skin biology hypothetical question(VERY IMPORTANT!!!!!)

[evan]

Just went in for a consult with a plastic surgeon(VERY reputable)
I was once very heavy 328 and i lost it and ot into body building.
I got down to 159 at one point(28-29 inch waist and had visable abs with only a small amount of lower abdominal skin(latent fat) but had a larer amount in the lower back/posterier and chest region. I am now at 185 32-34 inch waist.
To make a lon story short he ave me an exam and said the only thin he could do was a beltectomy(full body lift surgery)
I suggested instead a combination of lipo-dissolve and titan laser treatment(I am only in early 20's btw) to remove the latent fat and then retihten the skin. He said this would not work but i am quite sure he has never actually tried this and i am a lean individual and can et leaner if need. He made the statement i am a surgeon i know surgery when i told him why i thought why it would work (collagen and elastin would resynthesize after lipodissolve removed the small amount of latent fat cells) especially due to my young age and relativley low bodyfat. He did not want to argue science and just responded with it won't work, i am a surgeon i look at it from a surgical stand point.

does anyone here with a backround in cell biology or medicine have a second opinion

 

[jmh80]

Go see another doctor.

 

[evan]

what kind of doctor(general or specialist of some sort?)
, he also said anyone that reccommended lipodissolve/titan was just after my money .

I just don't agree with this guy, i dont question his ability as a surgeon, only his understanding of cell biology .

I have seen pics of candidates for the sugery he reccomeded and their fat content was MUCH higher then mine, and i can see why lipo/titan wouldnt work for them.

He even said he wasn't removing any fat as there wasn't enough to remove

as i said i have gained some weight that i could reduce fairly quickly 1-2 months.

I am just very wary of jumping into a 13,000 dollar surgery if there are other options

do any of the anti-aging docs on here have an opinion

 

[jmh80]

I have no idea. I would think someone in a large city like LA or NY would know more about stuff like this than someone in a smaller city.

 

[JanSz]

what kind of doctor(general or specialist of some sort?)
, he also said anyone that reccommended lipodissolve/titan was just after my money .

I just don't agree with this guy, i dont question his ability as a surgeon, only his understanding of cell biology .

I have seen pics of candidates for the sugery he reccomeded and their fat content was MUCH higher then mine, and i can see why lipo/titan wouldnt work for them.

He even said he wasn't removing any fat as there wasn't enough to remove

as i said i have gained some weight that i could reduce fairly quickly 1-2 months.

I am just very wary of jumping into a 13,000 dollar surgery if there are other options

do any of the anti-aging docs on here have an opinion

Try doctor who does cosmetic surgery and is into bodybuilding himself.

There is one in around Verona NJ.
Correct address escapes me at the moment but hi have some kind of bussiness association with my chiropractor so I could come up with name and phone if really pressed.

 

[evan]

dr.John do you know anything about this

 

[T-Bone]

I'm not sure about this, but I think your body will tighten up on its own eventually if it is just loose skin you are talking about....There has to be another way besides surgery...

 

[evan]

While i am not sure on the specifics as i do not have adequate education here is why i dont think it will go back by itself. but please remeber i am not an expert on the topic i just want everyone to see where my train of thought is coming from

1.When one reaches a certain weight the fat cells fill to the Brim so to speak and surpass a genetically(though most humans should be similar) determined surface to volume ratio they actually split and the number of total fat cells in the individual should, theoretically greatly increase. When one loses weight however these cells greatly retract in size not in number (ex. post obese 180 pound male 100 billion tiny fat cells vs normal 180 10 billion large at cells)

2. Due to evolution density(number) of fat cells(fat stores) vary at different parts of the body(ex torso guards vital organs therfore requires more energy(fat) then say the forearm which store very little fat and would not suffer nearly as much


3.. Also all cells have receptor proteins, even the shrunk "latent" fat cells. I think this may interfere with the skins ability to eventually retract through collagen and elastin resynthesis, basically sending a signal to the brain an therfore the intemugary(skin, sorry dfor bad spelling) system "hey im still here taking up space". Removal of the actual fat cells through lipodissolve or real lipo(yes i know there is a "phantom" signal from the original cells, going by the satelite cell theory but i don't think it would be that strong) should halt the message to the brain, and the increase collagen and elastin synthesis from the laser(titan) should allow the skin to retract.

Obviously this would not work in the case of an individual with a lot of fat stores but even by the surgeons own admission ther just aint that much fat(pounds not cell volume) to lose

 

[evan]

the only reason i could see this not being possible is that alot of the problem is located torwards the lower posterial section of my torso and i dont know how effective lipodissolve is on that area