Question:
What can I do about all this extra skin?

I am 13 months post-op and have lost 177 lbs. so far (thank you, thank you). I have a ton of excess skin, but I DREAD having expensive elective surgery to remedy this problem. Have any of you had your excess skin problem go away after time? I am 29 years old, so I'm still holding out hope that my skin will shrink up somewhat. Is that a pipe dream?    — Terissa R. (posted on April 16, 2002)

April 16, 2002
Most likely you will need to have the extra skin removed. I say this because as we age we tend to lose the elasticity in our skin therefore you may have some shrinkage but not enough get rid of our excess skin. I am sure you are execising to help tone what excess skin you have. But that is only going to go so far.
   — Sharon T.

April 16, 2002
Sorry to say so, but it's pretty much a pipe dream - definitely NOT the norm for people who have lost that much, and you will probably lose more. I was 32 when I had mine and told because of my "youth" I wouldn't have any problems. Wrong, and I started out at 355. If you can't accept it (I can't, and intend to fight!), approach it with your insurer as medically necessary. So far, I have had my denial of abdominoplasty overturned, and am working on the rest. There is tons of helpful info on my profile page. Good luck with whatever you decide.
   — [Deactivated Member]

April 16, 2002
While this may be elective surgery, it is not necessarily cosmetic. The extra skin can cause a number of problems. Make sure you go to your PCP to document any rashes, infections, back pain, difficulty walking, etc. Then your insurance is more likely to approve it and pay for it as being medically necessary.
   — garw