Welcome, and congratulations on your amazing success! Losing 132 pounds is an incredible accomplishment, especially after such a difficult start.
As for the loose skin, I don't think that's necessarily a question of vanity. Many people consider skin removal because of comfort, mobility, hygiene, clothing fit, skin irritation, body image, or simply wanting their outside appearance to better reflect how healthy and strong they feel on the inside.
I just turned 59 and I had 3 surgeries post weight loss; panniculectomy, brachioplasty and a breast lift. The first surgery was the panniculectomy. I had a large amount of hanging, excess skin and subcutaneous fat that hung down to the top of my thighs. That skin was so heavy that the outside edges of the overhang kept tearing. The surgeon had to document the skin irritation and tears for 3 months and then insurance approved the procedure. A few years later I had a consultation for a brachioplasty. I knew about half way through my weight loss that I would eventually have that surgery. I was so uncomfortable with the size of my arms and that the shortest sleeve I wore year round was 3/4 length. I was tired of having lost all that weight but still feeling that I had to cover up and hide my arms, and wearing long sleeves in the summer was uncomfortable. In that consultation I asked about removing the large lumps of skin and fat under my arms on the side of my chest. The surgeon said that material on the side of my body was actually breast tissue and to remove that would require a breast lift. I was still wearing sleep/t-shirt bras because any bra with a tighter band pushed all that fat and skin up into my arm pits and was very uncomfortable. I combined those 2 surgeries and am so glad I did. If I had not done the breast lift then I would have regretted it and eventually done it later at a higher cost and an additional surgery.
There isn't a right or wrong answer to having skin removal. Some people decide the loose skin doesn't bother them enough to go through another surgery, while others feel that skin removal is the final step in their journey. Neither choice is selfish or vain.
If you're on the fence, you don't have to decide right now. You can enjoy your success, continue maintaining your weight, and gather information from a plastic surgeon about the risks, recovery, and expected results. Then you can make the decision that's right for you.
Whatever you choose, you've already accomplished something remarkable, and you should be proud of how far you've come.
