Daily Column

November 21st, 2008

DEAR DR. GOTT:
Over the past 18 months, my 28-year-old granddaughter has been on your no flour, no sugar diet. She has lost 170 pounds and uses a treadmill for one hour every day. Her only problem now is getting rid of the extra skin on her arms and belly. Do you know what sort of exercises she can do that will make this skin shrink?

DEAR READER:
First, I would like to congratulate your granddaughter on her astonishing weight loss.

Skin is very stretchy and often reshapes as weight is lost. This, however, doesn’t always happen. The longer the skin remains stretched out, the less likely it will return to normal. Your granddaughter has discovered this the hard way.

To the best of my knowledge there is no way to tighten the skin other than surgical removal of the excess. This can be expensive and is a major operation. If not done correctly, too much can be removed. This can cause the wounds to break open, become infected and lead to massive scarring.

If your granddaughter is truly bothered by the skin or if it is causing problems, she should consult a plastic surgeon to discuss her case thoroughly. She needs to find someone whom she trusts and feels confident with. He or she needs to explain how the procedure is done, the potential risks involved and can decide whether or not your granddaughter is a good candidate for the surgery.

This is decision is not to be taken lightly and must be completely thought out beforehand.