what I'd gain wouldn't be worth the scar (while I have excess skin, I'm lucky in that I don't have the infamous batwings).  So in the end, I just did the LBL and breasts.  That was enough!

I went to a doc that doesn't submit to insurance, nor does he have a payment scheme his office manages.  He had information for an independent payment plan, but I didn't follow-up on that.  I paid a fair bit for the work I had done.  When you add up everything (doctor's fees, operating room fee, anesthesia), I spent right around $26,000.  To finance it, I took a loan against my 403b.  I went to the doctor I went to not only because I liked him, his work and his practice, but because he was willing to do what I needed done in one surgery.  The other doctors I consulted with wanted me to have two separate operations.  I live overseas, so when I factor in cost, I also need to factor in travel expenses.  I couldn't justify multiple trips.  Plus, I just wanted this thing done.  I'm very happy with the choice I made.

I had my surgery just before the Christmas holidays and was out of work a total of five weeks--one week prior to surgery and four afterwards.  To accomplish this, I took 10 sick days and 9 vacation days.  I was lucky because we're closed from December 23rd until January 2nd, so there were some days I got off automatically.

I know there are people who go back to work after only a couple of weeks.  I'm not sure how they manage that.  :-)  I needed all four of my weeks, and the first week I was back, I was wiped at the end of each day.  How much time you'll need will depend on you.

As someone whose surgery went really well, had a great doctor and excellent support, let me just say keep in mind there could be complications.  At about a week out, I had a section of my incision open, I developed an infection and I had an impaction that was the worst complication of all (you can read about all of this in other posts I've made).  None of this was my surgeon's fault; it was just the way things worked out.  You need to give yourself the safeguards to get through these kinds of situations without undue stress or strain.  I'd considered going to Mexico to get my work done, but decided against it because I was worried as to what would happen if I got home and had issues.  Given that I did, I'm glad I had my surgery closer to home (my sister's home anyway!).  That being said, there are plenty of people who are very happy with physicians such as Dr. Sauceda.  You'll need to decide your own comfort level.

Best of luck to you!  I'm thrilled with the results I've had.  I hope you will be too.

Email me at [email protected] and I will mail you a free copy of my book especially for weight loss patients considering plastic surgery.  You got some good answers here, and I agree that RealSelf has a good community of active patients who share.

See my post on "Goal Weight and Timing of Surgery" to learn about how I address that particular aspect of the journey.

I maintained my loss for a year and am 8 weeks out from a lower body lift whi*****luded a tummy tuck with muscle tightening, mons lift, breast lift with implants and brachioplasty.  My cost was $30,000.

We need photographs for proper evaluation after that we could answer you in more detail. So please send photographs as soon as possible at [email protected] 

Dr. Vivek Kumar is an internationally renowned cosmetic Surgeon, who has performed thousands of cosmetic procedures and his name is mentioned in LIMCA BOOK OF RECORDS 2008. He is regularly invited by top news channels and magazines for his expert views on cosmetic surgery.

SCULPT Aesthetic & Cosmetic Clinic

A-305, Defence Colony, New Delhi India

011-41553444

http://sculpclinic.com

I had plastic surgery last year. Prior to that I had lost 150 pounds. My bariatric surgeon recommended that I lose at least 80- 90 pounds before I considered plastic surgery. We were in the process of relocating so I delayed it even longer.

i had a lower body lift and circumferential muscle plication  ( tightening of the midriff and waist) was first procedure. My abdominal skin was hanging about midway down my thighs! They removed about 20+ pounds during that procedure. I had to wear a compression garment for several months to reduce the swelling form the surgery. 

After 3 months, I had liposuction of both thighs where ther removes about 18 pounds of fat . Again I needed to wear a compression garment for almost 3 months. I wore spanks, which looked like leggings with a long shirt , since I was still self conscious about my appearance. 

The last procedure was a vertical thigh lift to remove the excess skin which resulted from the lipo. Again in a compression garment, but not all the time. 

In in total I have lost 200 pounds. I am thrilled with my appearance, and often won't recognize my self in passing a mirror! I did this because I felt that if I was ever inclined to regain any of the weight I lost it would have no lace to go. Not really a very rational thought but it works for me. 

All of the expenses were out of pocket. You need to factor in the cost of the actual surgery, the associated hospital or surgical center fees and the anesthesia fees. AND MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL THE COST OF A NEW WARDROBE!!!!!!!!!

I went to the Caribbean on vacation in January and was able to wear a size 10 bathing suit. At my age a two piece is really not an option but a tankini was, Not a swim dress with a long skirt to cover up my legs! I was also able to wear light colored capris even white ones. 

All in all I am very pleased with the outcome. I hope I answered some of your questions. 

You look fantastic! You and your hubby are so darn cute together! Congratulations on such a successful journey.