Poor lighting
And nice lingere that's (at the most) semi-sheer.

http://www.plasticsurgery.org/patien...al-Tourism.cfm

In another forum someone inquired into getting procedures done abroad because it can be cheaper. So, I thought that I might provide this informative link to those who are considering that option.

(And I thought it would make a good addition to our sticky here. ).

Im getting more and more worried about loosing weight because of this factor of I could look worse afterwards I know im not massivly over waight but having surgery freaks me out.

Cora, I don't know how old you are or how long you've been overweight, both of which play into how your skin will react. As you note, you're not as overweight as some and that will also be a positive factor. You're still better off healthwise to lose the weight though.

I would like to know about the pain management, and recovery time. I guess I would already have had surgeries, but I am a true chicken when it comes to pain. Also, I don't really trust doctors......I know it wouldn't be possible to have it done close to home....(This hospital kills about as many patients as it helps!!!!!!).

Pain and recovery time vary from person to person and also depend on the type of surgery.

I didn't think it was so painful, more uncomfortable than anything else since I had restricted movement in the areas which were operated on. I can say that at 2 weeks out from all of them I felt fine and couldn't believe that I had just had surgery a couple of weeks beforehand.

WOW! Great thread!

I saw the Discovery Health Channel show in June about removing excess skin and was freaked by it.

As I understand what the Dr.'s said in the program, a lot of the reason skin doesn't continue to shrink is because of lack of blood flow to the skin.

My plan to increase bloodflow to my skin as I lose weight is to regularly use salt and/or sugar scrubs. They exfoliate, moisturize and increase bloodflow to the skin. I have NO MEDICAL REASON THIS WILL WORK, I'm just following my gut.

After reading Meg's post I also think I'll get started on a program of vitamin C and bioflavonoids. It can't hurt!!

I have extra skin in the stomach area and probably need some sort of breast reconstruction. I was much more obsessed with this before I met my current partner. He loves my body as is, and actually thinks I should gain some weight (gotta love Latin men). I am totally scared to get any type of plastic surgery although I HATE the sight of my stomach, but also whether or not I will have children is a concern for me.

awesome thread, absolutly fantastic, answered a lot of my questions

i have spent the past three and a half hours reading all of the extra links and the FAQs as well. I can honestly say that this was one issue that had NOT crossed my mind.

I think what you have done, Meg, Mel and Chica, et al, is clarify a lot of the misinformation that surrounds this issue. I always thought my biggest problem was just losing the weight since that has been my biggest problem for so long.

I will admit that when I first read some of these threads I felt intimidated by the prospect of having a worse looking body than I started out with but I am also a person who does like to be informed when I am making a decision and this is a huge decision. Who knew??? I know that I didn't!

Thanks again. I am looking at my 401K in an entirely different light right now. Hmmmmmm, what will be the first.

I would like to have a boob lift even before I hit my goal weight. I thought that might be one of my "non-food" treats to myself when I hit around 185 lbs or so. I'll let you know if I end up doing that.

Again, thanks for all the hard work that went into this very informative thread.

Thanks Pamatga!
And much thanks to Meg and Mel for organizing and researching all this!!

Like you, loose skin had never crossed my mind as a possibility until it started happening. Then I tried to become knowledgeable on the topic so that I could make informed decisions.
I am truly very pleased when I can help inform people about such life changing big decisions. If my experience can serve another besides myself then that makes it even more worthwhile.

pamatga-

This is just my opinion, but I would reconsider getting your breast lift at 185, if your goal is 50 pounds less than that. That is a CONSIDERABLE amount of weight! Breast tissue is composed of a lot of fat, and there will be a change in your bra size during that 50 pound area.

I would hate to see you get them done and looking great, and then when you get down 30, 40, or 50 pounds, find that you need it done again.

Thanks to you all. This is very informative. Aphil do you have lose skin with all the exercise you do with your belly? I was thinking on signing up for some hulla dance class and belly dance class to see if my belly would tigh up. I have three kids, and i know i have some muscle under all the skin. I have though about surgery but the anesthesia and not waking up scares me. It makes me think too much about my kids. What if i don't wake up or something goes wrong.

EJAEL-

Yes, I still have some loose skin in my belly. Belly dancing, and the strength training and yoga that I also do, have given me a lot of muscle in my belly area, but it makes the muscle tighten up-not the skin over it.

However, the more muscle you have, the better the loose skin looks. Anyone who has lost a lot of weight and has loose skin, will look better if they have more muscle mass from exercise.

Why do you have to use a girdle after surgery? I have look around to find the why the use for the girdles and can't find any. I found info on corset which it was really good. if its use regularly and is well appropiate to your body it will help your reduce your waist size and shape your body. ? Hispanics new moms use girdle right after giving birth so the skin comes back to their normal size and is not all saggy. tha's what they said. So, i was thinking that probably; if i use girdle now that im lossing weight my skinwill shrink too. any advise?