I've Lost 100 Pounds Since VSG Surgery and Am Maintaining 109 Pounds. Will my Skin Shrink Any More? (photo)

Hi Lost125pounds,Congratulations on your massive weight loss.  You should be very proud of yourself and your accomplishments. Since your weight is stable,  I believe you are a great candidate for a 360 lower bodylift. Based on your pictures, I believe you will have an excellent result from a 360 lower bodylift. Almost all my patients are willing to have the scar and get rid of the excess skin and fat.  Having a scar is a personal choice.  It's a trade-off.  Almost all my patients would rather have a scar in order to get rid of excess skin and fat rolls and be able to fit in normal clothing.  Good luck with your weight loss journey.  

There's no question that the timing of massive weight loss surgery is extremely important. When patients are close to their ideal body weight, the results from these procedures are better. This also decreases the potential for complications with these procedures. For these reasons, we prefer that patients be within 10% of their ideal body weight at the time of surgery.Based on your history and pictures, you have met all of these criteria and should be ready to proceed with surgery. In this particular case, you would be an excellent candidate for a lower body lift. This procedure would remove excess skin from your back and abdomen while simultaneously lifting your buttock in an upward direction. This procedure is associated with excellent clinical results and high levels of patient satisfaction.If you're considering lower body lift surgery, it's important to consult a board certified plastic surgeon with experience in this area. This surgeon should be able to formulate a treatment plan that addresses your anatomic deformity and achieves your aesthetic goals.

Some potential candidates for a Body Lift are patients who have experienced significant weight loss through procedures such as gastric banding or bypass surgery, stomach stapling, bariatric surgery, lap band surgery, or non surgical methods such as diet or exercise. It is crucial that these candidates maintain a stable weight for an extended period of time prior to surgery to minimize complications and to maximize results.

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Waiting approximately 12 to 18 months after weight loss has stabilized is best, and when one does not expect further weight loss, as a result of the previous surgical procedure. During this stabilization period, the skin will shrink as much as possible in preparation for the body contouring procedures.

You should be in good health and maintain a nutritional diet during the year following weight loss surgery. Do not smoke during the 6 weeks prior to surgery and try not to recover the habit following surgery as smoking will increase risk of complications and slow the healing process.

Finally, you should have reasonable expectations for the results of the body contouring procedures involve significant scarring.

Hello,

Congratulations on a job well done!  You look great, have very little excess body fat, and a lot of extra skin.  Your skin will not shrink to any significant extent, and  you'll look just about the same after waiting a year.  To get the middle part of your body to look good, roughly from the bottom of your breasts to your knees, you will need to remove skin all the way around your torso at the level of a belt.  This will leave a scar, but it can be carefully positioned so that it can hide in a two piece bathing suit.  

In my practice, I do not believe the benefits to a single surgery called a 'belt lipectomy' outweigh the risks, so I perform it in two stages.  This significantly lowers the complication rate, and allows me to maximize skin resection.

Certification by the ABPS and membership to the ASAPS are important criteria for your surgeon.  A great reputation as a body contouring surgeon is also important. Look at surgeon's pictures to see if you will be happy with the scarring.  All my massive weight loss patients much prefer their new contour with their scars compared to their previous bodies.

You should get a stellar result! Best of luck!

           I think that you will achieve a very nice result with surgery.  I do not think that your skin will shrink to any extent.  Find a plastic surgeon with ELITE credentials who performs hundreds of tummy tucks and body contouring procedures each year.  Then look at the plastic surgeon's website before and after photo galleries to get a sense of who can deliver the results.  Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

Congratulations on losing so much weight and being stable for awhile!  Your question is very reasonable.  After such weight loss, you can understand that you have a lot of loose skin.  Depending on your weight loss, people after bariatric surgery may need body lift, breast lift/augmentation, arm lift, thigh lift, and/or facelift.  Obviously you cannot get too many surgery at the same time as you have to think about the safe of surgery and recovery.  You should limit to about 8 hours of surgery. You should think about which area in your body bothers you the most.  For most people, they start with body lift as the result can give you a big difference.  Also, research on a board-certified plastic surgeon in your area who has specialized in body contouring procedure after weight loss.  Best wishes.

Congratulations on your weight loss success!   I think you will need to consider plastic surgery to remove your excess skin.  One common first procedure is a circumferential body lift. Most plastic surgeons refer to a body lift as a circumferential body lift = belt lipectomy.  This procedure is essentially 3 procedures in one: extended tummy tuck + waist/lateral thigh lift + buttock lift (with the option of buttock augmentation).   Please visit with a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery to learn more about your options.

Dr. Basu

Houston, TX

Dear Ventura,

Congratulations! It sounds like you've had a very successful weight loss procedure. Your skin will not appreciably shrink any more.  As long as your weight is stable, I would start making progress toward getting yout body lift procedures done.

Best Wishes,

Pablo Prichard, MD

You at most likely at your ideal level, but additional decrease of BMI would be helpful. as for the skin most likely it WILL NOT shrink any more. You would need a 3/4's circumferential incision. Good luck. 

Great job on the weight loss!  The general rule of thumb is to have a stable weight for 6 months.  Most patients do not complain about the scar because there is ecstatic that they can fit into the clothing they have always dreamed of and they are less embarrassed of their body in clothing.  Your skin will likely not shrink anymore.