Tammy Slaton has reason to celebrate. After losing hundreds of pounds thanks to weight-loss surgery and lifestyle changes, the star of TLC’s 1000-lb Sisters is now looking forward to another long-awaited change. 

‘1000-lb Sisters’ star said excess skin forced her to walk like ‘a penguin’

It’s been almost three years since Tammy had bariatric surgery. Since then, she’s embraced her new lease on life and her freedom to do things that were once nearly impossible, such as a family trip to the U.K. and beach vacations. But there’s been one more milestone that Tammy has been eager to reach: getting approved for skin removal surgery. 

Despite the massive progress Tammy has made with her health, getting her excess skin removed has remained out of reach. One surgeon told her that her case was too complicated for his team. Another doctor was reluctant to schedule the procedure because of Tammy’s vaping habit. He also said she needed to improve her nutrition in order to facilitate wound healing. Meanwhile, Tammy was left to cope with the extra skin, which was affecting her quality of life. 

“I want skin removed pretty much everywhere on my body. My legs, my stomach, my arms, my face. I wish it was possible to just do all of it at once,” she said in a 2024 episode of 1000-lb Sisters. “I just want to be able to walk around better without losing balance. It’s hard to walk because of the skin. I walk like a daggone penguin. My belly goes this way and I’m going that way.”

Tammy Slaton’s doctor gives the green light for skin removal surgery 

In the May 20 installment of the TLC reality series, Tammy finally gets the news she’s been waiting for during an appointment with her weight-loss surgeon, Dr. Eric Smith. 

“You’ve shown me that you can focus on your nutrition,” Smith tells Tammy in a clip from the upcoming episode (via Instagram). “And because of that, I’m giving you the green light to go back to Pittsburgh and get you scheduled to have your skin removal.”

The doctor who will actually perform the skin removal procedure is “on the same page,” Smith assures a beaming Tammy. “He’s comfortable preceding with your skin removal surgery. So, let’s get it done.”

“Tammy, you’ve put the work in,” Smith says after Tammy says she’s “relieved” she’ll finally be able to shed her excess skin. 

“I’m super excited for her. I know this is something she’s wanted for a really long time,” Smith says. “It’s not the end of her journey by any means, but it’s kind of that final thing of a reward that ‘I’ve done all this hard work, and now I can have this battle scar removed from me.’”

1000-lb Sisters airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on TLC. 

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