Plastic Surgery Consult

Sep 22, 2009

I had a consult with a plastic surgeon to discuss my extra skin today.  He took formal pictures of me and discussed options, risks, and benefits.  In the end, I decided that the best decision is for me to wait for one more year and continue to think about my options.   I work in an enviornment that has much second hand smoke.  I am exposed to this for at least 30 hours per week.  Even though I no longer smoke, the risks are the same.  He would not be able to do the best procedure available for fear of blood circulation problems and I would have a much higher risk of infection and troubles healing.  The smoking ban goes into effect in July 2010 and will rid me of the second hand smoke issue.   

In addition, I am still losing weight.  I am only losing 2 to 3 pounds per month, but overall, I don't want to have this done if I will continue to lose.  I believe I will continue to lose through the next year because I really don't eat that much.  When I have stabilized for 4 to 6 months, I will seriously revisit the surgery schedule.  

I am looking at the anchor cut tummy tuck, which he said could likely be covered by insurance in my case.  He described me as having extra skin in both directions and thought this would be the most effective, but would leave a long scar down the front of my belly.  The scar isn't really a concern for me, as I don't have plans for bikinis or anything, but just would like my clothes to fit me better. 

I would likely have to pay for any additional procedures and could do one more thing during the tummy tuck surgery.  I would like to have my arms done at the same time.  I would then plan on a seperate procedure to have my breasts lifted.  He showed me and explained to me how a breast lift would affect me.  I loved it!  I hate pulling on my bra straps all day long and repositioning things.  I will in the end be looking at two different surgeries. 

I really don't like the idea of having all of this extra hanging skin around for the next year but I know I am making the healthiest and best decision for me.  This will also give me a chance to financially prepare for the expenses and the time off of work.  I am glad I am getting near.  I will only want to lose another 20 pounds maximum.  I am so close I can taste it!  I love my band.  I am not looking forward to the pain and time off of work next year. 

Those are my initial thoughts...I'm sure as I process more and read through some of the material he gave me, I'll have more thoughts.  Thanks for listening! 

1 Comment