Dealing with Post Bariatric Loose Skin

One of the things that people worry about after they have had weight loss surgery is the excess skin that they will be left with. Unfortunately, there is very little that can really be done about that. When the skin stretches because of weight loss, it will lose some of its elasticity, just as an elastic band does. So while it will stretch back somewhere, there will always be some looseness to deal with. The heavier you were, the more excess skin you will be left with as well. At the same time, however, this should not stop you from having a gastric sleeve fitted. After all, loose skin is a small price to pay for saving your life.

Treatment Options After Surgery

Your age will be the greatest determining factor in how much loose skin you will have after surgery. The younger you are, the more elastic your skin will still be. The next important factor is how much weight you have lost. The more weight you lost, the more loose skin you will have. Luckily, there are numerous treatment options available to you, including:

1. Exercising, which is very important as it will tone your muscles and fill some of the excess skin back up.
2. Body contouring, which is a surgical procedure in which extra skin pockets will be removed and the rest of your skin will be tightened.

Body Contouring Procedures

Almost every obese or morbidly obese person who has weight loss surgery could do with body contouring. Not every can afford it, however, particularly because most insurance companies don’t cover it. The procedure, should you be able to afford it, addresses:

• Your buttocks, thighs, and abdomen. These are usually the areas of greatest concern, and they are also the areas most likely to be covered by insurance companies. This is because the folds of skin can be so large that sores start to form under them, as the skin runs together. A full body lift is usually recommended, which helps to remove all excess skin, as well as much of the cellulite. It leaves people with a significant scar around the waistline, although this can be hidden with clothing, including underwear and bikinis.
• Your breasts. Men and women alike have issues with their breasts after weight loss. The way to respond to this, however, varies between men and women. With men, the excess tissue is usually removed, effectively performing a breast reduction. With women, by contrast, the skin of the breasts will be filled with implants, effectively performing a breast augmentation. This is interesting, since men and women will present with very similar breasts after their surgical procedure.

The bottom line is that, if you have bariatric surgery, you will end up with loose skin. While this is annoying and often disappointing, you have to see them as battle scars: they are proof that you survived one of the greatest threats known to man. Whether or not you have plastic surgery to improve this visually, is entirely up to you.