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95kg lighter but new body stays hidden

Lisa Grant-Collingridge has slashed her weight by almost 60 per cent but is yet to see her new slim shape.

The 30-year-old has lost an extraordinary 95kg, her weight falling from 162kg to 67kg over five years.

But Ms Grant-Collingridge has to wear winter dresses and thick tights in summer to hide all the layers of skin left behind.

She shed the kilos through hard work - changing her diet and hitting the treadmill - but the results are hidden under the excess skin.

Ms Grant-Collingridge is one of thousands of obese Australians inspired to lose huge amounts of weight through diet or surgery but left needing expensive plastic surgery that often receives little reimbursement from Medicare or private health insurance.

She is so desperate to lose her skin folds that she has started a crowd-fundraising campaign to find the $30,000 for surgery.

"I am very close to my goal weight but I feel very frustrated that what I've been left with is almost as bad as what I had before," Ms Grant-Collingridge said.

"I have to hide all the layers of skin under heavy clothes, so I can't wear nice summer clothes.

"I want to see the dream body I've worked so hard for."

Perth plastic and reconstructive surgeon Ian Timms said Ms Grant-Collingridge's story was not uncommon, with many losing big amounts of weight and turning to surgery to remove the excessive layers of skin left behind.

When people gained then lost weight, their skin stretched and lost its elasticity, leaving heavy skin folds hanging over the pelvic area, as well as from their legs and "bingo wing" arms.

"It can be very uncomfortable and lead to health problems such as skin infections, but for rebate purposes surgery is often considered cosmetic so that can leave patients with significant out-of-pocket costs," Dr Timms said.

"The surgery itself can take a lot of time and involve procedures on different parts of the body. It can still take several hours."

Dr Timms said that though surgeons saw many middle-aged patients, it was becoming more common to see people in their 20s who had lost weight and wanted excess skin removed.

"Many say they would much rather have the scars from surgery than be left with rolls and rolls of skin for the rest of their lives," he said.

Fundraiser details at gofundme. com/lt3c8g