my appointment with the bariatric clinic is set for wednesday and i am seeing the surgeon on friday. the reality of what i am consdiering is starting to dawn on me.

i wondered if i could pick the brain of those that have gone the surgery route before me.

i hope this isnt a rude question but i wanted to ask about excess skin following weight loss surgery. is it as big a problem as it is made out, does it make a difference if you do alot of exercise following the surgery? just wondering. thanks!

C.

Hey Carolyn! I hope that your weight stats are in kg, otherwise I don't know what to make of you.....

Anyway, this is our Body Image and Issues After Weight Loss forum that can answer probably all of your questions. http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=219

Bariatric sugery losers are affected by the same skin issues as traditional losers (like me), the only difference might be the speed of weight loss, but then again, we have some speedy chicks on this site!! But, it isn't a race anyway, more like a lifelong marathon.......... ok, now I'm rambling......

Hi Carolyn. I had the very same questions you did. One thing I knew before having to deal with skin issues is that skin response is more genetic than dependant upon environment. For example, if your mother didn't have stretch marks as a result of pregnancy or weight changes, chances are, neither will you. Comparatively, if your family trait is towards fine, sensitive and delicate, you will probably not see your skin snap-back (elasticity) as much as someone else after losing a significant amount of weight or losing it from a problem area disproportionately from the rest of your body. How big of a problem, again, depends on genetic tendencies AND how much weight you actually lose. remember, nutrition can influence it's recovery also. If you find you're not healing from a small cut as well as you should, you might not be getting enough of the right nutrients, most typically protien. Personally, it wasn't a huge problem for me with exercise until I reached about a 110 lb loss. I had always had issues with rashes in the panniculum once I gained alot, but after losing more air circulation to that area, it got much worse. My skin was becoming resistant to all medications for fungal infections and it had become so thin that I was prone to bacterial infection. A few times at the gym, I had to stop working out and run into the locker room because I would feel an incredibly intense burning anywhere in the front at hip/pelvic level. My skin had started tearing in small spots where severe stretch marks never recovered. From that point on, I had to be diligent because I had cellulitis pop up a few times. I was so stressed out, lol. When I had my 2 year follow up with my surgeon, he put in a referral to plastics, even though I was still losing weight. It was a health issue at that point. I had gotten used to it being there, so I never thought I looked bad. I was more worried about developing a bad body image after I had the excess skin removed, lol. But, it turned out so well! The surgeon removed 5.5 lbs of excess skin and it changed my center of gravity enough to eliminated alot of my backpain. Once I recovered from that and then arthroscopic hip surgery to remove cartilege, I lost another 50 lbs and then some. That last 50 was the fastest, I think because I wasn't physically encumbered, but more because I didn't feel so self-conscious at the gym and I was more relaxed to be there. As far as exercising to make a difference, the only time that works is if you can fill the empty skin with enough muscle to make a difference, lol. Alot of women, including myself, will atest to this, lol. But I also didn't have too much excess weight in my arms. So, each person is particular to their skin type. I hope I answered your questions. Good luck!!!

Shrinkingchika! my stats are indeed in kilos! sorry i forget that not everyone has gone decimal! thanks for the link too.

original_Serendiity, thanks so much. you did indeed answer my questions. Thanks!