At one of my WW meetings a couple of months back I heard that you can "donate" baggy skin (after a large weight loss) to burn victims, and some places may do it for free.

No, I haven't heard of that, but I sure think it's a fabulous idea! Our skin is considered an "organ", so maybe it's classified right along with regular organ donation. I'd be all for it if I ever got rid of any excess skin!

Cheryl

I can't remember where I read about this, but the article said that's basically an urban legend. *sigh* It's a nice thought, though.

Yup it is an urban legend. It would be a nice thought because there are plenty of us around with baggy skin. I believe the article I read about it said that the baggy skin from someone who lost weight isn't ideal for a burn victim.

yup. I spoke to my Dr. about it. They get most of it from *gulp* deceased. They harvest skin when they harvest other organs

yep - urban legend, depending on the case - for burn victims who only have a small affected area, the docs take a small piece of the unburned skin, grow it in a lab and use it to patch up the burnt parts. Or, if it's a large area burnt, they may take it from the recently deceased like other organs - like above.

Also, check out the Skin FAQ in the maintainer's forum. It has all the answers you could possibly want.............