Loose Skin (lower tummy pouch) & Tummy Tuck (Mini)

[That's_So_Fetch]

I know that after losing weight i will have some loose skin and i am ok with that. I know it can take up to a year for skin to snap back and exercising, building muscle, using creams etc will all help.

But the problem is that i have gained a fair bit of abdominal fat due to my medication making my body unable to process sugar (i was told this after being on the meds for 6 months & after the unexplained weight gain ) and i have never had fat in that area before so i can't imagine what my stomach will look like after weight loss and that scares me.

I've always had this little pouch thing at the bottom of my stomach even before i gained weight but it seems to have got bigger and started to hang, just in the middle (but flat at the sides of lower stomach). This is what worries me the most . I think i will be able to cope with the middle belly fat (above belly button) because i intend on working towards building muscle and getting a 6 pack but i worry i will get loose, dimply, hanging skin in my lower abdomen pouchey area after i lose weight.

So I have been looking at mini tummy tucks which are used to get rid of loose skin in the lower abdomen area (between belly button and pubic bone) which is my problem area.

Has anyone ever had a mini tummy tuck or a tummy tuck? What are your opinions on it? and it is really worth getting it done?

I don't think i'll ever get one done because surgery scares me and i dont think theres any point if i plan to have children (and i dont think i can afford a tummy tuck) but i just say to myself that it is there as a solution whenever i feel down about my sagging tummy pouch and that keeps me motivated to stay on the diet.

I would appreciate your thoughts and opinions on this problem , especially if you share my problem of the lower belly pouch thingy .

Thank you

M_B xx

p.s - I have about 3.5 stones to lose to get to a healhty BMI of 25 and then i want to lose an extra 1-1.5 stones to be in the healthy BMI range, so not much loose skin i hope.

 

[Funky Mum]

I would love a tummy tuck but its far to expensive - but I'll see how desperate I get when at goal.
Thing is I think its going to be a by product of losing weight and I'd rather have loose skin than be obese so in some ways I've come to terms with it. But like I said it might change once at goal lol!

 

[sumayyah]

damn i need a full body lift, cant see me ever having the money for that so shall have to work on loving myself skin and all

 

[charleypolequeen]

i have lost 8 stone to date and have loose skin on arms and stomach does anyone know ifthis wil go after lots and lots of toning? i hope so my stomach looks flat but i also have this little pouch , will a six pack rid it? i need toloose the last 38lbs then i will start toning up as instructor said better to tone after as shake are full of protein will just build me up and i dont want that.

 

[TRIVENAM]

when i lost my 4 stone total i was left with a wrinkly belly but my arms were grand,just a few darker stretchmarks,well the trick i used was my slendertone belt every day and i moisturised baby oil and cocoa butter into my belly,arms and legs everyday and over about 2 months the wrinkles disappeared!! i dont have them now but i will get it again by losing so quick so i started all that again today! x

 

[Funky Mum]

Ooh is the slendertone good then?

 

[TRIVENAM]

yeah hun but a lil sore to start off with,theres different intensitys and times on it but it really worked so im gonna try it this evening

 

[sumayyah]

charley it can take 12 - 18 months for your skin to catch up to a large weight loss so hopefully your skin will go back, you have age on your side

although im in my 20's my skin has been over streched for more than a decade which is likely to cause me issues. i apply body lotion and oils regularly and will be doing plenty of toning exercises in the hopes it will improve some what in the year after hitting goal

 

[Yambabe]

instructor said better to tone after as shake are full of protein will just build me up and i dont want that.

That's not my understanding of how your body works.

Your shakes do have protein in them but they are not like say the whey shakes that bodybuilders and athletes use, they are pretty well-balanced, plus because you only have a very limited supply of calories and protein due to the amount of shakes you have there is barely enough to keep you "level" never mind bulk you up!

It's never too early to do some toning when on a VLCD in my opinion, you don't have to be going all out lifting weights and swinging kettle bells to tone up! Some gentle stretching, situps, squats, arm curls holding a tin of beans, a bit of a stroll or occasional swim, all of these are easy and useful. Maybe look at beginners yoga or pilates and best of all if there is a fitness centre that has toning tables near to you go and have a try, after all you have nothing to lose except hopefully wrinkles!

How much loose skin you end up with varies so much from person to person, it depends on your age, genetic heritage, muscle mass, how big you were to start with, how quickly you have lost (or gained!) weight, all sorts of factors.

At nearly 5 stone down now I have some flab at the tops of my arms and legs, my belly is a bit baggy and my boobs are starting to resemble tennis balls in socks when I take my bra off. I am now exercising regularly and I have used snake-oil skin-firming creams throughout but I think I just have to accept that I will never have a bikini body.

But you know what? I look at my "normal" nearly-at-healthy-BMI body now and I compare it to the morbidly obese one I had at the start of this year and I don't care. I can cover up the saggy bits with clothes, or just know that they are part of the person that I am and ignore them. It's not the end of the world. I am now much healthier, much fitter, and even with the baggy bits I look much better than I used to. That'll do for me.

