Why I decided to get plastic surgery

After losing a significant amount of weight, there’s often an expectation that you’ll look trim and fit. But, that’s not always the case. The ugly side of losing a lot of weight is extra skin and it’s not talked about that often. The reason being is that some people have it and some don’t. Some people’s skin bounces back immediately and others are left with sagging skin no matter what they do.

At my current weight, I weigh less than I did when I was 12 years old….significantly. In fact, I can remember when the weight I pretended to be was 185 pounds which is 45 pounds heavier than I am now!

Unfortunately, this means that my skin has been stretched out for 21 years and no amount of hydration, strength training or moisturizing was going to get it back to where it should be.

The extra skin makes it difficult to see your body for the size it really is, contributing to body dysmorphia that many people suffer from (myself included).

It can also be uncomfortable, especially if you’re active. Even with compression gear, I could feel the extra skin on my thighs and arms with each stride during runs. The arms were definitely the most uncomfortable because, while long sleeved compression shirts helped in the Winter, it was way too hot to wear them in the summer.

3-week post-op versus the day before surgery

Because of this, I decided to get an arm and an inner thigh lift. This was not a decision that I took lightly and if you’re thinking about it, do your research on the procedures, recovery time and doctors.

Being located in NYC meant that I had a lot of choices when it came to surgeons which made it difficult to find someone that I trusted. I ended up meeting with two different doctors and decided to schedule with the second surgeon I met with, Dr. Joshua Zuckerman.

How did I choose? Both doctors had similar results and expertise when it came to operating on patients that had lost a lot of weight. Ultimately, my decision came down to the rapport I had with Dr. Zuckerman and the time he spent with me to walk me through the procedure and educate me on expectations.

Choosing a surgeon is incredibly difficult because you don’t spend that much time with them before surgery so you have to rely on information and reviews available and how comfortable you felt with them during the consultation and pre-op appointment.

I’ll post more about my recovery and how I’m healing in subsequent posts. If you’re considering plastic surgery, remember to do your homework. It’s an incredibly personal choice but like many choices, people have a lot of opinions on it. Do what’s right for you and let it be your guide.