EXCESS SKIN AFTER VSG?????

I to was worried about skin really I;ll take the skin , not nearly as bad as I thought it would be

 I lost 115 pounds about 12 years ago with a doctor supervised weight loss program.  I walked and exercised a lot and surprisingly, then, I did not have any loose skin.  I kept it off for about 4 years.  But, then of course life and physical ailments happened and I gain the majority of it back over about 8 years.  I developed a widespread pain disease that is only made worse by physical exertion.
This time, I have to admit, I have not been doing all the physical stuff, and my skin really shows it.  I have a lot of real estate now that resembles very large prunes.  I would like to get my head into an exercise program to build some muscle since my disease seems to be in a bit of a remission right now and maybe have a little less pruning.  So I don't know if it is the age difference or the exercise difference that is causing this.  I guess the only way to find out is to get busy and try to build some muscle.

Sorry sweets at 350lbs there is no way to escape having skin that covered our sized bodies - it is stretched for life.  Sure age, genetics, how long you've carried the excess weight, how much excess weight you carried and how and where you carried the weight, stretch marks, etc. All carry into the final sum of our appearance.  But  no way you will look like you've never carried an extra 150+lbs, no way.

Now believe me it is no deal breaker at all.  Get the weight off and deal with whatever you need to as you go along.  Some of us actually end up looking a way that is acceptable to us and so we just have no plastic surgery and deal with it.  If you want to be tighter, we have the best options possible.

Work out, do lots of strength training.  Now it won't shrink the skin but it will build strong muscle underneath the skin and your skin will appear tighter and beautifully formed.  Another great thing is that it takes about a year for our skin to mold where it will be after the weight loss.  Brandilynn has some great pictures as proof.  I noticed this change in myself when I lost with the Band.  I was okay and look pretty fantastic with some nice clothes on.

No worries!  Just lose the weight and get healthy.  Keep your head up friend .

Here I am having lost weight with the Band

(((BIG HUGS)))
Leila

WOW! So much GREAT info! Thanks everyone for responding! Please continue to give input if you have it!

It's not just excess skin after VSG - it happens after ANY major weight loss, slow or fast. Exercise can help (as shown!), but it won't fix it all. A lot of it comes down to you as an individual - your genetics, your age, your skin's elasticity, etc. Many people say age is also a factor, but I was 26 when I had my surgery, and I have plenty of excess skin, so age sure didn't help me any!

So, exercise, stay well hydrated, and keep your fingers crossed   ;)

I started out at a lower weight than you, but also a few inches shorter, so maybe around the same size, proportionally speaking. I DID NOT EXERCISE. Now I have a lot of loose skin. I have no way of knowing if exercise, for me as an individual, would have made much (or any) difference because I would have no personal basis for comparison. 

However, I'll take this loose skin over the extra 120+ pounds any day of the week. My loose skin and I can fit into regular misses and even many Junior sized clothes. My loose skin and I can ride all the rides at the amusement park. My loose skin and I can fit comfortably in all public seating situations (movie theater seats, stadium seats, airplane seats, restaurant booths...). My loose skin and I can walk for miles on end without having to take a break. My loose skin and I enjoy a life free from diabetes medications. I couldn't say ANY of those things about "my excess fat and I..."