How to prevent plastic surgery after RNY

Hello all! Just wondering what you did just before and after RNY to prevent sagging skin and prevent having to go through plastic surgery after a large amount of weight loss. Does Ontario pay for plastics?

Thanks!

I have always heard that slower weight loss helps with not having as much sagging skin.  It sounds good in theory but I'm not sure how it works in real life.

Really, there is not much you can do.  It is a matter of genetics and luck.  Many people who have even lost 100+ lb**** the jackpot in the sagging skin department and others who weren't as big to start with have a real problem with the skin.

I don't know about Ontario's skin removal policy.  I have Medicare and they paid for a pannectomy with no problem but that is it, at least for me.  The excess skin needs to be causing a medical problem like rashes in order to qualify.  If they do pay it is important to get everything documented when you go to the doctors.  Make sure you take pictures and get prescriptions if needed for any infections or other complications.

Good luck to you!

I went to the gym daily and used expensive skin tightening creams from day 1.  It worked for me, it might not work for you.  If I am unable to exercise, the muscles in my body rapidly go limp and my skin on arms and legs starts hanging.  Walking is very helpful for my legs.  Weight lifting and water aerobics with water weights get my arms built up again.  I started walking the day I came home from the hospital, but had to wait six weeks to do the gym and swimming pool.

I had heart surgery in March last year and it was several months before I could use weights again.  It was September before my arms and legs looked tight again.

The loose skin is still there, it is just filled up with smooth muscle and soft and wrinkle free from the creams.  In 2007, I was paying $50 to $100 for a tube of firming cream.  Now companies like Neutrogena and Olay make much less expensive firming creams.

Maybe I wasted every minutes at the gym and wasted every penny spent on products.  Maybe my skin would have bounced back smooth and my muscles stayed firm with no treatment at all.  I was 59 years old and determined to do everything I could to look and feel good after surgery.

I also used expensive hair shampoos and serums.  I still had hair loss for a long time after surgery.  I was more than two years out when I started the Nioxin system and had good results with that.  A few years later, I switched to WEN with tea tree oil and use only their shampoo, mousse, gel, and spray.  The difference for me was incredible.

No exercise or cream helped my stomach and I had a tummy tuck to tighten that up.

Hi! Ontario will pay for a tummy tuck or a breast lift if it is causing medical issues. I.e. skin rashes, infections, or back pain. Same as I don't know about options to stop the extra skin, since I just had the surgery myself! But I am excited to here about the options other than surgery. Let us know what's worked for you!

Ontario doesn't pay for tummy tuck (abdominoplasy). They will cover the panniculectomy if it is medically needed, but that is a different procedure with different results. I'm going through this process at the moment.

Ontario does not pay for a breast lift. They will pay for a breast reduction which may include a lift if medically needed. 

If you have found otherwise I'd be interested in what doctors you're talking to. 

Just my regular family doctor and the doctors at my clinic. I also had a family friend go through the whole kit and caboodle. Didn't pay a cent. ? Maybe she was super lucky? Dunno, but going into this I have never been told that plastic isn't covered at all. They've been careful to say it may not be, and if it is approved it is done because of medical need.

Did your family friend have the tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) fully covered?

I've never heard of that but if you have info that can save me the $9000 I'm forking over for the upgrade from OHIP covered panniculectomy to abdominoplasy , that would be amazing!

Katissa if you do have info on the ohip covered abdominoplasty please do share it (what doctor and hospital cover it). I know many people would appreciate it... including me!

Hey sorry for the long time replying! I haven't been online much. Spoke to her, and she told me it was a panniculectomy, but she has always just called it a tummy tuck. Sorry for the confusion.

There isn't a thing you can do. Genetics, age, and how long you were at your highest weight all play a part.

When we get bigger in size, our skin will simply stretch for a time to cover the new area. If you get smaller soon after, the skin will shrink, but you may or may not end up with stretch marks. I'm sure you know people with a lot of stretch marks, and some that didn't.

When you are large for a longer time, your skin not only stretches, but you grow new skin to cover your new area. It will also shrink some as you lose weight. But you can't ungrow skin. It's there, unless you have it surgically removed.