The health benefits of a gastric bypass to reduce/lose weight are without a doubt monumental. The sagging skin and body fat that appear in obese people after the surgery is problematic and debasing. Poor self image, adverse psychological effects and the real medical problems that can arise are real and not easily hidden. Pre surgical consults rarely address this issue. While most medical insurance policies cover the surgery (actually viewed as a cost savings in the long run by the insurer), the "cosmetic" restructuring afterwards is rarely covered. The surgery itself, even when covered by insurance, usually has high out of pocket costs (hefty deductibles and co-insurance) that will challenge most peoples budget. Then comes the realization that after mustering the courage to undergo the bariatric surgery and pay those out of pocket costs, the cosmetic procedure are not covered and/or affordable...what a shame. These people have been ridiculed and shunned most of their before surgery life for being grossly over weight (obese) only to find that they are now facing the same ridicule and embarrassment due to the after effects. My son (3 yrs post bariatric surgery) is a young man that through no fault of his own lost his job (and insurance) and is in desperate need of body resculpting to remove the excess skin and fat pockets. He lost the weight but not the skin and has no money for the procedure. As retired parents, we are not financially able to pay the $12,000+ for the abdomen restructure. However, we are concerned about his mental outlook (depression and withdrawal) so we are investigating the means of borrowing this money to pay for the procedure. It's too bad that the bariatric surgery and subsequent restructuring are not tied together as a medical package for insurance purposes. My heart breaks for those that are in similar circumstances.
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Posted to How to Get Rid of Sagging Skin After Gastric Bypass and Weight Loss? on 12 Aug 2012