Plastic Surgery? Advice or thoughts??

So I am just over 8 months out and down 100lbs. At my unoffical goal, although I wouldn't mind another 10 lbs, give or take. I ever thought I would even want to have plastic surgery....I mean, I thought that I would be so happy to lose all the weight that I wouldn't mind all the hanging skin....BUT I really DO! I know that I need to maintain my goal weight for about a year before I have any reconstruction done, but I am curious to know more about it. The worst of my skin is my thigh and butt! I just cannot get past it....Anyone have experience with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois and plastic surgery?

I'm not sure about BCBS of Illinois, but I know BCBS Missouri doesn't cover any plastic surgery. But if you are still struggling with the skin after a year, and you want to get it, I would say go for it! If it'll make you feel better about your appearance, it's worth the money. 

I have Priority Health (Michigan) and they cover TT if you have documented skin problems.  I have an approval for mine.  Read your coverage docs, they are long and boring but will tell you what is covered.

Most insurance companies will only cover what is hanging below your belly button. A panniculectomy. This is usually with approximately 6 months of documented rashes, yeasts etc. nastiness that won't clear up with lotions, powders, prescriptions of any kind. Above the belly button ( full tummy tuck, muscle tightning) is on you. Sometimes the pannus also has to hang " so many" inches below your pubic area. In my experience legs, butt, arms, anything on the back is not ever covered. In some cases i have heard of breasts being reduced, but they won't pay for implants to "fill them back out". So long story short.... Below the belly button with issues...... Covered. Everything else.... On you. LOL
Of course, the only one to really give you the correct answer is your own insurance company. Do your research and good luck! Great job on the weight loss!!

Yep, what Karen said ^^^.

I have BC/BS of Illinios (although Aetna was the company who covered my panniculectomy).  SOrry to be the bearer of bad news, but they are definitely not going to cover fixing your saggy butt, LOL, and almost certainly will not cover a thigh (or breast) lift, either.  It is very difficult to find a medical necessity for those things and BC/BS is very particular about what qualifies as medical necessity and what doesn't. Start a plastic surgery savings fund now.

For future reference, be aware that thigh lifts often don't have particularly satisfactory results (it often looks unnatural, depending on which method they use) and the skin on the inner thighs is usually very thin and in poor condition so is more prone to breaking down and turning necrotic than skin on any other part of your body.   Some plastic surgeons won't even do a thigh lift. (My thighs are hideous, but after having my tummy tuck turn necrotic, there is no way I would risk having big open wounds on my inner thighs that have to be packed for months while the tissue re-grows (and if you have a lot of thigh skin, they HAVE to do incisions from the crotch to almost the knees rather than groin incisions and just pulling the skin up!)

Insurance paid for my panniculectomy, and then I had to pay for the mons lift, tummy tuck (I thought I might be ok with just the panni removed, but no...), and the brachioplasty (arm lift).  I tried to get BC/BS to pay for the arm lift because I had more trouble with rashes in my armpits than I had under my belly (and my belly skin hung quite a bit).  I had actual infections in addition to the rashes in my armpits because when I would shave (even with an electric razor), it was really easy to nick that very crepe-y skin, and then because it was all folded over on itself it would get infected.  BC/BS said no, that brachioplasty is always considered cosmetic.  (Now, i don;t ahve to deal with sweating or shaving, because the plastic surgeon removed my sweat glands AND the hair follicles.

Lora