1000-Lb. Sisters fans couldn’t be prouder of Tammy Slaton for qualifying for bariatric surgery. During the first several seasons of the show, she really struggled to make meaningful changes. But the journey isn’t over yet.
Tammy may have a long road ahead of her and obstacles to overcome.
Tammy Slaton’s weight loss journey is far from over
It goes without saying that medical procedures can be wildly expensive — especially if they’re considered cosmetic. Tammy finally got the bariatric surgery she needed to survive. But now, she has a lot of excess skin. And fixing this issue may be easier said than done.
“If you lose around 100 pounds or more like Tammy has, then you wind up with extra skin,” Dr. Richard Westreich told The Sun recently, weighing in on the TLC star’s situation. “After the initial extreme weight loss, skin presents underneath the chin as seen in Tammy’s Instagram photos. After bariatric surgery and extreme weight loss, it’s usual to have extra skin, since it can’t shrink enough.”
Fans that follow Tammy Slaton on social media can clearly see that her face is slimmer. However, she is left with a bit of a bulging area around her neck. And according to Dr. Westreich, no amount of diet or exercise will be able to fix that.
“The fat loss and the extra skin are no different than wearing old clothes. Obviously your clothes from when you were heavier will hang off your body, and skin is no different,” the physician continued. “Skin can shrink, but only by a variable degree. If you put your clothes in the dryer and shrink them, they’ll only shrink so much and can be still too big.”
He went on to say that patients like Tammy often have serious issues with their neck, face, arms, legs, and lower abdomen area. Normal skin tightening procedures don’t normally work in situations like these.
Corrective surgery may be her only option.
Permanent lifestyle changes would be absolutely necessary
However, Dr. Westreich notes that corrective surgery is extremely long and costs a significant amount of money. He notes that a neck lift by itself could take up to five hours and cost $35,000.
The entire cost of necessary specialized skin tightening procedures could cost up to a whopping $85,000 and take about half a day to do everything.
But the worst part is that all the procedures could be in vain if Tammy doesn’t stick to her lifestyle changes.
“If she gains weight again after any skin surgeries, the skin will stretch again and she’ll be back to where she started,” Dr. Westreich concluded.
Tammy Slaton and her family don’t have much money on their own. However, they may be able to pay for the procedures with TLC’s help. This may be a storyline the network is exploring behind the scenes.
If 1000-Lb. Sisters returns for Season 5, this could be a focal point.
Stay tuned for more news and updates on Tammy Slaton and the rest of her family. You won’t want to miss out!