Excess skin after weight loss
Losing a hundred pounds or more is an achievement. Being left with heavy folds of loose skin that interfere with walking, hygiene and getting clothes to fit is the part nobody warns you about — and in most cases, removing it surgically is the only lasting solution.
We offer straightforward skin removal for patients who have completed their weight loss with us. It's a practical operation aimed at the problems the extra skin is causing you day to day, and it's the step that makes the weight loss feel finished.
More than appearance
Excess skin is a functional problem before it's a cosmetic one. Most patients come to us for the first reason and are surprised by how much the second one matters too.
Movement and balance
Heavy skin folds get in the way of walking and affect your balance. Removing them makes exercise possible again — which matters for keeping the weight off.
Skin health and hygiene
Skin trapped against skin stays damp. Chronic irritation, rashes and recurring infections are common, and they don't clear up while the fold is still there.
Seeing the result
Clothes that fit, and a body that reflects the work you've put in. Patients tell us this is what keeps them going.
When is the right time?
Skin removal is done once, properly. Operating before your weight has settled means doing it again later, so it's worth waiting for the right moment.
We'll talk about timing at your consultation and look at where you are in your weight loss before scheduling anything.
What we'll look at first
- Your weight has been stable for several months
- Your nutrition and bloodwork are in good order — healing depends on protein and vitamin levels, which need watching after bariatric surgery
- You're not smoking. Smoking substantially raises the risk of wound problems in skin removal surgery, so stopping well beforehand isn't optional
Will insurance pay for it?
Sometimes, partly. It depends on what your records show — and it's worth resolving before anything is scheduled.
Insurers are more likely to cover skin removal when there's documented functional impairment: recurring skin infections, rashes that don't clear with treatment, difficulty moving. What usually decides it is documentation — photographs, treatment records, a history showing the problem has persisted.
Start that record now, before you apply. It's much harder to build after the fact. Where a procedure is considered cosmetic, it's paid for privately, and we'll give you a written estimate before you commit to anything.
Every plan is different. Our office can tell you what yours requires and help put the documentation together — call 913-322-7408, or see our price transparency page.
Come and talk it through
A consultation is where this gets specific — what your skin is actually doing, whether surgery would help, when, and what it's likely to cost. Bring your questions.
Still considering weight loss surgery? Start with bariatric surgery at MISH.