You’ve lost the weight. Now you want to look great. Patients who’ve had weight loss surgery are anxious to have their loose, excess skin removed, but they may need to wait awhile.

Dr. Moses Shieh, Lee County’s only full-time bariatric surgeon explains. “We like to wait 18 months before we entertain that.” He says body contouring procedures should take place in stages. “For instance a tummy tuck at one time and do the arms later, or do the inner thighs at another time,” explains Dr. Shieh.

He also stresses the importance of waiting until weight loss goals are reached. “It’d be embarrassing to go and get your tummy tucked and then find you lost another 15 to 20 pounds and now you have a little more saggy skin.”

Consider the bigger picture. “We take a lot of before and after photos even before their weight-loss surgery and remind them, you wouldn’t be talking about or worrying about body contouring 12 months ago,” adds Shieh. Dr. Shieh believes a little patience can make a big difference.