Loose skin surgery before and after reddit

Microsoft has responded to a list of concerns regarding its ongoing $68bn attempt to buy Activision Blizzard, as raised by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), and come up with an interesting statistic.

In response to continued questions over whether Microsoft owning Call of Duty would unfairly hobble PlayStation, Microsoft claimed that every COD player on PlayStation could move over to Xbox, and Sony's playerbase would still remain "significantly larger" than its own.

Microsoft does not go into detail on its mental arithmetic here, but does note elswhere in its comments that PlayStation currently has a console install base of 150 million, compared to Xbox's install base of 63.7 million.

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That claim is part of a range of comments given to Eurogamer sister site GamesIndustry.biz in response to the CMA's latest report, which otherwise mostly repeats many of the same concerns raised by the UK regulator - and others around the world - already.

For those following the case, the CMA's latest intervention will not come as a surprise - it is the next step on the regulator's recent roadmap for how and when it will weigh in with its final ruling. This month, we were due the CMA's October "issues statement" - and it seems that this is the document to which Microsoft has now publicly responded.

The usual topics are covered - surrounding the potential for the deal to harm competitors should Microsoft gain too much of an advantage owning Activision Blizzard franchises (mainly, Call of Duty) and therefore being able to leverage their brand power to become a dominant market leader in the console market and cloud streaming.

Specifically, the CMA sees potential for the deal to harm Sony but also other streaming services such as Google (perhaps a moot point now), Amazon and Nvidia.

"Having full control over this powerful catalogue, especially in light of Microsoft's already strong position in gaming consoles, operating systems, and cloud infrastructure, could result in Microsoft harming consumers by impairing Sony's – Microsoft's closest gaming rival – ability to compete," the CMA wrote, "as well as that of other existing rivals and potential new entrants who could otherwise bring healthy competition through innovative multi-game subscriptions and cloud gaming services."

In response, Microsoft said such "unsupported theories of harm" were not enough to even warrant the CMA's current Phase 2 investigation - which was triggered on 1st September.

"The suggestion that the incumbent market leader, with clear and enduring market power, could be foreclosed by the third largest provider as a result of losing access to one title is not credible," Microsoft told GamesIndustry.biz.

"While Sony may not welcome increased competition, it has the ability to adapt and compete. Gamers will ultimately benefit from this increased competition and choice.

"Should any consumers decide to switch from a gaming platform that does not give them a choice as to how to pay for new games (PlayStation) to one that does (Xbox), then that is the sort of consumer switching behavior that the CMA should consider welfare enhancing and indeed encourage. It is not something that the CMA should be trying to prevent."

The CMA is due to notify Microsoft of its provisional findings in January 2023, at which point it can seek possible remedies to any sticking points raised. The regulator's final report - and overall ruling - will then be published no later than 1st March next year.

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Recovery can be painful and insurance often doesn't pay for it, but patients say skin removal surgery benefits them mentally and physically.

Aug. 23, 2019, 1:27 PM UTC/ Source: TODAY

By Meghan Holohan

Even after Jacqueline Adan lost 350 pounds, she knew her journey wasn't over.

The excess skin spilling off her belly, legs, arms and breasts caused pain and made it difficult for her to see the results from her weight loss. She wondered how long she could live with the discomfort.

“I would take the loose skin over being 500 pounds, but I wasn’t living my best life,” the 32 year old from the San Francisco Bay area, told TODAY. “I went to my regular doctor complaining about the skin. It was causing issues not only physically, but also mentally.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BkLIUKqjfCY

While plastic surgeons offer various procedures that remove the loose skin and lift parts of the body that sag after weight loss, insurance companies consider these procedures cosmetic and do not cover them. Adan knew she was on her own.

“No one was helping me," she said.

Adan, who shares her experiences at Jacqueline's Journey, met Dr. Joel Beck, a plastic surgeon at Bay Area Aesthetic Surgery, who knew various procedures could help her quality of life. Adan first had a lower body lift, which removed the skin around the stomach and back and lifted up her bottom and pubic area.

The difference was immediate.

“When I looked down and I didn’t see any of that skin on my stomach or I went to shower I didn’t have to lift it up," she said. "I started hysterically crying.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn42A-uh_eu

Recovery was painful but she knew it would benefit her health in the long.

“It was worth it,” she said.

What is skin removal surgery?

After people lose a lot of weight their skin often hangs off their body, giving a deflated look. The heavy folds of excess skin can cause health problems such as frequent infections and pain.

