Bikini sleeve trend, to not think it deserves so much praise!

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Huge trend here at the moment of several Mum friends / colleagues going to Egypt for the fashionable new trend of having a Bikini Sleeve operation. I have 4 friends and several more acquaintances that have had it done recently. Off to Egypt they go, return home, disappear for a few weeks then slowly reappear several stone slimmer. The 4 friends I know have lost 33 stone between them.
AIBU to think having this procedure done doesn't deserve as much adoring praise as it gets?
Lots of FB / Insta comments of "Well done!"
They are all in debt from having it done and now considering getting in more debt for follow up operations to rid them of the excess skin.
I'm probably very naive at the recovery process, I've no doubt it is difficult and painful but I worry about the example it is setting.
Thoughts?

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/gastric-balloon-for-weight-loss#:~:text=The%20balloon%20is%20then%20filled,are%20less%20hungry%20between%20meals. This sounds like a much less scary alternative.

I was a size 16/18 at 15 and a half stone. That's 5 stone overweight and well into obese. Do you think that's not a problem?

I thought it was a swimsuit top with 'sleeves'. I think I seen it on shein?!
I'm fearful of the idea of surgery abroad. I've heard so many stories about it going wrong.
I simply would not want cut price surgery in a foreign country that isn't remotely medically required. Then if it's botched they present at the NHS blocking up the service for less vain and foolish people who've got actual medical conditions. Soz, that sounds harsh. Everyone deserves the NHS but yeah, I'm kind of against the whole concept.

This isnt necessarily true.

My friend had a sleeve on the NHS and hasn't had any follow up help psychologically.

She had to follow a preop programme about nutrition via zoom and loose 1 stone before the op on her own but since the actual operation she's only had follow ups to record her weight and check incisions and functionality.

Nothing to help her deal with the emotional after math of the sleeve and nothing mental health related at all.

She's struggled alot with it.

I mean have you seen a British hospital? Why assume one in turkey or Egypt is substandard?

3 of the women having sleeves with me in the hospital were having balloons removed and sleeves done in place.

They don't actually do the balloon in many places now as it's just not deemed effective.

Agreed.

OP, in what way exactly is it setting a bad example for children? Should people just live with obesity until their bodies give up? Or are you going back to the traditional fatshaming ‘move more and eat less’ mantra, because telling people that is so effective?

I'd like to point out that I was very much abused as a child and had food used as a weapon against me.

It was withheld and it was also used as a silencer, a reward.

I have autism and food is also a way I self soothe.
I don't have friends, I had food, that was my comfort after a hard day.

I used it inappropriately and had a very toxic relationship with it.

I'm not lazy or greedy.

I'm a mentally fucked up, neuro diverse person who did her best but had 3 pregnancies and just gained and gained and gained.

It's not a choice.

Do you think people truly choose to be 19stone? If they could help it?

It makes me sad to think people might see me, 100lbs lighter and think like the OP does. Even after seeing how much better my life is now.

I’m a doctor. Never ever do this. Don’t cut corners, don’t do it abroad. You could die during surgery. Or come back and end up in icu with complications. It’s not the same standard as the nhs. They could end up with no functioning bowel left and lifelong chronic health problems. They are insane! I feel desperately sad as these clinics dupe patients into thinking it’s a safe option when it’s not. Bariatric surgery pstients need long term clinic follow up to prevent serious issues in the future.

Please make sure they’re aware they’ll need supplements and long term monitoring. It’s essential. They risk death otherwise! We follow the nhs ones up in clinic for years.

Why are you calling it a bikini sleeve? What does that mean?

They do. Private clinics will do it.

I have so much empathy as a doctor for patients living with obesity. I’m a registrar but want to specialise on obesity. Please please do not go abroad. Seek help on nhs or take out a loan for uk treatment. The waiting lists are appalling in the uk but going to turkey is putting your life on the line.

Thanks for pointing this out.

Sadly, so many people are obsessed with appearance and ignore risks. Medical and cosmetic surgery tourism is huge.

Same. I thought it sounded like a good idea to let the rest of my body catch up with my farmer's tan arms. Bit disappointed if I'm honest.

33 stone between 4 friends? That works out over 8 stone each. 8 stone?? They must have been very very overweight.

This is obviously an advert - but I can’t believe someone would do this.
Eat less, don’ risk your life because you’re too lazy to exercise or diet.

🙄

Honestly thought this was about those swimsuits that are out right now with chiffon sleeves

Tell us you have never had a weight problem without telling us you have never had a problem.

@theeyeofdoe Eh? An advert?

Absolutely! I work in a GP surgery and it's not uncommon to have patients expecting us to pick up the post op monitoring/bloods etc and they don't realise that we wont do this for surgery undertaken privately. If something goes wrong catastrophically then you'd get treated obviously, but any routine bloods/monitoring that is really necessary will only happen if you continue to pay for it, which of course people rarely factor in.

Are you overweight OP?

Someone I know recently did this and has lost over 10 stone. She also joined a gym and works incredibly hard to lose weight. She was very overweight before and stuck in a rut as couldn’t exercise and had failed to lose weight on conventional diets. She’s also gone abroad since the weight loss to have excess skin removed.

she looks incredible but personally o would be very wary of surgery abroad.
it’s worked for her and she hasn’t regretted it

@determinedtomakethiswork Not exactly, but good try. I've never considered having an operation for weight loss due to my size, No. But I'm in no means perfect, the thread was purely opened for healthy discussion.