Plastic Surgery

salsa1877 · 03-13-2008, 10:29 AM

So I will start the plastic surgery thread.

There was a comment/question about waiting a year after to get plastic surgery. My doc said that used to be his recommendation but he feels now after seeing both results that there is no difference. If you have a lot of skin it is not going to go away. If you have minimal amounts of skin, it might. He feels that sometimes it is better to have it sooner because people can get so discouraged with their extra skin that they start gaining weight. I am going to post my belly pictures so that you can see what I am dealing with. I look at myself in the mirror and think DAMN you look good. Then I take my clothes off and feel like a total failure. I know MESSED UP, but just wait until you see the pictures.

salsa1877 · 03-13-2008, 10:34 AM

Warning: Belly Flab Pictures. You may want to skip it!

pizzicato66 · 03-13-2008, 12:34 PM

Wow - good for you for posting so bravely!

Now you've got me wondering how much of mine is skin! I still have work to do though, if you see my legs you can tell there's fat hanging out yet that hasn't given up the battle. I guess I'll see where I'm at in another 20 lbs or so (once I'm in ONEderland!).

**losingjusme** · 03-13-2008, 12:54 PM

ok, im not an Aug 07 bandster, but wanted to chime in ...

as soon as you think you are ready, DO IT.... i am still far from goal (about 80 pounds now that i've lowered my goal) but not having this gut has already made my life easier ... i cant even imagine how great it is going to be once i start running again.

good luck!

salsa1877 · 03-13-2008, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by losingjusme

ok, im not an Aug 07 bandster, but wanted to chime in ...

as soon as you think you are ready, DO IT.... i am still far from goal (about 80 pounds now that i've lowered my goal) but not having this gut has already made my life easier ... i cant even imagine how great it is going to be once i start running again.

good luck!

I have been a lurker on your plastic surgery posts and you really did give me the inspiration to talk to my doctor about it. He was totally for it. In fact he very strongly suggested it. I have a consult with the surgeon that he recommended on April 4 and surgery tentatively scheduled for my birthday July 1. I can't do it any sooner because I am a teacher and can't take the time off of work. So the summer is perfect for me.

**losingjusme** · 03-13-2008, 01:03 PM

thats great ... make sure you post a new thread in the plastics thread too!!

best of luck to you! :)

TexasBecky · 03-13-2008, 05:20 PM

Thanks for starting the thread Salsa. I was going to do it today, but glad you beat me to it. Those of us who are getting ready to begin this phase of our journey can obsess about it (Frangi) all we want right here.

Regarding plastic surgery sooner rather than later, I think for many of us who have lost around 100 lbs. the skin is not going to be able to bounce back. This seems to be particularly true for those of us who have been obese for many years and have gone up and down the scale many times. My skin has permanently lost its elasticity so no amount of time is going to correct that. My first consult with the PS confirmed that for me. There seems to be no good reason to wait.

Salsa, I think its great that you already know who is going to do your surgery. In many ways having limited choices makes the process easier. The important thing is that you have confidence in your doctor and his work and it sounds like you do. You must be so excited to already have a date!

I live in an area with so many choices that it can quickly get very confusing and overwhelming. I've scheduled two more consults over the next couple of weeks. One is with the same doctor that Losingjusme used. (LJM, you are a star. Alot of us have been lurking around the PS thread and marveling at your success.)

Frangi, I too was shocked by the price tag quoted at my first consult. I've been thinking about it alot and I know that quote was for an "extreme makeover". It included everything that I could dream of having done and would require three separate surgeries (have you seen JulieNYC's thread?).

Part of this process for me is coming to terms with what I really want and expect. I am 50 years old and not looking to be a centerfold. I want to look fit and healthy and I want clothes to fit properly. I don't need to wear a bikini and I don't want to look like I'm trying too hard to chase after my youth. I want a highly skilled surgeon who can make me look a whole lot better than I do now, but at a reasonble price and with the least amount of surgery. Is that a reasonable expectation? What is everyone else thinking? Are you wanting/willing to do what near perfection would require?

Enough rambling for now.

Candle · 03-13-2008, 06:37 PM

Wow!! Good for you!! I'm still nervous about sharing my CLOTHED before & after pics - lol! I've been working up the nerve to post a pic of my thighs in the PS forum for opinions.

My stomach looks A LOT like yours. I went into this knowing I would NEED some work done. I also plan to get a breast lift. I'm still hanging strong at a 38DD so I'm hoping I won't need implants. My arms and thighs are still questionable.

My insurance should cover the panni removal part of the TT but I have a clause that if you've had WLS, you must to be at least 18 months out from surgery. That would put me at this time next year. I think I'm ok with that time frame. At my last follow up appointment with my band doc, they brought up PS with me. We talked a lot about it and she gave me a few referrals. I plan to start consultations this summer. Having insurance cover a small percentage of the surgery is attractive but I'm not hung up on it.

