They lost kilos with the injections to lose weight, but then the flaccid skin came

After lowering almost 38 kilos since December with the help of weight loss injections, Emilly Murray has been left with an unwanted memory of his old body: flaccid skin.

“I can’t wear what I want to dress,” says Liverpool’s woman, 35. “I can’t show my legs because I have so much skin that hangs on my knees.”

Although he does not regret having lost weight for the health benefit, Emilly says that the flaccid skin of his thighs “really depresses me” since he cohifes her and the way she looks naked makes her feel like a “catfish.”

“It looks good when everything is collected, but then when I get my clothes, I see myself as a 90 -year -old old woman. It’s horrible.”

This month two years have passed since the Wegovy injection for weight loss was available through the National Health Service of the United Kingdom (NHS) for patients who particularly attended a weight loss management clinics in England, Wales and Scotland. The treatment has been available for private consultations since 2023.

Another drug for weight loss, Mounjaro, was available for private medicine in February 2024 and through NHS in June. Drugs, which work by repressing appetite, are not suitable for everyone and can cause severe side effects.

Many people attribute their rapid weight loss to the injections that apply at home, but some are finding that their self -esteem has been hit by the way their arms, stomach, breasts and thighs are seen now.

Others also see flaccid skin on their cheeks and neck, generating the term “face ozempic” that appears on social networks.

When someone gains weight, their skin adapts and stretches, but when their skin loses weight it can be kept stretched, explains Nora Nugent, president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS).

“The faster it is (weight loss), there is more flaccid skin,” he adds.

In some cases, flaccid skin can cause irritation and generate infections, but for many people, the effects are less severe and more an unwanted hindrance.

In communities On Line Dedicated to weight loss, people share tips on how to reduce skin sagging increasing the muscles, taking collagen supplements or using lotions.

But Nora Nugent points out that after “significant” weight loss, surgery is the only effective option. And for those who have overcome their weight problems, the cost of an operation usually represents an additional challenge.

Health or cosmetics

There are several types of procedures to remove flaccid skin, collectively known as body molding, but are not usually available through NHS except in cases where patients meet specific criteria.

They would need to demonstrate that their flaccid skin interferes significantly with their daily activities such as bathing and dressing on its own, expresses Mark Soldin, a plastic surgeon who works in a private practice and for the NHS.

Obesity treatment is a priority for health service, since weight loss can reduce the risk of developing serious diseases associated with obesity. These include cancer and cardiovascular disease, whose treatments cost NHS an estimated US $ 15,000 million a year.

But Soldin says that body molding is mainly considered as cosmetic and low priority surgery for NHS administrators who must decide how to use the limited funds of the government.

“There are much more important things to solve for NHS; people who have suffered traumas such as fracture of legs, heart attacks and others,” he tells us.

The surgeon points out that some patients in the area where he works – London and the neighboring County of Surrey – could face such high accounts as about US $ 54,000 if they cannot have access to surgery through the NHS and choose to do it with a private practice.

However, that depends on the amount of flaccid skin you have and the procedure you want in particular. The most common are for the face, belly, thighs and breasts.

Emilly aspires to raise enough money for surgery in the spring of the next year. “I am trying to save but also, perhaps, I have to consider loans or credit cards.”

Grace Parkin, who lives in Sheffield, has saved enough money to undergo the procedure he wants – a abdominoplasty, liposuction and breast lifting – but he will do it abroad where he is cheaper.

“I have made the effort, I went down 57 kilos and spent years and years hating how I look,” says the 34 -year -old woman. “I want to see how I aspire to see me.”

Although traveling abroad for surgery is also something that should be considered carefully.

“I know some people who go without problem, but we are raising data from people returning from surgery abroad with complications,” says Nugent.

Its organization, BAAPS, represents plastic surgeons who practice privately in the United Kingdom.

“Abdominoplasties are one of the most common procedures with which they return with complications,” he says.

The NHS recommends people who are considering going abroad for surgery who discuss the issue with their general doctors first.

Charmaine Hines considers surgery as a “last resort” due to the costs it implies and the possible sequelae (scars) with which it can remain.

And because skin extraction surgeries can take up to six hours, they carry greater risks of medical complications such as hypothermia, runs and infection.

Like Emilly, Charmaine lost 38 kilos and states similar frustrations with how her body looks now.

But, in case I change their minds, he has been saving some money for a abdominoplasty.

“In your mind you think this is a fairy tale, that in the end you will have a fantastic body and you are going to look in the mirror and you will feel fantastic,” says the 35 -year -old woman who lives in Newtown, in the center of Wales.

“Unfortunately, that is not the case, because with that comes the skin (flaccid).”

However, not all people are unhappy with flaccid skin.

“I simply accept it,” says Laura Hughes, 47, of Aberdeen, Scotland. “It doesn’t bother me.”

He did not worry about staying with flaccid skin when he started taking medications to reduce weight a year ago, and has lost 76 kilos since then.

During that time, he noticed the gradual appearance of flaccid skin, especially in his arms.

Laura affirms that medications have “changed completely” his life since he could scarely walk and “did not come out” much.

Now publish selfies In social networks and has begun to take DJ classes, something that never felt comfortable before.

“I am recovering the lost time.”

Click here To read more BBC News World Stories.

Subscribe here To our new newsletter to receive every Friday a selection of our best content of the week.

You can also follow us in YouTube, Instagram, Tiktok, X, Facebook and in our WhatsApp channel.

And remember that you can receive notifications in our app. Download the latest version and act.