Losing weight - sagging skin!

I know the inevitable with losing a large amount of weight is sagging skin, but I have seen people who have lost large amounts and have much less than others.
This probably has a lot to do with genes and where weight is allocated also, but does anyone have advice on keeping the excess skin at bay as much as possible? I'm losing weight by CICO method, lost 40lbs so far but I have 110 lbs left to lose!

Replies

  • SnazzIT
    SnazzIT Posts: 215 Member
    Doing weights will help too
  • YOLO145
    YOLO145 Posts: 98 Member
    If you lift weights and lose slowly, your skin is *more* likely to adapt. but yeah...genes...
  • mroloff
    mroloff Posts: 16 Member
    I've lost over 125 pounds so far (and have about 50 pounds to go) and definitely have some sagging skin issues. As you said, it is somewhat inevitable unless you've won the genetic lottery. My worst spots at the moment are my lower stomach, upper arms, and underarms/sides. The common factor to those three areas before I lost the weight is that I had (and still have) the most stretch marks there. It makes sense to me that skin that already stretched so much wouldn't bounce back as easily. I know people have mixed feelings on the topic but given the amount of weight I've already lost and what I still have to go, I'm just operating on the assumption that skin removal surgery is in my future.
  • batorkin
    batorkin Posts: 281 Member
    edited November 2017
    The whole "losing weight slowly reduces sagging skin" theory isn't really accurate. Yes, If you loose the weight quickly you will have more saggy skin at first. However, in 1-2 years whether you lost the weight fast or slow, you're skin is going to shrink the same amount. Skin always takes much longer to adapt. Just loose the weight, and worry about the skin later.

    With 150 pounds to lose, you WILL have some permanent loose skin even if you rolled the genetic lottery. I recommend lifting to get tone which makes it "look" better, and applying some type of moisturizing oil to your skin daily after showering. Drink lots and lots of water and eat healthy as well. That's really about all you can do, healthy and hydrated skin will adapt better and quicker.
    mroloff wrote: »
    I've lost over 125 pounds so far (and have about 50 pounds to go) and definitely have some sagging skin issues. As you said, it is somewhat inevitable unless you've won the genetic lottery. My worst spots at the moment are my lower stomach, upper arms, and underarms/sides. The common factor to those three areas before I lost the weight is that I had (and still have) the most stretch marks there. It makes sense to me that skin that already stretched so much wouldn't bounce back as easily. I know people have mixed feelings on the topic but given the amount of weight I've already lost and what I still have to go, I'm just operating on the assumption that skin removal surgery is in my future.

    Skin will tighten for 1-2 years, some reported even longer, after weight loss. Hit your goal, and then wait at least a year before even considering surgery. Surgery will leave scars and marks that can be worse than some minor loose skin.
  • ChelleDee07
    ChelleDee07 Posts: 396 Member
    Yeah, there will be some loose skin, but all of the advice above is 'perfect'. I started January 11th of this year at 260 lbs. On Sept 15th I reached my goal of 100 lbs loss. I have some loose skin, but nothing like I would have if it had not been for strength training and classes with my Personal Trainer at the gym. If you have a Planet Fitness the trainer there is part of your gym membership. I have been maintaining now for over 2 months and focusing now on building more muscle, tightening and toning. Don't let the fear of the loose skin stop you. You Got This!!
  • Mycophilia
    Mycophilia Posts: 1,225 Member
    When you gain weight, two things happen:
    1) Your skin will stretch due to it's elasticity, which will apply tension to your skin.
    2) This tension will signal your skin cells to begin producing more skin cells, effectively making your skin "bigger".

    You can think of skin like a rubber band, pull on it and it will stretch. Release and it will retract back to it's original size. But unlike a rubber band your skin will grow while it's stretched so when you finally release the tension (lose weight), you'll find that you now a larger rubber band.
  • shegoneloseit
    shegoneloseit Posts: 1 Member
    I agree with the above advice to get into lifting. I have lost one hundred pounds and maintained for over a year and have about fifty to go, but I think the best thing I did along the way as far as loose skin goes was to get in the gym right away. I do fairly intense weight training five to six days a week and it does wonders for the loose skin. Granted, I still have a lot of sag, but after having kids, it is not really an issue. Also agree with drinking lots of purified (I.e. Chlorine free) water and nutritious food, as healthy as you can manage. Both do wonders for skin appearance. I also rub down with coconut oil a few times a month. Like someone else mentioned, though, focus on losing weight for now and see where you are at for skin in a few years.
  • RaeBeeBaby
    RaeBeeBaby Posts: 4,245 Member
    Some amount of sagging skin is inevitable with weight loss. I believe age and diet also factors into it. If you are younger, your skin contains a lot more collagen and elastin. These decrease as you age. It's a fact of life otherwise we wouldn't get wrinkles as we grow older. I've known very young people who lost a lot of weight and had minimal sagging skin. Sadly, the opposite being true for older folks.

    There are collagen boosting foods that you can add to your diet. They're healthy foods and may help with skin elasticity. The highest collagen containing foods are #1 bone broth, followed by wild salmon, leafy greens, eggs, citrus, tomatoes, berries, avocados and pumpkin seeds.

    I eat all of the above foods on a regular basis and even though I'm technically a senior, I don't have a lot of saggy skin or wrinkles either.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    I’ve lost 80# and yes, I have baggy skin. Especially my upper arms, upper belly and around my knees. At the end of the day, I look really good in clothes and it’s getting better with time.
  • tarun_yadavA
    tarun_yadavA Posts: 1,057 Member
    This is an issue. I've lost > 20kgs over 7 or so months.
    May have to think about some kind of surgery at some point
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