Petrified of Loose Skin!

So I am one step closer to my revision. I made it through the psych eval. My only downfalls were my short temper (hey, I'm Italian, what can I say?), I have a tough time trusting others (it's a female thing lol) and I have anxiety surrounding medical issues (hello! i wonder why...). He said they weren't bad things,  but it's all good to know so my surgeon and his staff are very thorough in explaining things and whatnot. Next on my list: Nutritionist!

So with every day that passes, I research more and more. I am starting to stress myself out about the possibility and probability of loose skin. My thighs are really big. I already have SOME loose skin on my arms from weight lost with the band, but it's not too bad. I watched some youtube videos today and I really started to second guess my decision to get the procedure. That's crazy talk, isn't it? lol I am 25 and weigh about 250. I keep telling myself if I work out, get enough protein and keep my water consumption up I will be okay. Anyone have any advice or encouraging words here?

You will have loose skin.  It's just  a reality.  It is so much better than being obese.  Trust me.

Totally agree.I would rather be healthy and have some saggy skin then the huge ass I used to have.

You will be fine so long as you follow your own advice on making both exercise and protein forward eating constants.  You will have excess skin...that is for sure!  That said, I'm amazed at 46, at how much my skin actually bounced back.  I have a few problem areas but nothing like I thought I would and the benefits of living healthy and being more active and more in control of my life far outweigh any issue with a little extra skin.  Best of luck as you continue through the process...

Tom 

I was 59 and do not have loose skin.  I was very careful about exfoliating, skin tightening creams, massage, working out to build lots of muscle that fills out skin.  Did any of that work or was I just lucky, who knows?  But loose skin is not a given.

You have mentioned having a tummy tuck so I assume you did have some loose skin.

What I had was weak abdominal muscles and a stomach that always looked pregnant, even when I was 20 years old and weighed 120 pounds.  The rest of my body would be tight and toned, but millions of sit-ups did not help my stomach appearance.  I had to wear loose tops and could never tuck a shirt in.

I promised myself a tummy tuck when I got to goal and got one.  I love my tight ab muscles now.  I love tucking in shirts and wearing jeans with belts.

It might help to think of any loose skin you will have as a sign you succeeded in your battle with MO.  For example, I do not call my arms, "batwings," rather "angelwings."  I remember when a fellow support group attendee mentioned when she looks at her saggy belly, it serves as a reminder how thankful she is for WLS.  

I agree selhard. Last summer I kept my saggy skin covered up with long pants and 3/4 length sleeves on even the hottest days. This year I have decided to wear Capri's and Bermuda shorts and short sleeves because I now see my saggy skin as a reminder of what I can do when I set my mind to it. I am proud of myself,saggy skin and all. We all should be!

There is only so much you can do, but you do have age in your favor.  So eat right, exercise and drink lots of water.

Hopefully genetics will also be on  your side.

But I will tell you in losing the 85 lbs I have already, my loose skin looks smaller and way better than the fat filled skin I had before.

Also, it takes time for the skin to tighten up, so even if you reach goal and have loose skin, it could be tighter over the longer term.  That is one reason they want you to wait to consider cosmetic surgery.

But getting the excess weight off is much more important that some loose skin that can be covered up easily with some clothes (if that is what you desire).