Conditions
Excess Skin
For those people who are morbidly obese, losing weight can sometimes not be the end of their health worries. As weight is put on the skin stretches and grows to accommodate the increased surface area, along with all the required blood vessels and tissue. When the weight is lost, the skin shrinks back, but only to a point, and those who have been heavily overweight are often left with saggy excess skin. Although exercise can help to tone up skin, the sheer quantity involved is often to much for self-help remedies, and in these circumstances surgery can be considered.
The operation, called an abdominoplasty, aims to remove the excess skin and fat and seal the skin back up. It is a serious pertain, and the sheer quantity of tissue that is involved means that it can only be carried out in stages, requiring multiple operations and extended recovery periods. The treatment is available on the NHS, but a patient will normally have to wait several years to ensure that their weight has stabilised and their body has fully recovered from the initial weightless.
Comments and Questions
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I'm 23 years old and have 2 children but I hate my body I'm a size 16-18 and hate my stretch mark on my stomach & the excess skin left from having my children, I really need help to lose this weight I just hate my body and need help & advice. To get rid of this skin.
Hi, I'm 22 and since the age of 8 I've had a large amount of excess skin at the bottom of my stomach, its very embarrassing as I struggle to wear bikinis on holiday and it always sticks out of other pieces of clothing. I've been on a diet and go to the gym 3 times a week and it hasn't shrank at all. It measures out at 1 inch, I've been to my gp and he said thers not much else I can do other than plastic surgery but I can't afford to have that done, any other suggestions would be very appreciated
hi there, i have two children one of which i had a c section 5 years ago. i soon discovered i was left with this apron of skin or fat that was very uncomfortable an made my scar sweat i did go to my gp for my weight gain and extra fat after my child it was getting me down, my gp advised me to go and try loose some weight and return once i have lost some weight an maintained a healthy lifestyle. it is now a couple of years later i have managed to loose around 14 kg in weight,and no amount of excercise is helping this i still have this ugly apron and tightning of my scar which is also lob sided, this effects my every day life i also seperated from my partner 3 years ago and have not been able to resume a relashionship with anyone as i am too concious of this horrible unsightly apron i recently moved and therefore had to change gp surgery i visited my new gp yesterday to discuss my issue,as i had seen a girl that had the same problem with the tight scar and the fat below and the apron above and i was impressed with the help she recieved, the gp more or less dismissed me and said its a hard protocol for surgery and its really cosmetic and i should pay for a private consultation for around 100 pounds and if they say the nhs can do this then iv to then go back. i am a staff nurse myself and i know how this is affecting my life but have kept quite as i was embarrassed. i feel very let down and dejected i just want a normal life without having to suffer with the tightness of my scar and this horrible extra apron i know have and i feel it has got worse since losing the weight..please can someone advise me on this matter. thank you
Hi there I am in the same boat, i have 3 children all delivered by c section and have been left with the excess apron, Ive also have lost a stone and have taken up running, but that has made no difference at all to my tummy in fact it looks worse as the rest of my body is toning and smaller!!! so if there is anyone who has any advise bring it on. thanks
Hi there I am in the same boat, i have 3 children all delivered by c section and have been left with the excess apron, Ive also have lost a stone and have taken up running, but that has made no difference at all to my tummy in fact it looks worse as the rest of my body is toning and smaller!!! so if there is anyone who has any advise bring it on. thanks
im 16 years old and 5ft5. my weight is 15stone 3lbs and i have extra skin on my breasts. im really un-happy about this and hate to look at myself in the morror because of them! i cant afford to pay for an operation and i do know what to do. ive lost a stone so far but they still look the same. Please HELP ME!
Hi, I am a 34 yr old mum of 2. I had excess skin on both eyes. I've been to a dematologist and was advised the only way they could do away with this is, burning the skin with acid. This is not even a guarantee, it might even grow back and again leaving black scar on skin. Please, what can I do about my case? Thanks.
Hi, Desperatley seeking help!! Like previous women above I too have had children, 3 and all c-sections not by choice) now I'm left with over stretched skin that flaps around. Ive always been involved in sport and exercise so it's not that I'm not trying to loose it. It's SOoooo depressing and really effects my every day life, I'm so concious of it all the time. To the point were it used to stop me playing team sports, until I discovered Flexees...but all they do is smooth over the problem for a little while and not practical to be wearing them all the time, although I do mostly. I was born with a bonky nose and I can live with that, thats just me, but I wasnt born with this unsightly over hang of skin. I live in Ireland and went for consultation to have it removed and at a mear cost of €10,000 its not gonna happen until I win the lotto. It also effects my sex life, I never take my top off in bed.... I hate it,I hate it, I hate it! Can you please advise me as to weather it's less expensive else were? I'm Also aware that cosmetic surgery isnt regulated here in Ireland, so that worries me too. I'd be willing to travel..to get my life back! Sincerely Anne
I am 27 and have had 3 kids, i have been left with a blanket at the bottom of my stomach and have been trying for over a year to tone it up and lose it but nothing seems to work. It is really affecting my relationship with my partner and my self confidence, can you suggest anything to help please??
hi i am a 35 year old mum of 5. i have a saggy stomach which i find horrible,ive tried dieting excercise and even cutting my meal intake to one meal a day!! my trousers always seem to roll over my tummy and sit underneath it which then shows the horrible looking overhang! i find it pretty embarrassing really.
hiya, am 24 with two children and have the same problem.. i was at the doctors about it a few weeks ago and he told me the only way to get rid of loose skin is through sugery.. i not only didn wat to go through with surgery but i cant afford it either. i went back to a different doctor and she told me to go to gym and do alot of ab work such as pilates and yoga and i have to say i have a huge difference after only 3 weeks... it is hard work becase u really have to push yourself and work hard,, but once u see results and i seen my tummy had tighened up a bit it only just motivated me to do more. dont give up hope.. your skin is an organ and it changes all the time to suit your body. it wont happen over night but give it time xx
I am 26 years old in less than half an hour and I also have many of the same issues listed above. I had my first child which resulted in an emergency C-Section at the age of 18. During pregnancy I went from a size 10 to a size 18, gained weight all over and although I have lost some of the weight, I am unable to shift any more. I can't bare for my boyfriend of over 7 years to see me naked. I have the same horrid scar mentioned by Hayley that smells and really hurts, I have stretch marks on my belly, the top of my boobs, my arms and legs and have a flap of skin over my scar that I just can't shift. I have been to the doctors time and time again and they refuse to help me and tell me its my own fault because I am fat, fob me off with creams and pills and just can't wait to get me out. This has caused several bouts of depression over the years and it just seems to be getting worse. I feel the pain of every lady on here and I am truly sorry that you are also being let down by the NHS. Please can someone help us!
hi im 52 and have had four c sections ive got a lot of skin hanging down on to the tops of my legs this is very depressing and embarrassing it really upsets me wen i go to buy clothes coz my bottom belly ( as i call it )sticks out i sometimes cry myself to sleep i wish someone would help me im to embarrassed to go on the show thats how much its getting me down
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