Question:
Does everyone who has had WLS have a problem with excess skin?

I worry about having excess skin. Is this a problem with everyone? Is there anyone who does not have skin "hanging"? And will insurance cover plastic surgery if I do end up with excess skin?    — Debra P. (posted on April 29, 2002)

April 29, 2002
I have lost 138 pounds and have some sagging skin under my arms and my legs. Pantyhose holds the legs together well! I was told by a plastic surgeon that insurance does not pick up, but I am considering callin my insurance just for verification. Also told that working out for the arms and walking more for the legs is good and I'm trying both!
   — dolphins94

April 29, 2002
I started out at a BMI of 43. I do have saggy skin on my tummy and breasts where I stretched out from pregnancy. For the most part, the skin on the rest of my body snapped back pretty well and I have been told that my arms look like I work out (I did for a while but not recently). I even wear sleeveless shirts to work every day! My thighs are a little saggy but not obviously so--I don't have a problem wearing shorts at all. I am also going to wear a "bikini" for the first time in my life this summer: surf shorts and a bikini top. I was 32 when I had surgery and am 33 now (1 year out in a couple weeks). My stomach below the waist is not anything I would want anyone but my husband and myself to see. The breasts are actually a little better clothed--even without a bra! Taking the excess weight off of them seems to have minimized the sag. Your starting BMI is like mine, so you may have the same problem I had. The tummy is gross, but doesn't hang enough to be a "medical" problem. To tell you the truth, it bothered me for about 3-4 months and now I am pretty used to it. I just buy clothes that are not too tight in the waist to minimize "dunlops" and still fit easily in a size 8. I figure that even with the sags and wrinkles, it still doesn't look as bad as all that fat. And nobody knows the difference when I have my clothes on. Best of luck to you. Remember--sag you can hide. Fat, well . . . we all know about that, right? =)
   — ctyst

April 29, 2002
I think that age and yo yo dieting plays a role in this. I have weighed anywhere from 160 - 340 since I was 16 years old. When I was 35, I went from 320 down to 200 and didn't have a bit of hanging skin. Now I am 42 and I have just gone from 340 to 206 and I look like a human jello woman! It is not because I lost quickly this time. I lost just as fast the last time. I exercize more this time. So, I would guess that skin is a bit like an elastic band. If you keep stretching it out, it will eventually lose it's elasticity.
   — Julie S.