Excess Skin - Is this a common problem?

Razzyirt

I am curious about people's experiences with excess skin after weight loss?

I am only at the beginning of my weight loss journey. I have lost 5 lbs so far in my current foray, and have about 30 lbs more to go. The highest weight I have ever been at was 175 lbs, and I am now at 159 lbs. My goal is to be 130 lbs.

But...I was wondering, with this amount of weight gain, and then loss...do I have some very interesting "side effects" to look forward to? I've watched some of those extreme weight loss shows...and listen to the stories about how people hate their bodies even more after the weight loss than before!

So, I admit, I'm having a bit of trepidation for this weight loss journey. So...other people on this track, are you happy with your results? Have you had unexpected things happen?

Thanks!

SWink06

I can only tell you of my personal experience. You have a lot less weight to lose than I do/did.
I lost 126 pounds and this was a concern of mine. Obviously with that much weight loss there will be lose skin.
Does it bother me some days? Yep.
Would I consider in the future having some removed? Yep.
Do I regret losing weight? Nope.


The way I view it, I already have the extra skin. I made poor choices in the past and gained too much. The skin grew to accommodate that. It's already done. I can't go back and change that.

So I have two choices. I can either have the extra skin stuffed full of fat or I can have the extra skin without all that terribly unhealthy fat. Easy choice for me.

Clobern80

The more overweight you are, the more likely you are to see excess skin. But things can be done to lessen it, but there is no fool-proof way to prevent it.

Lose weight slowly. If you lose it quickly, you are more likely to have the skin excess.
Drink plenty of fluids
Exercise and build/tone muscle.

It can take years for the skin to go back to normal and it may never return to normal. At that point, you either accept it or have surgery to remove it.

You have to realize that body image shouldn't matter as much as a healthy body. I am looking to lose 200 pounds so you can guarantee that I will have excess skin. But I would rather have that problem than heart problems, breathing problems, sleeping problems, etc.

mkakids

I started at 236...& am now 175. I have lose skin, but its not much and only in my belly. Ive also had 4 large, 9lb plus babies which likely contributed but i was too fat to notice before

sllm1

Most of the people on those shows lost 100-200 or more pounds. You may notice a bit of sagging here and there, but it won't be that noticeable to others - if you have any at all.

nbliss86

You'll be fine! I'd not worry about excess anything. I've squirted out 4 kids (one pregnancy being twins) and I have skin for days that will require surgery to repair.

Josh_lol

I've lost 77 lbs over the last 15 months. About 1lb a week. I haven't had any problems with excess skin yet.

Razzyirt wrote: »

I am curious about people's experiences with excess skin after weight loss?

I am only at the beginning of my weight loss journey. I have lost 5 lbs so far in my current foray, and have about 30 lbs more to go. The highest weight I have ever been at was 175 lbs, and I am now at 159 lbs. My goal is to be 130 lbs.

But...I was wondering, with this amount of weight gain, and then loss...do I have some very interesting "side effects" to look forward to? I've watched some of those extreme weight loss shows...and listen to the stories about how people hate their bodies even more after the weight loss than before!

So, I admit, I'm having a bit of trepidation for this weight loss journey. So...other people on this track, are you happy with your results? Have you had unexpected things happen?

Thanks!

kthompson601

I've lost 100 pounds in 19 months, with another 60 pounds or so to go, and yes, I have loose skin. (I'm 29, female, very short.)

The worst of it so far seems to be under my arms. I can actually feel the definition of arm muscle with my fingers, but three inches of rubbery skin hangs off. It is pretty gross and does make me feel self-conscious, but I haven't the money to remove it, and I'm not sure I would want the scarring even if I had the cash.

I still have a lot of weight to lose, so I don't know how loose the skin is going to be on my stomach. My "chastity belt," as I call the gut that hangs down over my groin, has certainly receded, but hasn't gone anyway entirely. I can see those "reverse stretch marks" rippling across my thighs, stomach, breasts, and upper arms. My double chin has also almost completely vanished and I don't have any sagging around my chin or neck area, thankfully.

Still totally worth the weight loss though. I'm hoping with my age, my hydration, and my nonsmoking, I might have a good chance of fairly nice skin; it isn't too horrible after this loss.

Duchy82

69lbs down and no loose skin just yet, only about 15lbs to go to goal slow and steady loss will help skin bounce back a bit.

duddysdad

I lost 160 pounds in 9 months, so very quickly. I still have some fat left on my stomach, but I can tell there will be some saggy skin. My thighs have wrinkles, but nowhere that I can't cover up with clothes.

bsbprincess

I COMPLETELY understand your worry.

I am 5'9" and have had a gut since I was about 5. Literally, it looked like I had a beer gut by the time I was about 6.. But since I was about 12 or so, my stomach has hung down... literally, like a fold. I don't know if this is just because I have about 40 lbs of fat to lose or if it's because my stomach is too stretched out and it's too late. I've also always worn my pants to my waist, which is where most sit naturally, so I'm sure squishing it in there didn't help LOL!

In all seriousness, I can't even describe how upsetting it is to look at myself without clothes covering that area. At 12 years old I hit 200... I lost about 30 then... I have yo-yo'd since. My highest ever was 220 in 2009. I lost about 61 lbs (lowest adult weight ever) and I did start to see some wrinkling at the lowest point of my tummy. It still hung down, but it was smaller. The amount I could grab that I could tell was just skin was a small amount, just a pinch. I sometimes wonder if my stomach will always hang down in this fold no matter how much I lose.

I am now at 186 and looking to get to around 150, but I also want to strengthen and tone so my goal weight may change once I get closer. I try to not think about it too much, but it greatly bothers me. To think that even if I work that hard, I may never be able to wear a two-piece or even feel comfortable with my own body knowing that it's going to show... All I can do is bust my butt and keep going and hope for the best. I realllllly don't want to have surgery. The thought terrifies me.

Carnhot

I am 5'7" and have lost 28 k since March. I do have some loose skin, on my stomach, thighs and arms, but none of it is noticeable in Winter clothing and I'm not a bikini wearer so it's just Summer arms to consider. I am now doing weight and resistance work to deal with this, but I accept that some loose skin may be the price I have to pay for allowing myself to be too overweight for too long; I did this to myself and have to deal with the consequences. Even with the loose skin, I look and feel a million times better. It's worth it. Don't let the possibility - even the probability - of loose skin deter you from doing something the benefits of which will HUGELY outweigh the downsides. (edited for punctuation )

bsbprincess

Just found this article... interesting. And I've heard talk about this type of fat before:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-get-rid-of-excess-skin-after-major-weight-loss/#axzz36wwSuvPN

jeepinshawn

I have lost about 100lbs I went from 280 down to about 175, I have copious amounts of loose skin on the butt, upper thighs, stomach, and perhaps the oddest is seeing defined pecks with a loose skin nipple hanging about 4" below the pecs...