Will my stretched skin tighten on its own or will I need surgery, following weight loss? (photo)

Question

I am 19 years old, I am 5'10 and weigh 140 lbs. I have lost over 70 pounds over the course of 2 years, but I still have a fair amount off loose skin on my lower stomach. There are a bunch of little wrinkles on my lower stomach that kind of follow the path of my stretch marks. Will this tighten in time, or will have to pursue cosmetic solutions?

J. Timothy Katzen, MD, FACS · Answer

Congratulations on your weight-loss. Since you have lost your weight over two years, it is unlikely that your skin will tighten much more.  After a 70 pound weight loss, some patients would be very content with your abdomen.  However, some patients still see areas of loose skin. If the loose skin bothers you, I would seek a board certified plastic surgeon who specializes in massive weight loss patients. This board-certified plastic surgeon should also have significant experience in the 360 lower bodylift.The most important thing is that you have lost the weight. Now comes Part 2, namely what to do with the excess skin and fat. If the skin bothers you, I would seek reconstructive plastic surgery. If the skin doesn't bother you, then I would just continue dieting and exercising.

Kenneth Hughes, MD · Answer

I would not pursue surgery at this time, as I do not think you would see much benefit.Kenneth Hughes, MDLos Angeles, CA

J. Jason Wendel, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for your question.It doesn't appear that you have too much extra skin and undergoing a body lift would likely be too aggressive of a procedure for you. You are young which means that you have the capacity to develop collagen. Have you considered a nonsurgical skin tightening option, such as Exilis. It might work well for you. See the web reference.

To be sure, see two or more board
certified and experienced plastic surgeons in your area for a full and complete
evaluation.

I hope this helps.

To be sure, see two or more board
certified and experienced plastic surgeons in your area for a full and complete
evaluation.

I hope this helps.

Steven M. Camp, MD · Answer

Thanks for sharing photos.  You are very young and should have ability to have some skin retraction with weight loss.  Often a patient in their 30's or older has already started to lose elastic recoil in the skin, especially if they had a surgical weight loss procedure like gastric bypass, or lap band.It doesn't appear that you have too much extra skin and undergoing a body lift would likely be too aggressive of a procedure for you. A visit with board certified and experienced plastic surgeon in your area for a full and complete evaluation is recommended

James C. Grotting, MD, FACS · Answer

From the photos you submitted, it doesn’t appear that you
have too much excess skin.  You have some
pale stretch marks where you lost weight. Stretch marks are difficult to treat without
excision, and it does not appear that you have enough excess skin to
remove.  There may be other non-surgical
options available for skin tightening and pale stretch marks such as dermal
rolling or broad band light therapy that may help.  However, I would recommend that you consult
with a board certified plastic surgeon to explore all your options.

Benjamin Chu, MD, FACS · Answer

You have pretty elastic skin at 19 and your weight loss was 70 lbs. so the skin does not look bad.  You would have to weigh the risk of excising skin and sustaining a scar with a slight amount of laxity in the abdomen.   I would say you don't really need to have skin excised with the photos that you submitted.

Samir Shureih, MD · Answer

After massive weight loss there is some skin stretch even in a 19 years old. The pictures do not look bad. Recommend seeing a plastic surgeon for consultation and discuss all the options available to you.Samir Shureih MD. FACSsshureih@msn.com

Will my stretched skin tighten on its own or will I need surgery, following weight loss? (photo)

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