While we are constantly bombarded with stories of dramatic weight loss journeys and incredible body transformations, what we are not told about, is what the aftermath of this can be. Yes, losing weight, in general, is a good thing. But, for people who were obese before they shed the pounds, it can leave them with a bit of an issue.
A woman has revealed the dramatic results of her skin removal operation that she underwent after losing a staggering 360lbs.
Melanie, 29, from Dallas, Texas, was left with rolls of excess skin after she underwent two bariatric surgeries over the course of five years, which resulted in her weight dropping to 175lbs.
Appearing on the TLC show Skin Tight, Melanie revealed that she dreamt of being a "normal" 29-year-old, with her confessing that she has to wear two body shapers at once in order to hide her excess skin.
According to Melanie, "dating is really hard," with one man cancelling on their first date after touching the skin on her arm.
But, now in love and feeling confident in herself, Melanie's new boyfriend and her family were there to congratulate her on her dramatic new look.
Following her dramatic transformation, Melanie spoke about how her body had appeared to deflate. She said:
"You can just feel the extra skin weighing on your bones. When it pulls on your body, it feels heavy, you can feel the skin rubbing together.
"The [swimming] pool is the only workout where I don't feel the skin weighing me down.
"I've been going to the pool when it's not busy but I get very nervous when there are other people there. I feel that people are going to judge me, look at me, laugh at me.
"And I get it, I'm not stupid, but it still hurts. I try so hard to look normal but you can't really hide all this excess skin.'
"A good chunk of what I do during the day is around the maintenance of my skin."
Melanie would douse herself with talcum powder in order to prevent unpleasant odours and sweats before squeezing herself into the shape control clothing.
"I feel like I'm supposed to be something else, like I'm supposed to do something else, said Melanie. "I can't do it with this body."
Eventually, she was approved for skin removal surgery by Dr Younan Nozaradan, with it being planned out over three different procedures.
For the first surgery, Melanie underwent a 360 degree abdominoplasty. However, there were complications when she first arrived and revealed that she had eaten breakfast that morning. This meant that she then had to have her stomach pumped before she was allowed on the operating table.
Since the surgery, Melanie has lost a whopping 14 lbs of excess skin and is absolutely delighted with the results. Despite this, she has had to delay the two further surgeries due to the fact that she is moving apartment.
While Melanie's weight loss is undoubtedly impressive, it does show the impact that such a dramatic transformation can have on the body - something which is not often spoken about.
