Tummy Tuck Alternatives

[lovebug]

Besides surgery, are there any other options to get rid of excess skin after weight loss? Could this eventually be achieved by exercise?

[whatjelly]

somebody mentioned "skin brushing"
I'm not sure... Considering it myself... haven't tried it yet...

but maybe, eh?

[biglosser]

A lady that I work with just had a tummy tuck and the doctor told me she did a wonderful job getting the weight off and toning and tightening her muscles but told her that without the tummy tuck she wouldn't be able to ever get rid of the excess skin.

[HappyisNow]

My doctor also does plastic surgery. After having a baby he took a look at my belly and said that no matter how much weight I lose, I'm always going to have this apron. The only solution is a tummy tuck.

I've tried skin brushing. So far it makes my skin very soft but I doubt that it'll give tigher skin.

[VanjaJames]

Kettlebells are one of the best ways to build abdominal muscle, and maybe a round of HCG to lose as much body fat as possible, which is certainly cheaper than surgery...but if you've had babies....tummy tucks are where it's at!

[VanjaJames]

But PS it doesn't sound like you had much weight to lose to start with... there is a trainer named lauren brooks, google her, she has some kettlebell dvds where she is holding a baby and has washboard abs and its pretty amazing.

[Su11]

Almost everything I've read says that the skin will tighten some in the first year after weight loss, and then you are pretty much so stuck. Rebounding might be somewhat beneficial to some people.

The problem is that there really aren't any research verified options that I'm aware of. It might be worth your while to do a medical journal search and then go in armed with information to interview surgeons.

[bwylde]

I fully expect to need to have skin removed due to the high weight that I was. No clue how I will afford it, but I'm not letting it stop me from losing weight.

[Lisahere]

Originally Posted by lovebug

Besides surgery, are there any other options to get rid of excess skin after weight loss? Could this eventually be achieved by exercise?

Looking at your stats, i would think good core excersise should help tone things up. Obviously i don't know your previous history-kids, surgeries, or how your tummy looks.

AFter my weight loss- no way Had to (gladly) have a tummy tuck. My doctor took off 7 ilbs of tummy skin- fun thing- she said there was hardly any fat in my tummy left

Good luck- i hope you find something else that will work, keep us posted

[dae_tona]

I did a study on excess skin one time and came across an article that said excess skin is paper thin (pinch the back of your hand-that's how thin excess skin is)...and if you don't have paper thin skin-then it's not excess-it's fat-and losing more fat (not weight) will help in that area. And always-always-always-if you do have that paper thin excess skin-give yourself a year for it to snap back in place.

Dyan

[Blood Sugar 101]

There is some medical controversy about removing the abdominal fat that comes along with the skin during a tummy tuck.

A few years ago, they did a bunch of research to see if they could find any health benefits, similar to those seen with breast reduction. They could not. Removing abdominal fat does not have any impact on heart disease.

Another issue which the surgeons don't tell you is that removing the fat can cause an increase of fat in other areas as fat cells produce hormones that the body uses to balance fat stores and when you remove a lot of fat, your body may respond by packing new fat on in other places.

Not only that, but the fat cells that are left may grow back get very lumpy over time.

So it is well worth waiting to see if you are one of the people with the genetic makeup who can recover from stretched skin.

And one last thing: NEVER believe a surgeon who tells you that something dire will happen if you don't let them perform a very expensive surgery. I have had that happen twice and both times the surgeons were completely wrong. They recommended surgeries that later studies showed were ineffective for my problem and likely to leave me in MUCH worse condition than I started with. I did NOT have either surgery, despite warnings that I'd end up crippled, and 20 and 12 years later, I'm in a lot better shape than people I know who had the surgeries.

If surgery is recommended, get a second opinion from a doctor who will not be doing the surgery and talk to your family doctor or gynecologist about what they've seen for results in their own practices.

[poopsie2223]

Originally Posted by dae_tona

I did a study on excess skin one time and came across an article that said excess skin is paper thin (pinch the back of your hand-that's how thin excess skin is)...and if you don't have paper thin skin-then it's not excess-it's fat-and losing more fat (not weight) will help in that area. And always-always-always-if you do have that paper thin excess skin-give yourself a year for it to snap back in place.