“You are going to have laxity and excess skin folds, which leads to functional issues such as the skin getting in the way during exercise and activities,” Dr. John Fischer, an assistant professor of surgery and director of the clinical research program at the University of Pennsylvania Health System, told TODAY. "It can lead to wound issues."

https://www.instagram.com/p/BusNZfjHgH5

While insurance normally doesn’t cover skin removal, it sometimes pays for a procedure called a panniculectomy, when doctors remove a fold of skin. While that might fix some of the problems, patients often dislike how it looks because it doesn’t include any contouring. Still, Fischer and other plastic surgeons try to obtain documentation of patient problems to submit to insurance for partial coverage.

“The insurance companies have very specific criteria,” Fischer said. “We have to advocate very, very loudly for patients.”

Doctors want most patients to be done losing weight before they perform skin removal procedures.

“You always want to wait until they get to their lowest point,” Beck told TODAY. “Three to six months after they plateau and they are not losing more weight, that is the time I would consider it.”

Patients with complications, such as uncontrolled diabetes or extremely high blood pressure, do not qualify for surgery, although patients who typically seek skin removal are healthy.

“Many of the patients who lose significant weight reverse many of their medical conditions and they are in a healthy state,” Dr. Michele Shermak, a plastic surgeon in the Baltimore area, told TODAY.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxtMrf9Jv5i

While patients who shed massive amounts of weight often need multiple procedures all over the body, some patients carry only extra skin around their midsection and can get a tummy tuck, or what’s also known as a mommy-makeover to tighten it.

“Most people come to get the abdomen done. It is often the first area they like to address,” Shermak said.

The mental impact of skin removal.

Adan’s reaction to the excess skin isn’t unusual.

“Patients will tell you they feel like they are living in someone else’s body and they haven’t completed their journey,” Dr. Alan Matarasso, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and clinical professor of surgery at Hofstra University, Northwell School of Medicine, told TODAY.

Lexi Reed, known as Fat Girl Fed Up on Instagram, lost 312 pounds and also coped with loose skin. It made exercising tough, but she had no idea how much pain it caused her until her husband, Danny, lifted it, and she felt immediate relief.

“I would be in tears. I would be in so much pain that I thought something was happening to me or I was dying,” the 28-year-old from Indiana told TODAY.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BphzYdRHnG9

Last Halloween she had a 360-bottom lift. Her doctor removed seven pounds of skin from her stomach and back while lifting her butt and reconstructing her abs. She also had the sides of her legs lifted.

Recovery was challenging. The first time she sat up she sobbed. She had drains hanging off her and wore compression garments for weeks, all common during recovery from skin removal. But the pain was worth it.

“I felt all the emotions. For once in my life I could see my toes. For once in my life I could see my belly button. I didn’t even recognize myself in the mirror,” she said.

In September she’s undergoing a 360 top-lift and admitted she’s “nervous but excited.”

While Adan had about seven procedures, her last one on her legs came with one serious potential complication from surgery — poor wound healing or “flap necrosis,” where the skin dies. She needed a skin graft to heal properly. Wound healing and fluid build up are the two most common complications from such procedures.

“Sometimes they get fluid collection under the skin,” Matarasso explained.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BvX79ujBi3J

Even with a second surgery and longer healing time, Adan is happy with her surgeries. She worked with a lawyer to help navigate insurance coverage and reached a resolution.

“I don’t regret any of the decisions I made with skin removal,” she said. “Six to eight weeks of my life to recover is worth it for the rest of my life to be pain free.”

Meghan Holohan

Meghan Holohan is a contributing writer who covers health and parenting for TODAY.com. She enjoys cooking, yoga, reading, music and walking her two rescue dogs. Follow her on Twitter to see her recent stories.

How do you fill loose skin muscles?

Here are six ways you can tighten loose skin..
Firming creams. A good choice for a firming cream is one that contains retinoids, says Dr. ... .
Supplements. While there's no magic pill to fix loose skin, certain supplements may be helpful. ... .
Exercise. ... .
Lose weight. ... .
Massage the area. ... .
Cosmetic procedures..

What happens to excess skin after weight loss?

For small to moderate amounts of weight loss, your skin will likely retract on its own. Natural home remedies may help too. However, more significant weight loss may need body-contouring surgery or other medical procedures to tighten or get rid of loose skin.

Does a Panniculectomy remove fat?

Panniculectomy is a surgery done to remove stretched out, excess fat and overhanging skin from your abdomen. This can occur after a person undergoes massive weight loss.

What is lower body lift surgery?

What is a lower body lift? This procedure, also known as a belt lipectomy, removes loose skin and fat from around your waist. It creates a firm, more toned appearance in your lower body, including your buttocks and abdominal area.