Does your skin sag after you lose weight?

Killerdolphin_9

pardon the strange question. Also I'm not sure if this is in the right category I didn't know where to put it. But one of my biggest fears is to have sagging skin when I lose weight. Does that happen? I plan on going from 190 pounds to around 120. Is that enough weight to cause skin sagging? How can I prevent skin sagging?

numinousnymph

I'm 5' 4" (height matters here I reckon), and I've gone from 192 to 118 (currently in the mid/low 120s but 118 was my lowest) lbs, and yes, I had/have excess, loose, wrinkly skin on my lower stomach and inner thighs, and a *tiny* bit on the backs of my upper arms. It bothers me a lot and I want to get surgery to remove it once I get enough money saved up. I'm almost 25 and I was overweight/obese since I was about age 7, so my skin is likely worse for wear because I was overweight since childhood. Perhaps it's different for people who weren't overweight for so long and during their body's formative years. But for me -- yes, I have saggy skin in those aforementioned areas of my body.

ETA: I've heard/read that losing slowly and staying well-hydrated will help reduce the amount of skin sag. However I feel that at some point, no matter how slowly you lose or how much you hydrate and take care of your skin, it will sag if you lose enough weight after being heavy enough. To give you pictures to reference, I made this thread a few months back and have pictures of the loose skin (and fat, of course there's fat there too still) on my stomach. I still look pretty much the same. But remember, everyone's body is different. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10128316/5-4-121-4-lbs-70-lbs-lost-yet-i-still-look-like-this-advice-and-or-opinions-anyone

AlissaRaeS

It can but I think if you do end up with saggy skin it wont be much. I think mostly it really depends on your genes also. I was also wondering the same thing since I weigh about 195 lbs. http://www.livestrong.com/article/116397-prevent-sagging-skin-during-weight/

larali1980

I'm a little worried about this too. The skin around my mouth is already a bit saggy just from being not 20 anymore. But, skin shrinks-- right?

Sweepypie

Yes you do get saggy skin when you lose a lot of weight! When you get older your skin loses its elasticity!

kryss247

I lost over a hundred pounds going from 260- 156. I dry brushed daily and then applied vitamin e cream (fruit of the earth brand) , or also I did pure African Shea butter.... Doing a mixture of that helps tighten loose skin areas. Dry brushing is good for rejuvinated skin cells. ( works for cellulite) also, I did a coffee scrub sometimes.

Sweepypie

kryss247 wrote: »

I lost over a hundred pounds going from 260- 156. I dry brushed daily and then applied vitamin e cream (fruit of the earth brand) , or also I did pure African Shea butter.... Doing a mixture of that helps tighten loose skin areas. Dry brushing is good for rejuvinated skin cells. ( works for cellulite) also, I did a coffee scrub sometimes.

Don't think it would work on old skin! I am 67 years old and have tried a few things but, nothing worked.

micheledarley2012

Some skin sags more than others. I went from 225 to 140 at age 32. I found that exercise helps, but my belly still looked as if I'd had a child. I did have surgery to remove the excess skin,(tummy tuck) and now that I've gained the weight back, my stomach is still relatively flat. I think age and genes are a factor but I know that when I'm finished losing weight this time I will probably have my thighs tightened and possibly my under arms. That may seem drastic to some, but my tummy tuck did so much for my body image that I am willing to do what it takes.

Claire8614

Think it depends on:

How old you are
How quickly you lost or lose the weight
If you eat a lot of protein and exercise.

whatatime2befit

Claire8614 wrote: »

Think it depends on:

How old you are
How quickly you lost or lose the weight
If you eat a lot of protein and exercise.

And also how long you were overweight (how long your skin was kept in that state).

I have a lot of lose skin and know that surgery will be needed down the road. But I'm 40, have 3 pregnancies behind me ( so lots of lose skin DNS stretch marks from those), 3 c-sections, and was obese for many years. I started this journey figuring that my skin will need some help at the end.

polabearbote

Yes skin sags after weight loss. I began four weeks ago with 212 lbs and now I'm 203 lbs with saggy arms. It's normal. Many say that cardio with some weight lifting can help as you decrease fat while retaining your muscles which can hold on with the used skin. Maybe it takes time to not sag so be patient

dopeysmelly

I have a bit of loose skin on my stomach (went from 200 to 125) but that's mainly from pregnancy. The loose skin I had when I first reached my target, on my neck, arms, thighs etc. all firmed up within about 6 months of ignoring it and just working out a bit.