I really worry about re-gaining the weight. It would be especially disappointing if I've gone thru the physical and financial hardship of PS. Do you guys worry about it as much as I do? I’m worried about maintaining more than anything else.

Now that I'm getting closer to goal, I find myself thinking "what now?" My boyfriend even asked me this morning how much more weight I wanted to lose. I told him about 25-35lbs but I'm trying more for a goal size of 10-ish. With this HUGE stomach sticking around, it’s hard to even envision it, much less put a number on it.

**losingjusme** · 03-13-2008, 07:28 PM

TexasBecky
are you the one who called Dr P today and used me as a referral? someone did.. I dont get anything for it, but had a post op today (stitches ... fun) and they mentioned it.

dr P really is great!! loved the no drains and standing straiht up!!! he even told me I can take a BATH!! omg a bath!! kind of strict on limiting the exercise (had to beg to get on treadmill) but I will be using him for other procedures when I hit goal..

let me know what you think of him...

Frangipani · 03-13-2008, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by losingjusme

thats great ... make sure you post a new thread in the plastics thread too!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by losingjusme

best of luck to you! :)

LJM, thank you for giving us your feedback regarding plastic surgery and when to consider it. I too have been lurking around your thread and have found it to be incredibly inspiring!!! Thank you for sharing your journey with all of us -- you are informing and touching many more people than you even realize.

I am glad everything went so well for you and you look just fabulous

!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by TexasBecky

Thanks for starting the thread Salsa. I was going to do it today, but glad you beat me to it. Those of us who are getting ready to begin this phase of our journey can obsess about it (Frangi) all we want right here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TexasBecky

Regarding plastic surgery sooner rather than later, I think for many of us who have lost around 100 lbs. the skin is not going to be able to bounce back. This seems to be particularly true for those of us who have been obese for many years and have gone up and down the scale many times. My skin has permanently lost its elasticity so no amount of time is going to correct that. My first consult with the PS confirmed that for me. There seems to be no good reason to wait.

Salsa, I think its great that you already know who is going to do your surgery. In many ways having limited choices makes the process easier. The important thing is that you have confidence in your doctor and his work and it sounds like you do. You must be so excited to already have a date!

I live in an area with so many choices that it can quickly get very confusing and overwhelming. I've scheduled two more consults over the next couple of weeks. One is with the same doctor that Losingjusme used. (LJM, you are a star. Alot of us have been lurking around the PS thread and marveling at your success.)

Frangi, I too was shocked by the price tag quoted at my first consult. I've been thinking about it alot and I know that quote was for an "extreme makeover". It included everything that I could dream of having done and would require three separate surgeries (have you seen JulieNYC's thread?).

Part of this process for me is coming to terms with what I really want and expect. I am 50 years old and not looking to be a centerfold. I want to look fit and healthy and I want clothes to fit properly. I don't need to wear a bikini and I don't want to look like I'm trying too hard to chase after my youth. I want a highly skilled surgeon who can make me look a whole lot better than I do now, but at a reasonble price and with the least amount of surgery. Is that a reasonable expectation? What is everyone else thinking? Are you wanting/willing to do what near perfection would require?

Enough rambling for now.

Well, I'm going to ramble a bit here too now, although soon I am going to have to quit rambling around here, because I have been doing far too much of it in the past few days........

I truly had no idea that I might be ready for plastics -- it was actually my husband who pointed it out to me. After he mentioned this, I started to look at my body in it's current state and realized that most of what is left on the problem areas of body can probably only be surgically removed. Poking around on the threads and blogs of all the wonderful ladies who have so generously shared their journeys us confirmed this for me.

Becky, after seeing your price quotes and in preparation for my first consult, I too have been thinking about priorities. Thank you for getting me to think about and clarify this issue. Being a married lady, I am not looking for perfection either, and honestly, I don't think men notice even half the flaws that we perceive in our own bodies anyhow.

My most important priority is looking good in clothes. I love clothes, I love fashion, I love shopping and well.....you get the point

!

So here are my priorities:

1) TT and/or LBL: My Numero Uno priority. I carried most of my weight in my lower body, my normal blouse size (when I am at my proper weight) is a 4 my normal bottom size is an 8 or 10. I'm bottom heavy, I have always hated that, and I want things to be more in proportion.

2) Inner thighs would be nice BUT, I don't like the scarring. Definitely something to ponder more and to think about. However, in the meantime, upper thighs can always easily be covered.

3) Breasts would also be nice, but not overly important. I am one of these crazy people who prefers to have small breasts and I always liked my size B chest. I am hoping to get the breasts tweaked a bit at some point, but in the meantime, there are some wonderful bras out there that work magic, and that's good enough for me! Again, for me it's all about looking good in clothes -- not necessarily out.

