About Excess Skin

Three options for skin when you're losing 40+ lbs.

Option #1: LIVE WITH THE EXCESS SKIN

Woman stretching out the excess skin hanging from her abdomen.

In some circumstances, a person will have no option except to live with and work on the excess skin.

But having excess skin takes its toll.
 

THE EMOTIONAL TOLL. Compared to obesity, having excess skin is far healthier. However, it can also be far more difficult.

  • Many are unprepared for the excess skin, and unprepared to still have body issues, after so much success. 
  • Excess skin is more emotionally difficult than obesity, mainly because obesity is more socially acceptable.
  • Difficulties throughout the day take an emotional toll: trouble with hygiene, with physical activity, and of course with intimacy.
  • Loss of confidence from feeling alone, vulnerable, and struggling with fitting into clothing, struggling to carry the skin around throughout the day.
  • Sense of loss because the diet did not make you look "fit." The clothes you dreamed of are off-limits with the skin.


 

THE PHYSICAL TOLL.  Excess skin often causes significant back and neck strain, painful chaffing of skin, skin ulcers, and fungal and bacterial infections. The exercise so necessary to keep the weight off is of course difficult while wearing compression garments, but impossible without. 

  • ​Painful, debilitating strain on the back and neck, often unbearable, from the constant pull of the weight of the excess skin. 
  • ​Infections and ulcers from the moist warm areas under folds of skin. These infections are extremely painful, sensitive, and can emit a strong odor.
  • ​Painful chaffing from basic movements throughout the day, such as walking.  This makes your exercise routine, which you may need to maintain the weight loss, nearly impossible without compression garments.  (Some women report wearing double or triple Spanx, etc. to. make movement pain-free.) 
  • ​Difficulty exercising wearing the necessary compression garments.

THE SOCIAL TOLL.  Somehow, many people don't even know that excess skin exists. To be honest, it can be a bit alarming the first time you see it.  Excess skin is pretty much taboo in public. These realities affect how a person with excess skin interacts with others. 

  • ​A general sense of shame.  The internal swirling feelings of shame, the dread of being hugged or touched, the exhausting fear of being "found out," the constant insensitive comments from family members who want to help. These lead to isolation.​
  • Avoidance of Intimacy with one's partner. Fear that if their partner sees or touches the excess skin, "they will no longer love me."
  • Dating!  Being overweight is obvious to anyone you meet. Excess skin, however, is hidden under a baggy clothing, or a compression garment, etc.

So when should you tell a date that you have excess skin? How do you navigate your commitment to honesty, while knowing that your many positive traits could easily outweigh the negative trait of excess skin... but also knowing that it takes time for the person to experience those positive traits? The reality is, that without that time to get to know you, that person you like is likely to reject you because of the skin. Excess skin is taboo in the world.

  • Scaring small childrenExcess skin can effect the most sacred parts of life. We had not thought about this situation, until we witnessed it. Small children are often profoundly afraid of "abnormal" situations, and they often suffer in private with those fears. 

Image a mom who lost the weight in order to be healthy and live longer for the sake of her baby -- only to be essentially ambushed by excess skin. Scary looking hanging skin that she believes would frighten her toddler, cause him to reject her, cause him to experience night fears, etc.

(That being said, we have heard about situations that were quite the opposite, when older children laughed, as mom was able to slip her excess skin over her hand, and form the mouth of a puppet, to talk and play.) 

 

OPTION #2: SURGERY

What is the BIGGEST PROBLEM with surgery?

You never get your DREAM BODY.

  • Not Covered by Insurance. Skin removal is considered to be cosmetic surgery, and therefore not medically necessary.  An exception is when the skin causes debilitating strain on the back or neck, or when physician has been unsuccessful in treating fugal or bacterial infections between folds of skin, over a period of time.
  • Start a GoFundMe. Through the years a number of people have built a network of supporters, then posted their excess skin pictures and story to the GoFundMe crowdfunding site, and successfully funded their surgery. We were unable to find statistics on how many GoFundMe campaigns were successful.
  • How Expensive is Skin Removal Surgery? Statistics run from $15,000 - $30,000+, depending on the complexity of the surgery, how long the hospital stay, etc. (Prices can be researched in your local area online.)

