Loose Skin

sarahgreensandthings

Hello friends! MFP help me lose about 40 pounds last spring! I took part of the summer and the fall off and gained about 10 back in that time, which isn't awful, but I'm back and keeping an eye on it. What's been very discouraging to me is that, even though I've lost the weight, my stomach is still squishy. I can feel the abs under it and can tell that's it's mostly skin, but it still looks unappealing since one of my motivations for losing weight had been a little vanity. I hear to give it about a year to snap back. My resolution this year was to loose the 10 pounds and maybe a little more, but to do a lot of muscle training that I neglected during most of my time losing.
Does anyone have experience with the loose skin? About how long to leave it? I'm 19 and considering a tummy tuck which is insane to me. I feel better clothed, but am pretty disgusted with my body still. I hope time and weight training works, but I would love some advice or encouragement. Thank you!

amyk0202

I've lost a lot of weight & have quite a bit of loose skin. It can take years for your skin to recover & it is all up to your individual genetics whether it will recover fully or not--there are no lotions, potions, vitamins, foods, or anything that will change that. Since you are so young & weren't massively overweight, you have a good chance that your skin will tighten back up.

Once I lost the weight & took a look at what was left, I did decide to have a tummy tuck. I'm also older, weighed way more at my highest, & had 4 children (2 by c-section). For me, the tummy tuck was amazing & completely changed how happy I was with my body. For you, I would seriously think about it before having one. They are very expensive and if you plan on having children later, you will ruin the surgery & have wasted your money. My arms, my thighs, & my chest were left as problem areas. My chest & thighs have had some improvement on their own--years later. My arms are the next area that I would get done if I could. They are still as saggy & flappy as ever. So, my advice would be to continue with your plan to start weight training, skip the tummy tuck for now, & be very patient.

yazmizzie8

amyk0202 wrote: »

I've lost a lot of weight & have quite a bit of loose skin. It can take years for your skin to recover & it is all up to your individual genetics whether it will recover fully or not--there are no lotions, potions, vitamins, foods, or anything that will change that. Since you are so young & weren't massively overweight, you have a good chance that your skin will tighten back up.

Once I lost the weight & took a look at what was left, I did decide to have a tummy tuck. I'm also older, weighed way more at my highest, & had 4 children (2 by c-section). For me, the tummy tuck was amazing & completely changed how happy I was with my body. For you, I would seriously think about it before having one. They are very expensive and if you plan on having children later, you will ruin the surgery & have wasted your money. My arms, my thighs, & my chest were left as problem areas. My chest & thighs have had some improvement on their own--years later. My arms are the next area that I would get done if I could. They are still as saggy & flappy as ever. So, my advice would be to continue with your plan to start weight training, skip the tummy tuck for now, & be very patient.

Kinda personal question, When you did your tummy tuck did you use insurance? I feel like I would have to do this since my skin is sooo loose and hangs already if I lost weight it would be definitely loose. I don't have the money to do it out of pocket so that's why I ask. Thank you

amyk0202

yazmizzie8 wrote: »

amyk0202 wrote: »

I've lost a lot of weight & have quite a bit of loose skin. It can take years for your skin to recover & it is all up to your individual genetics whether it will recover fully or not--there are no lotions, potions, vitamins, foods, or anything that will change that. Since you are so young & weren't massively overweight, you have a good chance that your skin will tighten back up.

Once I lost the weight & took a look at what was left, I did decide to have a tummy tuck. I'm also older, weighed way more at my highest, & had 4 children (2 by c-section). For me, the tummy tuck was amazing & completely changed how happy I was with my body. For you, I would seriously think about it before having one. They are very expensive and if you plan on having children later, you will ruin the surgery & have wasted your money. My arms, my thighs, & my chest were left as problem areas. My chest & thighs have had some improvement on their own--years later. My arms are the next area that I would get done if I could. They are still as saggy & flappy as ever. So, my advice would be to continue with your plan to start weight training, skip the tummy tuck for now, & be very patient.

Kinda personal question, When you did your tummy tuck did you use insurance? I feel like I would have to do this since my skin is sooo loose and hangs already if I lost weight it would be definitely loose. I don't have the money to do it out of pocket so that's why I ask. Thank you

No insurance. A tummy tuck is strictly cosmetic & is not covered under medical insurance. If you have documentation that your skin is causing you medical problems like rashes or sores, I have heard of doctors getting a panniculectomy covered. That's where that skin apron is removed, but they don't tighten the abdominal muscles or do any contouring. I applied for CareCredit which is a horrible interest rate credit line for medical procedures & put the rest on various other credit cards. It will end up costing me a fortune in interest alone before I get it paid off (hopefully by the end of this year), but it was worth it to me.

suruda

I had the same experience as Amyk...happy with having the tummy tuck, BUT it is a serious painful surgery with a lengthy recovery time and quite an impressive scar (depending on your tummy tuck of course). It is also very expensive and can put you in a lot of debt if you don't have the financial means to pay. At your young age, I would think your skin will tighten up with continued exercise and healthy eating.

sarahgreensandthings

alright, thank you guys! I can stop watching Botched now, haha