Having successfully lost a lot of weight since my surgery, I'm dealing with what most of us deal with...loose skin!!  I seriously feel like I'm wearing a heavy suit of baggy skin that I can't get away from!  And I don't see any "plastic recovery" in my near future.  (due to other personal issues)


So my question is this...how does one cope?  Is there really a way to look at ourselves in the mirror and not cringe or think of sick ways to "do it yourself"??  

I have such a bittersweet attitude about my new body.  Sure it's super neato that I can feel my bones and muscles and see veins and all that cool stuff...but this baggy suit of ick...I feel like a giant shape shifter cuz I can mold myself into just about any shape! LOL!

If anyone has any words of wisdom or a smartass joke or anything to help...it'll definitely be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks in advance!

Well, in a combo of smart ass and truth...It is best to look at yourself in the mirror clothed.  Naked is super scary.
When I started this process, I said to myself, "I will lose the weight!  I will never wear another compression garment again!."  Ummm, I am rethinking that and contemplating that a little Spanx will go a long way.
I empathize in a huge way--The excess skin on me, especially on my thighs, back and arms (I can tolerate my belly because there is hope insurance will cover removal!) is very disturbing and makes me feel FAT when I no longer am.  Summer is tough because we wear less and shorts and sleeveless tops can be harsh.  My daughter squeezed my upper arm yesterday and told me, "No offense, Mom, but your arm feels like a pile of bread dough."  REALLY??!!
Seriously, though, since my insurance won't cover plastics, and it will cover counseling, I may need to go that route to feel good in my new body.

I feel your pain with this issue.  I'm not yet at goal, and I already feel self conscious of my butt and thighs.  I really don't want to wear long pants for the rest of my life. 

Some have said that weight seems to redistribute after a while, but I can't see that it would redistribute enough to take away my wrinkley thigh skin.  I just keep telling myself that it may not be beautiful, but I still look better than I did 70 lbs ago.

Also I was at the beach yesterday, and I noticed lots of women had ugly thighs, and they probably weren't WLS people.  I think we often compare ourselves to magazine or TV images.  Go to a beach somewhere, and you'll see that real women have real problems.

My insurance company, as well as many others, offer a "panni" (removal of loose skin) for multiple reasons.  Large breasts that cause issues, rashes or skin infections from the lose skin, skin that impedes exercise or mobility, etc.  Documentation from your doctor is needed, usually involving photos, possibly fungal infection scripts, etc.  This is simply a skin removal surgery, not plastic surgery, where it is costmetically made to look very good.  The scars from this surgery do bother some people, and these same people end up with plastic surgery in the future.  Self image is an issue with many post ops, even without the excess lose skin.  Supportive garments may offer some self image relief to you, called compression garments under several different brands, sold through stores, shopping TV outlets or online. DAVE

I will not be able to have plastics either.

I agree that it is a bittersweet attitiude.  I am so happy that the weight is gone, that I am healthy and I do look better (at least with clothes on!!).   On the other hand, my stomach is a mess....my arms sag like old lady arms and my legs are gross.  I think the thing I am having the hardest time with is my face. When I was heavy, I was always mistaken for someone MUCH younger...I was told I looked like I was in my 30's and people often toughts that my daughter and I were sisters....now I look very much llike the nearly 50 year old woman I am.

My daughter came for a visit last week and I had on a cute sundress...she looks at me and says "WOW...you look all deflated and vein-y"....THANKS VERY MUCH DEAR DAUGHTER!!!!

I guess that is the trade off....I am getting to a point of acceptance, becuase there really is nothing else we can do.

I know how you feel.  I have the same problem.  My stomach hangs really low and I can make different shapes out of it.  My 1 year old nephew came to visit me one day and he start playing with my stomach making waves with it and saying whoppee! (lol)  My arms hang really bad too.  I hate it is summer because I have to wear short sleeves.  My arms look like bat wings and I always say if a strong wind blows I can probably take flight with these things.  It is bittersweet after the surgery.  I am so happy now that I can wear regular clothes like my friends and look nice in most of them.  My sister and I go shopping and are fighting over the clothing.  She weighs 40 pounds less than I do now and have a nice shape but we can wear the same size clothes.  She said it has to be because of all the lose skin.  When getting dress I have to pick up the stomach and tuck it into my pants like a shirt.  I know that if I had plastic surgery to remove that skin it will take at least 30 pounds off.  I now have bought a spanx and it has help a little.  However when I workout I don't wear the spanx and when I run the loose skin around my stomach flops in my workout pants and makes that flopping noise (LOL)  I had prepared myself before the surgery that I will have a lot of loose skin .  If I think about it, I willt ake the loose skin over all the weight anyday.

I totally understand where you are at.  I can not raise my arms around my kids (they are 15 & 18) without them swinging my skin.  I hate it!  My girls hang down almost to my waist, but due to my rash issues (lots of documentation), my insurance approved me a breast reduction and I a scheduled for that in September.  As for my belly, yuck!  I have this crazy waist that folds over in addition to my Panni.  I also get rashes even at my belly button!  But even with the documentation, my insurance (Kaiser) would not cover the belly button rash issue as to fix that and the panni it would be basically a tummy tuck.  He said he could remove the lower part but I would end up looking really funny.  So time to play the lottery! lol.   

Now to your question, how to cope.  I try to look at where I have gone from, and try not to let all my layers get me down.  I do wear a compression tank top almost daily, but it makes me feel good.  Its almost like it is my security blanket.  Stay positive, I do think though my skin looks better 2 years out than it did a year ago for some reason.  Maybe I just have adjusted to it.

Denise~

You (and several others) mention compression garments.  Any specific suggestions?  I'm pre-surgery and already have abdominal issues.  I'd rather not have an apron of my own skin if I can somehow help that.  I've also heard it could help with comfort as I heal after surgery.  Any advice is greatly appreciated!

I like Flexees. Others have mentioned Spanx and Slimpressions. Try several on to see which ones are comfortable for you. Before plastics, I loved mine and felt more comfortable in it than out.

Laura

Compression garments do nothing to mitigate or prevent hanging skin. They just make our clothes look better :-). The postop compression thingies are helpful for some folks and a huge annoyance for others. I wore them for a long time after I had my hernia repair/tummy tuck, where they *do* have a use--they hold the skin close to the muscle wall so that it grows together better as it heals. But the suckers would have driven me crazy after my DS.