  • Poor Skin Quality Continues. After surgery, the skin on your body is still your old, tired skin, lacking in elastin and collagen.
  • Visible Scarring.Surgery leaves significant scarring. Remember, skin removal is not really a cosmetic procedure, like a "tummy tuck". Skin removal is primarily about functionality -- being able to walk without pain, for example. Surgeons will make incisions in hidden places whenever possible, such as along the hairline, under the bikini line etc. Unfortunately, however, that is not possible on most areas of the body.
  • Incomplete Solution. Weight loss and therefore excess skin affect nearly all of your body. For surgery, however, you have to pick which areas of excess skin you want to remove. Meaning, even the ideal three rounds of surgery will still leave excess skin on your body. Additionally, it can take up to two YEARS to achieve full results.
  • Painful and Time Consuming. Multiple surgeries mean multiple painful recovery periods (Not stand upright for 2-3 days, drains and strong pain medication 1-2 weeks), followed by up to 6 weeks in which you cannot lift heavy objects (such as children) or workout. Recovery disrupts both work and home, and depletes sick time and vacation days, etc.

 

  •  Not Everyone is Approved for Surgery.  Generally, the following condition will disqualify a person from undergoing this type of surgery:

-  Obesity (BMI >30)
-  Being less than 18 months post bariatric surgery
-  Being less than 6 months at a stable weight
-  Diabetes
-  Smoking (they test)
-  Drug use
-  Pregnancy
-  Plan to give birth in future
-  Past problems with surgery 
-  Past problems with anesthesia

 

What if I DO Develop Excess Skin?

Despite all of the above, if you do develop excess skin, it is so difficult to live with, that surgery is worth it.  One study showed 97% rate of satisfaction with surgery vs keeping the excess skin. Because having excess skin is so difficult.

We are not against skin removal surgery. 

We are against PLANNING ON SURGERY.

Because surgery is not a good option. It is far better to plan on PREVENTING EXCESS SKIN.

If you are losing so much weight that excess skin is simply inevitable... 

If you are losing so much weight that excess skin simply cannot be prevented, then the goal becomes to OPTIMIZE YOUR SKIN HEALTH so you will

  • Be more likely to qualify for surgery, and
  • Need LESS extensive surgery
  • Recover with a better body

Skin health is critical for all dieters. 

 

THE REALITY IS... SURGERY IS A LAST RESORT.

surgery-g94b0e39fb_1280 jpg

A "last resort" is that bad choice that one is forced to make, because nothing else has worked, and there are no other options.

The medical community regards skin removal surgery as a last resort.  

With so many negative aspects of surgery, it should never be "the plan" from day one.

Body transformation is HARD.  Millions of people across the world and across the years try, again and again, and cannot accomplish.

But YOU can.
And you're doing it.
And that's magnificent!
(It really is.)

You're earning a CRAZY. GORGEOUS. BODY. And since you're working so hard, doing something truly difficult, yes, you do DESERVE that crazy gorgeous body. BUT you cannot actually get a DREAM BODY from surgery.

 

Option #3: OPTIMIZE YOUR SKIN!

Do everything possible to completely avoid excess skin altogether.

THE NEW GOAL: Just never get excess skin.

HOW DOES THIS WORK?  

​1. Optimize skin's health so it can do its normal job to adjust to change. This is done with high-performance skincare ingredients that have been doing exactly this on women's faces FOR DECADES.

2. ​DURING fat loss. Not after.

​3. Your skin adjusts. Day by day, pound by pound. Slowly. Logically.

 

YOUR BEST CHANCE TO GET THE DREAM BODY THAT YOU'RE WORKING FOR

THE SUPERIOR OPTION.

