Hello i have done a year ago a gastric sleeve surgery under a national medical scheme in Portugal after 9 year waiting period

[paulolopes]

Im living and working in the uk for over 2 years and Im staying for the rest of my live i lost in this surgery arround 50 kg I had before surgery 135kg now I have arround 89 kg and have a lot of skin in all of my body that is cousing a lot of problems to my personal life and health including professional life i need to remove that from my body but i dont know what to do were to go i tried to speack with my GP but it says that is cosmetic surgery and i cant do nothing Im getting depress with this situation i have shame of my body more than when i was fat i dont want to use tshirt because i have breats i have under belly fat that is starting to cover my genital area and i trie to dont have any intim contact with my girfriend because when I am with her there is a lot of strange sound made by the lose skin and fat i dont know what to do were to go my GP says it cant help i live in preston area I need help please

[Hidden]

Hi paulolopes,

Generally, the surgical removal of skin folds caused by significant weight loss is not undertaken by surgeons until you have stabilised your weight.

The reasons for that are probably a bit obvious. If they cut off the folds of flesh and you then start gaining weight again, then there's going to be problems because you can only stretch skin so much.

Or, if they cut off the excess folds and you lose more weight, then it's a second significant surgical procedure and all surgical procedures have some risk associated with them.

I think it may be worthwhile discussing this with your GP again and ask him, quite bluntly,

1) if not now, then when?

2) for a referreal to a surgeon to explore a way forward / discuss it further.

Significant skin folds are usually associated with higher levels of weight loss, i.e. around 6 or 7 stone or more.

But different people's skins have differing amounts of elasticity, so each case will differ.

And a petite person who has loss 7 stones of body mass, may well have a bigger problem than a tall, big-boned person who has lost the same amount.

[paulolopes in reply to Hidden]

hello thanks for the reply i lost arround 8 stones i have 1m64 hight, my weight is the same for the last months only going up and down 1 to 2 kg nothing more and so i think i have stabilised my weight, and my gp just avoid go further when i speack with him about that, and today i told him abouth the skin that is starting to cover my genital area and it simple sayd its normal that and its cosmetic surgery no one will do that and finish the conversation there so i dont know what else i can do and were i can go i dont have money to pay a private clinic to do that tipe of surgery because is in several part of my body and that means several surgerys

[Hidden]

Hi paulolopes,

Perhap you could make contact again with the surgical team who performed the gastric sleeve procedure and ask them for advice?

Perhaps you should consult another GP? For example, perhaps talk with another doctor at the practice (if there are multiple GPs there) or with the practice nurse?

Or make contact with your local Hospital Trust and ask them how it might be possible to progress with your issue?