Woman Who Lost 200 Pounds Reveals 'Horrific' Results of Tummy Tuck

As she woke up after surgery, Victoria Michaels immediately knew something was seriously wrong.

She had just undergone an operation after losing around 190 pounds through hard work and medical support. She'd hoped that the surgery would remove the excess skin that resulted but was left with weeping wounds and pain so bad that at one point she had to call 9-1-1.

"It's been devastating," she told Newsweek. People said that she looked "horrific" as she documented her recovery online.

At her heaviest weight, Michaels, who lives in New York state, was 378 pounds. After undergoing weight loss surgery in 2019 and working hard to lose weight, she got down to around 190 pounds, but she didn't expect this to be the beginning of a whole new problem.

Michaels set about to book surgery and remove the excess skin in 2021. "My priority was the stomach because that's where I carried most of my weight and it was very, very uncomfortable," she explained.

After seeing several surgeons about her options, Michaels, 29, was shocked when she was offered a deal that she said "sounded too good to be true."

The surgeon, who she has not named, offered her a panniculectomy and a cosmetic upgrade tummy tuck for a small added fee. Michaels said she also agreed to add in a few free extras like a belly button relocation and pubic lift.

Dr. Scott Blyer, aka DrBfixin, of CAMEO Surgery in New York, was not involved with the case but shared his professional opinion on Michaels' story. He told Newsweek: "Both a panniculectomy and a tummy tuck are surgeries that remove loose skin.

"A panniculectomy generally removes the overhanging skin on a massive weight loss patient and does not address the belly button or stretched abdominal muscles. A panniculectomy is often preferred when trying to get medical insurance to cover such a procedure where a tummy tuck is more of a cosmetic procedure."

'It Sounded Like a Dream Come True'

"I immediately was over the moon. I thought, 'This is great, I won't have to go through stomach surgery twice.' It sounded like a dream come true," she said, having always longed for a flat stomach.

But issues with the surgery started before she even went under the knife: "I noticed when I was in pre-op that the paperwork said something different. It didn't mention the belly button or the pubic lift," said Michaels. "I called the receptionist to confirm and she verified that for me—she said I was getting what we discussed."

But as soon as she woke from surgery, Michaels said she knew something was wrong: "I noticed the pubic area didn't look right. Swelling is normal, but I immediately knew that something was wrong."

Describing the aftermath of the procedure, Michaels said that she was left with loose leftover skin, pain, redness, swelling, and leakage.

Following the surgery, she documented her recovery journey with shocking photos showing stitches splitting in multiple places, weeping wounds, and her pubic region starting unusually high. "My belly button formed something very strange, and the front looked like a small butt," she said.

Michaels claims her surgeon listened to her concerns but told her not to worry: "She said it could just be the swelling or fluid," she recalled. "She agreed that she'd look at it in three months and do a revision if I needed it."

During her recovery, Michaels said, she visited the emergency room on more than one occasion. She said the pain was so bad she was even forced to call 9-1-1.

While she recovered from any complications following the surgery, Michaels was still unhappy with the results: "Looking at myself, knowing that I can't enjoy the fruits of my labor just absolutely broke my heart," she said.

'Bittersweet'

Months after her surgery, she had a final consultation with her surgeon, who, per Michaels, did not agree that a revision was required. This was when she was inspired to start sharing her story online and on TikTok under the handle @nulleigh where millions of viewers have shared their sympathy with Michaels.

"It was very bittersweet when it went viral," she said. "I was amazed so many people were advocating for me—but it was tough. People said you know, you look horrific. That was sweet because I felt validated, but also having thousands of people telling me how f***** up my body looks, that's tough too."

"It would not be fair for me to judge the work of the surgeon without seeing what she looked like before. I would not use the term 'botched,' but if I were the operating surgeon, I would not be happy with these results and would revise her for no fee," said Dr. Blyer. "From a safety standpoint, it is safer to be conservative—especially in a weight loss patient—and come back to remove more skin later than to remove too much and have the wound open."

After going viral on TikTok, Michaels has received thousands of messages of support and has even been offered help with fixing her surgery by a surgeon in a nearby state.

Now she is looking forward to the next chapter as she waits to see what can be done to help her rebuild her confidence and happiness with her body.

"It's been devastating," Michaels said. "But when this surgeon reached out to me I just cried—and now next week I'm going to have a consultation."

She plans to share more of her journey on social media and will take her new online support network with her as she starts consultations to have the surgery she is unhappy with rectified.

"Maybe this could turn into something good, you know?" she said.

Is there a health issue that's worrying you? Let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.