Article: Plastic Surgery After Weight Loss, Vanity or Sanity

[sadlebred]

www.healthcentral.com/obesity/c/276918/169328/plastic-surgery-weight-loss/

I'm interested in your opinion.

[hannahb]

I only skimmed the article but I think it's perfectly acceptable to have extra skin scuplted/tucked etc. I'm along the lines of whatever makes you happy. Extra skin can't feel good and if you've worked hard to lose the weight I feel like you should get the body you've worked for.
On the flip side, if you choose to not go under the knife, I would accept that too

[runaways]

My thoughts are:
1. To state the obvious, it's a choice that's probably going to be different for every person.
2. I don't think facelifts usually look that great, and hers is no exception, but I'm glad she's happy with it.
3. We've already established that I am vain as shit, so I'd have the tummy tuck/various body lifts to remove extra skin in a heartbeat.

[kams]

I think it's sort of weird to have a strong opinion about someone else's choices in regards to their body.

personally, I would do it.

[schitzengiggles]

Being overweight my whole life, a ridiculous amount of weight gain during one of my pregnancies, a vertical C-section scar, and finally, losing 90 lbs has led to a hawt mess of a stomach area for me.

I would love to do plastic surgery some day, and hope that I will get a chance. I can't even guess how many pounds of pure excess skin I have...it would be nice to get rid of that.

I worked hard to get where I am. It took a couple of years so I did it slow and steady. Now, I've been maintaining for well over a year. Finally getting stuff straightened out down there would be like the final nail in the coffin of the unhealthy, uncomfortable, and painfully self-conscious person I once was.

[Susie]

I'm having trouble taking the article seriously, even if the subject has merit.

"Few people bat an eye at a middle-aged man who buys a $45k sports car. Yet they will criticize a woman for spending this amount of money on plastic surgery. Its the proverbial double standard."

No it isn't.  It's a crappy analogy.  Completely anecdotal/unsubstantiated, and assumes as true stereotypes that mid-life, men want sports cars and women want plastic surgery.  When you're trying to argue against a stereotype that plastic surgery = vanity, it's probably a poor move to use other stereotypes as a crutch in your writing.  If you want to talk about the validity of dropping $45k on a car vs. surgery, it should be gender neutral.

It also kind of lumps plastic surgery for a variety of reasons in together.  First we're talking about "the stigma associated with having a face lift," then "those who underwent facelifts ... applies to all plastic surgery stigma in general," then seemingly justifying and/or promoting plastic surgery on the whole with "What most people do not understand is that there is a marked psychological and functional benefit that only can be achieved through plastic surgery after massive weight loss," and then some further discussion of post-weight loss plastic surgery.  I think plastic surgery after massive weight loss makes a lot of sense - if the patient wants it - but I think the article is badly written garbage.

[Mushe]

A friend just did this, and I think it's great. She had stretch marks from losing so much weight and pregnancy, and did a full tummy tuck and breast lift and augmentation.

[blndsnbrdr]

I wouldn't judge it...and yea, I'd do it!

I applaud the people who can lose the weight and be proud of their bodies with the extra skin but I know I'm not that person. That may make me crazy vain and shallow but hey...it's my body, so back off! [that goes both ways -- it's your body, don't do it if you don't want to!]

[ktzmoh]

Not only do I think plastic surgery is just fine, I would not be surprised one bit if a little nipping and tucking is in my future. I carried and nursed babies with my body - and now that my body is my own again, I just want to look as great as I feel. If we can afford it on a year or two- hell yes. And this super progressive, nearly vegan, cloth diapering, baby wearing, liberal academic will not feel one shred of shame about it.

[spunkypenguin]

One of my biggest frustrations with having lost 150+lbs is that I'll never have a tight/toned stomach - no matter how well I eat or how much I exercise! I look at my extra flab and wonder if it's even worth the effort. I know a lot of it is just extra skin. I've worked really hard to lose this weight w/o bariatric surgery (my ins. would cover the skin removal if I'd done it that way) and I want to wear a bikini some day. I am hoping to have a tummy makeover within the next few years. It's vanity and sanity, IMO.