Skin

Hi!  So I shared my thoughts of getting the bypass with a friend last night and she freaked out....ALWAYS go with your first instincts!!  Anyway - her biggest issue was that the weight is lost SO fast that skin becomes an issue - I am 5'6 and currently 280(ick that hurts) can anyone talk about it - I know plastics might be in my future - but I am curious

Deirdre

Skin is actually an issue anytime you lose large amounts of weight, no matter how fast or slow.  When we are overweight, we grow more skin to cover our big bodies.  Once you grow skin, you cannot ungrow it.  So no matter how slow you lose weight, there will be extra skin.

It's actually the same amount of skin you have now, only now you have lots of fat under it.  Lose the fat and you'll still have the skin.

I was told the rate at which you lose weight has nothing to do with sagging skin.  It is a combination of how much you lose and the elasticity of your skin, which is primarily an age related thing.  So even if you lost slowly, you would probably have extra skin.  Toned muscles underneath the skin can make it look better, but the skin is not going away on its own.  I'm almost 4 months and I can see sagging in my neck and my arms.  I've lost 70 lbs so far.  Hate the thought of plastics, but I hear the neck lift isn't so bad.  Not sure I can put myself thru surgery.  Time will tell.

 As the others have said, the rate of loss has absolutely NOTHING to do with how much excess skin you end up with.  The skin would either be an issue or not be an issue -- based on your weight, your age, your genetics, the condition of your skin, how long you have been overweight -- regardless of whether you lost the weight over the course of a year or over the course of 6 years.

Lora

How old are you?  Age helps somewhat.  I am 5'9" and thought I might not have the skin issue.  It was not meant to be.  I carried my weight in my hiney, hips and upper abdomen.  I am undergoing consults for plastic surgery now. 

What I did not expect to happen is the amount of laxity I have in my face.  I've lost 115 pounds and have lost 70 on numerous occasions.  My sagging cheeks are an issue.  They don't show in my photos too much due to the magic of digital cameras and tone adjustments, etc.  Also I am pretty strategic with how I apply makeup.  So...in answer to your question - skin is an issue, we were warned about in our pre-op classand  to be prepared.  Mine became an issue around 80 pounds lost.  The face laxity I completely did not expect.