plastic surgery after weightloss recommendations

April 21, 2014 12:08 PM

I lost a lot of weight, and am looking for a plastic surgeon recommendation in the Alexandria, VA/DC area to help with some skin removal and breast reconstruction.

After losing a significant amount of weight (fairly slowly), I'd like to meet with a plastic surgeon to discuss my options in dealing with sagging and extra skin. I have this in the usual places (breasts, arms/underarms, inner thighs, stomach), and while I think I can live with it in some places more than others, I'd like to meet with someone to discuss what's the best course of action for me. At the top of my list is wanting to have my breasts fixed. The other things bother me, but less so.

I need a plastic surgeon who:
- is experienced in dealing with the after-effects of considerable weight-loss
- will help return me to where I naturally should have been had I not been overweight/obese; for example, I don't need my former larger breasts - I'm perfectly happy with more humble, smaller, breasts. I would like to not have any implants put in to return me to something big - but I have a lot of sagging skin.

I live in Alexandria, but anyone in the greater DC area would still be ok. Many thanks.
- preferably a female, but this isn't a must.
- will not sugar-coat things and tell me all the amazing, wonderful things they'll do to make me look fantastic. I'm the kind of person who would much rather hear the honest truth about the expectations and what's involved, even if painful and negative, so that I can go in fully informed.

posted by anonymous to Health & Fitness (3 answers total)

Check with your general practitioner for a referral. I lost ~150 lbs, and a few years later mentioned to my doctor the chaffing I was getting in my loose areas, and he was able to refer me to a plastic surgeon. My understanding is this type of surgery is much more common for women who might have these issues not just due to weight loss but also from childbirth, particularly for multiples. The added benefit of this is that your GP is in the loop and can help monitor things down the line.

I have not yet gone through with the surgery, but I'm still thinking about it, so I'd appreciate hearing about your experience with it via memail if you wouldn't mind.
posted by I am the Walrus at 1:19 PM on April 21, 2014

I had a breast reduction done by Roberta Gartside a couple years ago and she did a fantastic job. I could not be happier with the results. I know she does reconstructions and other plastic surgery procedures as well and she has offices in Reston and McLean. Best of luck!
posted by fancypants at 6:14 PM on April 21, 2014

You may also want to check on websites specifically related to losing weight. Two sites I like are 3FatChicks (started by 3 sisters supporting each other on their weight loss journey) and Thinner Times (specifically related to weight loss surgery, but has a lot of good info on plastic surgery also). The links go to the subforums related to plastic surgery.

Congratulations on your loss!
posted by elmay at 2:40 AM on April 22, 2014