  • AFFECTS YOUR ENTIRE BODY. You can optimize your skin's health all over your body. As opposed to skin removal, which takes place in selected areas, and does nothing for other areas.
  • EXPONENTIALLY LESS EXPENSIVE. The cost of 1-3 surgeries, vs skincare every month for the 4-8 months of your diet. 
  • NO MAJOR SURGERY RISKS. No anesthesia. No sutures. No drainage tubes.
  • NO RECOVERY. No drainage tubes sticking out of your belly.  No two weeks spent too drugged to drive. No 2-3 days without being able to stand upright.
  • NO DISRUPTIONS IN YOUR WORK or neglecting your children or pets. Or the carpool. Or bills. Or the garden. Or the laundry. 
  • NO MISSING WORKOUTS that you have come to need, and the habit you worked hard to build.
  • NO SUFFERING. No excruciating chaffing. No rashes or infections between folds of skin.
  • NO SPENDING $25,000 out of pocket! You could go to Bora Bora for less! Or Dubai! Or Japan!
  • NO GOFUNDME!! No public pictures of you looking worse than your worst nightmare. No asking everyone you know and then strangers for money. And then asking again.
  • NO QUALIFYING for surgery (or not qualifying).
  • NO EMBARRASSMENT if someone sees your skin. (Your skin will be the healthiest in your life!)
  • NO WAITING literal years for the completion of 1-3 surgeries, which STILL don't give you the dream body.

 

LET'S APPROACH THIS PROBLEM WITH... SCIENCE, SHALL WE?

 NATURAL, COMMON SENSE INNOVATION.

  • EVERY 27 DAYS. Scientific studies have proven that the body's entire skin is regenerated every 27 days.
  • ​DO IT'S JOB. Your skin is a living organ, and has several jobs, all programmed into its DNA.  One of skin's jobs is to grow and shrink with your ever-changing body. Growing and shrinking is what skin does.  Skin is designed to fit your body perfectly, in order to keep the inside in and the outside out.
  • ​SKIN ADJUSTS REGULARLY. Think about the massive skin adjustment in pregnancy and then after having the baby.  Think about when you build or you lose some muscle.  When you swell up like a ballon from an injury.  Your skin is pre-programmed to adjust to all kinds of change. 
  • ​FIRST, REMOVE THE TIRED SKIN. Overweight skin is tired skin. The condition of being overweight is extremely unhealthy, and of course bad for your. Many people's skin is chronically undernourished and dehydrated. (The more you eat, the more your skin starves.) That same skin is being stretched. That same skin may be subject to inflammation-based disease, like eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, etc. That same skin may be subject to fungal and bacterial infection. Unhealthy skin won't perform, so we want to exfoliate.
  • ​SECOND, REGENERATE NEW SKIN.  When the body naturally regenerates the skin, new skin cells are equipped with new collagen and new elastin.

WORK WITH YOUR SKIN'S NATURAL PHYSIOLOGY 

The Skin-Fits-Kit is specifically designed to work with skin's natural biological process -- to equip your skin to "do its job" via:

  • REGENERATE our exclusive SKIN-BUILDER COMPLEX combines fosters a perfect environment for skin cells' natural regeneration process, resulting in NEW COLLAGEN and NEW ELASTIN.
  • ​DEFEND against cellular damage by bacteria, fungi, UV rays, pollutants.
  • NOURISH with a blend of 6 micro and macro algae, the most powerful nutrition on earth.
  • HYDRATE cells to increase elasticity, fight infection, deliver nutrients. Doctors tell us that drinking more water is sufficient to hydrate skin.
  • SKIN-BUILDER COMPLEX: EQUIP YOUR SKIN TO THRIVE. Your result is firmer, healthier skin that can do its job of adjusting to your magnificent weight loss success.

 

H Y P E R - V I G I L A N C E 

 What No One Tells You: 

HOW YOUR BODY WILL LOOK IN THE END IS IN LARGE PART... UP TO YOU.