Chef loses 13st with gastric bypass but NHS refuses to remove his FOUR STONE of excess skinChef loses 13st with gastric bypass but NHS refuses to remove his FOUR STONE of excess skin

Jason Young, 29, is carrying three-and-a-half stone of excess skin after losing 13 stone from weight loss surgery

A chef who lost 13 stone after gastric bypass surgery is furious that the NHS has denied him second operation to remove three and a half stone of excess skin.
Jason Young, 29, from Nottingham, ballooned to 31 stone and underwent the £10,000 surgery eight years ago.
His weight has since plummeted to 18 stone and he has been left carrying huge folds of saggy skin.
But Mr Young claims the follow-up operation he was promised to remove the skin has been repeatedly turned down.
He says the excess skin is now making his life so miserable he's even considered suicide.
Mr Young - who says he gained weight because of an under active thyroid - said: 'I was delighted when I was accepted for the gastric bypass.
'After years of putting on weight as a teenager I thought my life would finally change for the better.
'They promised me a follow-up operation to remove the skin, but they keep fobbing me off and I'm getting desperate.
'The skin's so heavy on my front it makes my back hurt when I stand. I don't understand how I can be rejected for surgery which I clearly need.'
A gastric bypass is a permanent operation where part of the digestive system is removed so the patient can only absorb around 50 per cent of the calories he consumed.
Within a month of the operation at St James Hospital in Leeds, Mr Young had shed over three stone and in less than a year his weight plunged to 18 stone.
The bachelor says his last relationship broke down because his girlfriend couldn't handle his stress and mood swings.

He has recently moved in with his father to be closer to the pub where he is now working but says his skin condition is ruining his life.
'I've been waiting eight years and it's making my life a living hell - I've got excess skin everywhere and it's horrible,' he says.
'I've got no self-confidence and I'm too ashamed of my body to go swimming or wear tight clothes.

Overweight: Jason says he started piling on the pounds as a teenager due to an underactive thyroid

'I feel like I won't be able to have another relationship until I've had the surgery and it's removed.'
Jason is now planning to appeal against the hospital's refusal to give him the skin removal operation.
Excess skin is extremely common after weight loss surgery, explains Guido Kohler, a plastic surgeon who works privately and at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
‘This excess skin after weight loss is the same skin damage that occurs during pregnancy — but all over the body,’ he says.
Factors that affect how much skin is left after a dramatic weight loss include age, how quickly the weight was lost (gastric bands are slower than bypasses, for example), and, for women, the number of children she has had.
‘After extreme weight loss, many patients develop an “apron” of skin around the abdomen, and loose skin under the arms, chest and inner thighs,’ explains Mr Kohler. ‘It can all be very uncomfortable and upsetting.’

 

 

Jason claims he was promised a follow-up operation to remove the skin but repeated requests to have it done have been turned down

 

 

This excess skin can cause a range of medical problems, too.
One of the most common is intertrigo — a bacterial, fungal, or viral infection that occurs often due to the difficulty in keeping these folds of excess skin clean and dry.
Patients also find the folds of skin make it difficult to exercise. Excess skin is a problem particularly for people who undergo bariatric (weight loss) surgery.
Mr Kohler says: ‘Sadly, there are some patients who do not seem to have been prepared for this situation beforehand, and post-weight loss can be a very disappointing and psychologically damaging time for them. Some do question why they had the surgery in the first place.’