Support Group last night, Spkr: Plastic Surgeon
Dr. Redding or is it Dr. Frankenstein! LOL
Showed graphic pictures of a patient who had a tummy tuck, arms done, thighs done, back done, butt lift!! Oh so many scars that it DID put me in mind of Dr. Frankenstein and his creation!!
Needless to say it made me think of all the work I was going to need for myself and if I really wanted to have all that done. Most important to me is the tummy tuck and breast reduction/lift because I'm having some problems now with shoulder pain. I could stand to have my thighs done but of course the insurance won't pay for anything but the tummy tuck and breast reduction.
I asked him if you wanted to donate your excess skin to the hospital would the insurance pay for everything then? He said that 10 years ago you could do that but now they no longer accept it...so that leaves me ass out if I wanted to donate skin just to have the insurance pay for me to get my arms and thighs done. Don't know if this is just a Michigan thing or all over the U.S. that you can no longer donate skin to a hospital.
Showed graphic pictures of a patient who had a tummy tuck, arms done, thighs done, back done, butt lift!! Oh so many scars that it DID put me in mind of Dr. Frankenstein and his creation!!
Needless to say it made me think of all the work I was going to need for myself and if I really wanted to have all that done. Most important to me is the tummy tuck and breast reduction/lift because I'm having some problems now with shoulder pain. I could stand to have my thighs done but of course the insurance won't pay for anything but the tummy tuck and breast reduction.
I asked him if you wanted to donate your excess skin to the hospital would the insurance pay for everything then? He said that 10 years ago you could do that but now they no longer accept it...so that leaves me ass out if I wanted to donate skin just to have the insurance pay for me to get my arms and thighs done. Don't know if this is just a Michigan thing or all over the U.S. that you can no longer donate skin to a hospital.
One of the issues was that everyone was donating skin to the point it became unmanagable. To rectify this they reduced the number of doctors they will except donations from and then the doctor determines if the quality is right for a donation. One of the plastics doctors I spoke with in my area said there are about a dozen doctors that can submit skin donations.
As for the scars well it really depends on the doctors technique and how far they will go to hide scars. The same surgeon showed pictures of females that had major work done and he was able to hide most of the scars. Arms you won't ever be able to hide 100% but then again depneding on the te*****ue the surgeon uses some may be worse than others.
One thing to look at when having the Tummy done is the type of cut they use. One surgeon I saw a presentation from does the typical Blet style procedure where they remove a section of skin from the waist area and then pull things down and up until they meet. While this will remove the skin it is essentially a 2 dimensional procedure as it really doesn't address the skin around the body. Some doctors are now using a T or Fluer-De-Leis where the skin is pulled tight up and down, but also around the body. These procedures will leave you with a centerline scar but the results are so much better looking.
To me when choosing a Plastics doctor you should do so much more research than when choosing your Bariatric Surgeon.
As for the scars well it really depends on the doctors technique and how far they will go to hide scars. The same surgeon showed pictures of females that had major work done and he was able to hide most of the scars. Arms you won't ever be able to hide 100% but then again depneding on the te*****ue the surgeon uses some may be worse than others.
One thing to look at when having the Tummy done is the type of cut they use. One surgeon I saw a presentation from does the typical Blet style procedure where they remove a section of skin from the waist area and then pull things down and up until they meet. While this will remove the skin it is essentially a 2 dimensional procedure as it really doesn't address the skin around the body. Some doctors are now using a T or Fluer-De-Leis where the skin is pulled tight up and down, but also around the body. These procedures will leave you with a centerline scar but the results are so much better looking.
To me when choosing a Plastics doctor you should do so much more research than when choosing your Bariatric Surgeon.
Paul C.
First 5K 9/27/20 46:32 - 11 weeks post op (PR 28:55 8/15/11)
First 10K 7/04/2011 1:03 First 15K 9/18/2011 1:37
First Half Marathon 10/02/2011 2:27:44 (PR 2:24:35)
First Half Ironman 9/30/12 7:32:04
First 5K 9/27/20 46:32 - 11 weeks post op (PR 28:55 8/15/11)
First 10K 7/04/2011 1:03 First 15K 9/18/2011 1:37
First Half Marathon 10/02/2011 2:27:44 (PR 2:24:35)
First Half Ironman 9/30/12 7:32:04
I really need to ask for a referral for plastics from other wt loss patients. Obesity stretches skin tissue and makes it thinner. A well experienced plastic surgeon who has done a lot of procedures on wt loss patients would highly be recommended. A local plastic surgeon who works in Riverside--San Diego counties and who has been on Oprah a few times has spoken at our support groups. Several post ops of my surgeon have used this plastic surgeon. He has presented slides showing surgical procedures, and yet it may be ugly to look at. If your insurance co. pays for tummy tuck, then you're very lucky. I know this surgeon works with Kaiser to lessen plastic procedures on tummy tucks. This particular surgeon did some 75 procedures on wt loss pateints last year. Dr. Batra has worked on several post ops in my support groups, and his patients speak highly about how well they are satisfied with his surgeries. Do your homework. DAVE
Dave Chambers, 6'3" tall, 365 before RNY, 185 low, 200 currently. My profile page: product reviews, tips for your journey, hi protein snacks, hi potency delicious green tea, and personal web site.
You CAN donate your skin, at least in some cases, but you don't get free surgery for doing so. It's just like, when my hair was down to my waist and I got it cut to my shoulders, I donated the hair to an organization that makes wigs for people going through chemo. However, I still had to pay for the hair cut.
In many cases, they do not want skin from formerly morbidly obese people because our skin is often stretched out a lot and not in very good shape. They often prefer to use skin from dead people because they can get very large amounts of it, too.
In many cases, they do not want skin from formerly morbidly obese people because our skin is often stretched out a lot and not in very good shape. They often prefer to use skin from dead people because they can get very large amounts of it, too.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
Most Active
Recent Topics