Question:
how can you keep skin from sagging after surgery?

I am going for my first consult very soon but I had a friend who had the surgery and lost weight so quickly that her thighs and breast sagged terribly, is there anything I can do to minimize this from happening to me?    — Katherine K. (posted on October 15, 2003)

October 15, 2003
Hi, I had surgery 8 mths ago and the only thing I can tell ya is too try and lift weights to tone up the muscle, but it also depends on your own body and your age and how it reacts to the weight loss cuz sometimes no matter what ppl try to do they just have the saggy loose skin and end up needing plastic surgery if neccessary or just living with it. I was also told that someone who has alot of weight to lose like 300# compared to someone who has only 100# to lose they usually end up with more of the loose skin, but it also depends, like I said on your age3 and your own body! Cuz, I needed to lose about 150-170 in the beginning and I have loose skin already in my arm area, it sags pretty bad, so I might have to end up getting ps on that part if they'll let me, cuz usually you have to have like a rash or something there before the ins co will pay for it. bUt, if have to end up living with it then that is okay too I am just very happy with the results so far on my weight loss! As for the other parts of my body, that is not too bad and hopefully alttle toning will fix that! So, I hope this helped out this your question and good luck to you!
   — Melodee S.

October 15, 2003
sped is not always a factor in how much onwe sags, it is how big and stretched out theskin is to begin with. exercise will tighten up the muscle underneath the skin, but nothing will tighen the skin itself. all the best luck to you
   — janetc00

October 15, 2003
Unfortunately if the skin is blown out there is nothing you can do about toning it up. You can lift weights to fill things out a bit and improve the overall appearance but the skin will remain. I just had my plastic surgery consult and he told me that the skin will not go away no matter what. I am not a particularly fast loser nor was I that big to start. I have lost 115 in 9 months starting at 277 (now 162 and a size 10) and always kept my protein up in the 80-100 grams per day range and while everyone says that I look great, the view without clothes is scary. I have also had 2 kids and I am 37. I think that age is another huge factor in skin elasticity.
   — Carol S.

October 15, 2003
I was a slow loser, I worked out with weights, I drank my water, took my vitamins, and NOTHING helped that sack of hanging skin (panni) that hung below my pubic bone, or my breasts that hung to my waist. The weight lifting helped my arms though (fills out the skin), but the rest had to be done w/ PS. You just don't know until you get there. Genetics, age, and how long you've been MO are contributing factors, none of which you can change.
   — mom2jtx3

October 16, 2003
We had our support group mtg. on Tuesday and they had a plastic surgeon as a guest speaker. The answer to your question is nothing can be done about the lose skin (or to prevent it.) You can excercise to tone your muscles, but once the skin is stretched, it is damaged. It's thinner and has much less elasticity. Stretch marks = damaged skin according to the surgeon. Why some people lose so much weight and do not have loose skin is how they carry their weight...we can't compare ourself to someone else because someone else may carry their weight more evenly, which means they're not as stretched out in their stomach (for example) as we are. Hope this makes sense.
   — Lynette H.