Dyan

I think there is some truth in this. When I first lost a lot of weight (70 pounds 7-8 years ago) I was really bothered by loose skin. But after about a year of maintaining, it was noticeably better. And as I continued to work on building muscle, and my body composition changed to a more lean one, it has gotten better still. I still have SOME loose skin, but it's very tolerable. More tolerable to me than having a tummy tuck, I think.

On the other hand, I know some people simply can't get rid of the excess skin no matter how lean they get or how long they wait, and I understand their desire to get rid of it. I'd just suggest people not rush into it just because they've heard they can "never" get rid of it without surgery. I don't think that is a 100% true statement.

[Laprettygurl]

Not sure where you are but if you're in Ontario and it's bad enough OHIP will cover it. I am hoping that the one doc here in town loves being paid and can push it through for me when I get there...lol.

Originally Posted by bwylde

I fully expect to need to have skin removed due to the high weight that I was. No clue how I will afford it, but I'm not letting it stop me from losing weight.

[dae_tona]

There are some places who do free tummy tucks. I know that Harborview Medical Center in Seattle WA does them so they can give the extra skin to their burn patients. Of course, you have to qualify but I'm not too sure what the qualifications are. I was told that you have had to lose at least 100 lbs before being considered. I think that was one of the requirements.

Dyan

[homestretch]

Originally Posted by Lisahere

Looking at your stats, i would think good core excersise should help tone things up. Obviously i don't know your previous history-kids, surgeries, or how your tummy looks.

AFter my weight loss- no way Had to (gladly) have a tummy tuck. My doctor took off 7 ilbs of tummy skin- fun thing- she said there was hardly any fat in my tummy left

Good luck- i hope you find something else that will work, keep us posted

Who was your doc? I live south of St. Louis and really need a tummy tuck (first baby was 10 lbs....need I say more). I went to see one plastic surgeon but was not too impressed with her so I would love to hear from someone who had a good experience with their doc and had good results.

[Lisahere]

Originally Posted by homestretch

Who was your doc? I live south of St. Louis and really need a tummy tuck (first baby was 10 lbs....need I say more). I went to see one plastic surgeon but was not too impressed with her so I would love to hear from someone who had a good experience with their doc and had good results.

Hi homestretch,
not to thread jack but pm me and i will respond to your questions, who did you go see(send it pm)

obtw
i also had a 10 pounder actually 2 in a row
10.7
10.11

[Minnas]

Originally Posted by lovebug

Besides surgery, are there any other options to get rid of excess skin after weight loss? Could this eventually be achieved by exercise?

Nothing gets rid of it but with your stats I would be surprised if you couldn't help yourself a lot with core training first to see how that goes. There surely are no topicals that will help the skin recover. It's certainly worth the effort to build muscle in the area of concern and see how that effects the appearance.

Whether or not you are left with hanging skin depends some on genetics, how much excess weight you carried, it's distribution on the body and how long you carried it, and age. Also the speed of the weight gain can play a role. The damage to the skin is done on the way out (gaining) not on the way back in (losing) and a rapid weight gain can in some cases really cause some severe damage to the skin that it simply can't recover from.

I was more than 100 lbs overweight for most of my adult life so not having surgery was not an option. I did it and am certain that for me there were no other options.

[lovebug]

Thanks all for your posts. As an FYI, I have had no other surgeries and two babies (both under 7 lbs). They will be 2 and 4 in March. I breastfed my first one for 13 months and my second for 18 months. I just stopped breastfeeding in October and have lost nearly 30 lbs since then, so it was rapid. I am nearly back to where I was before kids, but there's a lot of "wrinkle" in my stomach area. I was thinking these were stretch marks, but after looking at some pictures online, I think it's excess skin. I heard that surgery is the only way to get rid of this, but quite frankly, I'm a little reluctant to doing the surgery because of the pain associated with it!

[disgal]

Originally Posted by Lisahere

Hi homestretch,
not to thread jack but pm me and i will respond to your questions, who did you go see(send it pm)

obtw
i also had a 10 pounder actually 2 in a row
10.7
10.11

could you send me a pm, Lisahere? I would like to ask you some questions also if I may? But I haven't been a member here for 30 days yet so I can't pm you first.........I can respond to pm's can't I? Hope so.