 

[great things]

i've had a tummy tuck or an abdominoplasty. i have been fat since i was very young. basically i started school and just ballooned. it was 2004 when i had it done. i'd lost a lot of weight and was left with a massive overhang.

i had it done through my local nuffield hospital and it cost me over £4000. i was in hospital for 3 days. in monday out wednesday.

i was in early on monday and had nothing to eat or drink. i was under for around 2/3 hours (can't fully remember now). i was in pain when i woke and had some pain relief in the form of morphine. i had to stay in the hospital bed all day on the monday with a catherta fitted. my hubby said i looked awful but i felt ok. the next day i was up and about and walking around with my sexy stockings on catherta was taken out and i had a wee. took me until the wed to go the other end.

i had a drain fitted which clipped to my lovely big compression knickers which went from waist to just above the knees.

everyday i had to empty the blood out of it.

after a week, or so, i had it taken out. later on my stitches were taken out of my new designer belly button - other stitches were dissolvable.

i was back at the gym after 3 weeks - taking it easy. driving after 4 weeks.

the hospital put me straight on antibiotics to ward off infection, tramadol and paracetamols for pain relief. doc told me to take arnica tablets for a month before and all the time after to aide healing and these do work as i healed fantastically, far better than when i had my sections which got infected all the time.

4lbs of excess skin was removed from my tummy.

since then i have gained weight through pregnancy x 2 and lost it all again. i have excess skin everywhere inc my tummy, probably stretched through pregnancy. i'm waiting until next year before i look at any cosmetic surgery but i will do my research very very well as i know that it is very important to get a good surgeon. i will have no problem in having my tummy or anything else done. worth it all.

i have a massive scar though which runs from hip to hip in a curved manner. always been a talking point for my section docs.

 

[charleypolequeen]

Thanks guys that info really has helped me im goingto go swimingtodayand get back inthe gym with weights! i have another stone and a half to go just was scared of weight slowing down but i am really desperate to start toning i notice already my arms, are looking allot better ver last few weeks not as bad as they first did and yes boobs are sagged too but i dont mind i actually like how my body looks naked and thats important to me ....any toning tips?

 

[great things]

try doing a body pump class twice a week. it works all areas of your body and you can then get some tips for continuing this outside the class.

 

[mrsessex]

I lost 7 stones (have gained 2 since though hence my return to the forum ) and although my skin was starting to look bit wrinkly/saggy at first....after 15 months of shedding the flab...my skin is looking grand

I was considering a tummy tuck earlier this year....but weighing it all up.... decided not to...

Once you get to your desired weight....you'll find good underwear can conceal a saggy tum and you'll be so slim you wont care bout ya tum anyway..as you'll look so good in clothes

 

[charleypolequeen]

very true ladies and might i add i oticed overthe last 2 weeks my skin is catching up with my weight loss if that makes sense i been doing pool walking starte yesterday and today some lightweights , will try body pump too when i am strong enough, i really cant wait x x

 

[great things]

You don't need to be 'strong' to do body pump. Just choose lower weights at first. I started out doing 7kg on my bar for most things. I now squat 20kg, clean press I do 15kg, chest is 10kg, biceps it's 15kg, lunges I'm useless at and don't use the bar, just my own body weight. All at my own level. There are ladies in my class that use lots less like 4kg etc. Give it a try you might be suprised.

 

[miss jelly tot]

Im a week post op of a Full TT and my experience was alot easier than great things. We are all different and no one knows how each person will react to surgery.

My advice would be you really need to hate that part of your body to go through surgery. If you can learn to live with it thats the better option.

When you have finished your weight loss journey see if exercise/equiptment/products will help if not, then consider it. Its a big thing to do but personally for me it was the best thing I did.

 

[great things]

i had a pretty easy time but wanted to explain in full what happened. needing a bit more pain relief etc is normal as is the drain. i think my c-sections healed worse and a lot slower than my tt.

 

[miss jelly tot]

i had a pretty easy time but wanted to explain in full what happened. needing a bit more pain relief etc is normal as is the drain. i think my c-sections healed worse and a lot slower than my tt.

Yes sorry I didnt mean it the way it sounded reading it again.
I was trying to say that people have it harder than others. I know someone who still now has her drains after 5 weeks! Also some people that felt terrible for weeks. Also there one lady I know who has had to go and have her swelling 'liquid' removed by syringe 3 times now :jelous: I think that you need to expect the worst and anything better is a plus. I too have healed better than my C-section.
Anyone thinking about it though needs to do their research and weigh up all the pros and cons, it's not the easy option.....unfortunately.

 

[That's_So_Fetch]

Thank you all so much for your replies. I have just skimmed the posts because i am in a rush but it has been very helpful and good to hear about your experiences and opinions.

I will reply again after i have read all the thread properly.

Thanks again xx

 

[Emdawg]

Hey, I just read the original post, so if you lose the weight, does your skin tighten over a year? does it go back 100% or would I have to get a tummy tuck?