A woman has unveiled the dramatic results of her skin removal operation – following a staggering 360 lbs (25 stone 10 lbs) weight loss.
Melanie, 29, from Dallas, Texas, was left with rolls of unsightly skin after undergoing two bariatric surgeries over the course of five years, which took her weight down to 175 lbs (12 stone 7 lbs).
Revealing her plight on TLC show Skin Tight this week, Melanie said she dreamed of being a ‘normal’ 29-year-old after confessing she had to wear two body shapers at once to hide her excess skin.
She admitted: ‘Dating is really hard,’ and told how one man had cruelly cancelled a first date after touching the skin on her arm.
Look at me now: Melanie, 29, from Dallas, Texas, was left with rolls of unsightly skin after undergoing weight loss surgery which took her weight down to 175 lbs (12 stone 7 lbs), left, but is delighted with her new look, right
Prior to her weight loss surgery Melanie’s health was at risk, but she dropped a staggering 360 lbs (25 stone 10 lbs) before having her excess skin surgically removed
But after finally finding love, her new boyfriend joined her family in congratulating her on her dramatic new look.
Following her ‘wonderful’ weight loss, Melanie told how her body 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.’
The 29-year-old before her life-changing operation. Melanie was approved for skin removal surgery by Dr Younan Nozaradan, with it being planned over three different procedures
Self-conscious: Melanie admitted that dating was ‘really hard,’ and confessed one man had cancelled a first date after he touched her arm and felt the skin on it
Melanie in hospital. For the first surgery, Melanie underwent a 360 degree abdominoplasty although there were some complications when she arrived at the hospital and revealed she had eaten breakfast that morning
She showed cameras how she doused herself head to toe with talcum powder to reduce unpleasant odours and sweatiness before squeezing into her two shape control garments.
‘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.’
She was eventually approved for skin removal surgery by Dr Younan Nozaradan, with it being planned over three different procedures.
For the first surgery, Melanie underwent a 360 degree abdominoplasty although there were some complications when she arrived at the hospital and revealed she had eaten breakfast that morning.
Ahead of her first skin removal procedure, she had to have her stomach pumped before she could get on the operating table
Fresh start: Melanie was delighted with the results of her skin removal operation and showed them off to her family and new boyfriend
Happy ending: After finally finding love, Melanie’s new boyfriend joined her family in congratulating her on her dramatic new look
Melanie had previously admitted that dating was ‘hard’ due to her mounds of excess skin – but she is now on the road to recovery after undergoing her first skin removal operation
This meant she had to have her stomach pumped before she could get on the operating table.
But she had the surgery and lost a whopping 14 lbs (1 stone) of excess skin.
She was delighted with the results and showed them off to her family and new boyfriend.
However she postponed the following two surgeries to deal with some personal issues including finding a new apartment after her relationship broke down with her friend and roommate who couldn’t deal with her new body and confidence.