4) Arms: Most likely not, even if the surgeon recommends it. Yes, I still do have some flab in my upper arms, but I believe most of that will go away and what doesn't, won't bother me.

So those are my priorities. We'll see where it goes from here.

Salsa, thanks for starting this thread and for sharing your photos. This is going to be a really helpful thread for us!!!

Candle, I want to comment on your post too, but I need to save it for tomorrow.

Goodnight Amigas!!!

Crazy Ates March Exercise Challenge
14/30 Exercise Sessions
(8 Cardio, 4 Core Strength & flexibility, 2 Weight training)

Banded 8/07/07 Dr. Miguel Zapata, Monterrey Mexico

salsa1877 · 03-13-2008, 08:11 PM

Everyone...including my doctor told me that I really need to start going into maintenance phase. I changed my ticker today to reflect that my goal weight prior to tummy tuck will be 160. I have increased my calories to 1500 (oh and by the way have lost 3.5 pounds since doing so) but I am not going to update my ticker until my official weigh in day on Saturday. My doc was so convinced that I could easily lose 15-20 pounds with surgery, which as of right now would put me at goal. I have a very muscular frame, even when I was really heavy and he doesn't want me sacrificing muscle tone just to get to 150, so after a lot of soul searching I have decided to listen to him.

My doc also said that he has found that patients that have plastic surgery are LESS likely to gain their weight back because they don't get discouraged and disappointed with the flab of hanging skin. As you can see from my pictures I look really fat when I am not clothed. So for me that is all I am focusing on. It was kind of a relief when he said that no matter what I did or how little I ate, that skin was not going away. This surgery is really going to be a financial burden for another couple of years but I figured I was worth it. I know I should really shop around for a surgeon but if I don't use the one that I got financing for I will have to go to Washington state (I live in Central Oregon) and the 6 hour drive to my lap band doc already takes a toll on me. Plus my lap band doc did recommend him and I would trust anything he said. Obviously if I get there and I don't like him or his work looks terrible I will cancel the surgery.

I would love to get the breasts done, but right now they still look okay in a bra. But these rolls are killing me so that is what I am getting done. My legs have always been my best asset so I am happy with them. The arms look bad but my doc thinks that I can fix those in the gym. In order to get the skin to shrink or reattach and not flop you have to build muscle...biceps and triceps I can build easily. I would have to build my ab muscles until I looked like Homer Simpson in order to reattach this belly skin. So that is a no for me!!!

KarenG. · 03-13-2008, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by salsa1877

So I will start the plastic surgery thread.

There was a comment/question about waiting a year after to get plastic surgery. My doc said that used to be his recommendation but he feels now after seeing both results that there is no difference. If you have a lot of skin it is not going to go away. If you have minimal amounts of skin, it might. He feels that sometimes it is better to have it sooner because people can get so discouraged with their extra skin that they start gaining weight. I am going to post my belly pictures so that you can see what I am dealing with. I look at myself in the mirror and think DAMN you look good. Then I take my clothes off and feel like a total failure. I know MESSED UP, but just wait until you see the pictures.

I have a consult on 3/31. MY skin is getting me down. I know I still look better than before but naked I look HORRIBLE. EVERYTHING is sliding down.

**losingjusme** · 03-13-2008, 08:37 PM

i am so incredibly excited to see so many of you going for plastics... it truly has been life changing for me (yes, already)... even though i am SWOLLEN to no end (waist is still at least 4-6 inches larger than before surgery), i fit in a size 16 jeans ... when was the last time that happened??? before high school..

little tip i know i've posted before but cannot stress enough - get those quads / thighs in shape ... do so many squats you think you're going to hurl... that was my saving grace getting up and down (specially the bathroom!!)

good luck, gals!!! :)

TexasBecky · 03-13-2008, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by losingjusme

TexasBecky
are you the one who called Dr P today and used me as a referral? someone did.. I dont get anything for it, but had a post op today (stitches ... fun) and they mentioned it.

dr P really is great!! loved the no drains and standing straiht up!!! he even told me I can take a BATH!! omg a bath!! kind of strict on limiting the exercise (had to beg to get on treadmill) but I will be using him for other procedures when I hit goal..

let me know what you think of him...

Yes Christine, it was me. I have been so impressed with your results that I found your docs name on Makemeheal and called them today. My consult is next Friday. I hope you don't mind that I mentioned you. They asked how I heard about them so I told them I'd been watching your progress online. I really liked them over the phone. I'll let you know what I think after my consult.

**losingjusme** · 03-13-2008, 08:57 PM

TXBecky,
not at all... i thought it was really cool! :)

Barbara (probably who answered) is great! she is the billing/admin guru... Kim is the nurse and she's the best! sooooo very patient with my million questions.

do you have the consult with Harlan (father) or Todd ?

Plastic Surgery

Warning Belly Flab Pictures