The "S" Word......

Hmmm....which word am I referring to? You may get a little creative if you'd like, but I'll go ahead and clarify for you. Any one who has undergone bariatric surgery is familiar with the "S" word and the issues surrounding it.

Skin. What happens to your skin when you lose weight rapidly? For each person, there may be a different answer. For me, it has been quite an interesting transition. My skin has always, always been very dry and sensitive. I will say that the sensitivity has not changed, but the dryness is virtually gone. My calluses are almost completely gone from my feet. My heels are no longer cracked. I don't have to sleep with Heeltastic on my feet every night.  In place of dry, scaly hands, I now have soft, smooth and visibly younger looking skin.

What causes this change? I don't have a scientific answer for that, but I do beleive it's due in part to diet and in part to hormones. I ate very healthy prior to surgery. That may be hard to beleive for some of you, but it's the truth none the less. Could refined carbohydrates cause skin problems? I don't know. Maybe. But to be truthful, I don't really care to know the why. All I am looking forward to is the end result.

Skin. It's our largest organ. It's the first thing you see when you meet someone. I think it's a pretty good idea to take care of it. I have always used a nourishing, organic lotion on my skin. Now I've added organic sweet almond oil to my moisturization process. I mostly added that because I know that my skin is going through some major changes. I am hoping to keep it nourished from the outside, as well as from the inside (via nutrition and vitamins).

I have heard many times that you have to take the bad with the good. Yes, there have already been some "bad" things with the good changes I've experienced. I am starting to see some saggy skin on my upper thighs. I guess that means that I am losing fat there, which is a good thing. I am hopeful that my skin will catch up, in time, and shrink. The other "bad" is the infamous stretch mark. I have found a some white ones on my arms, as a result of weight loss. While I don't like them, I am thankful to be thinning down. I accept them. They are my badges of honor from this battle with obesity. And guess what....I am winning.

So today, I am thankful for my skin. I am thankful for this body that God has created for my spirit to live in. I haven't always appreciated it. I haven't always taken care of it. That makes me sad, but inspires me to be better, to do better, to love more, to cherish. Ever grateful. Always thankful.

Love, Peace and Joy,
Rachel