Loose Skin

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flrancho
flrancho Posts: 271 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 29 and have lost about 130 pounds all together, reaching my goal weight. I'm still skinny fat though, with a body fat percentage of about 25%. I've been trying to work out more religiously lately to get rid of the excess body fat - lifting weight (mostly machines) three times a week, and doing low impact cardio whenever I can (long distance walking) - probably about five times a week.

Yesterday, leaning over before getting in the shower, I noticed I have quite a lot of excess skin around my breasts (which reduced three cup sizes, during my weight loss). Standing up, it doesn't look so bad, but leaning over it was obvious at how "empty" my breasts seem. I was really kind of disgusted with how they look. I also notice I am getting loose skin on my inner thighs and on my underarms. I'm sure my belly, and neck will soon follow as I carry a lot of fat there too. Anyway, I knew loose skin was a possibility, especially if I was older (I was thinking 40+) but definitely not how I wanted to look as a single woman in her 20s-30s. I also know as a single woman living alone and maintaining her own home on a job just above minimum wage, surgery to fix loose skin is likely not something I'm going to be able to afford and I don't want to have heaps of nasty, wrinkled, loose skin all over me.

Is there anything I can do short of surgery to minimize the loose skin that's already there and/or stave off the heaps of more loose skin that are sure to be coming once I go down in body fat percentage?

Replies

  • cbk38
    cbk38 Posts: 2 Member
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    Skin tightening and body brushing can help. Obviously, with surgery the results are much better, but too invasive.
    Weight training is also good, because it smooths the muscle under the skin. Heavy weights.
  • leanne0627
    leanne0627 Posts: 109 Member
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    I have some on my belly and ive been using that skin tightening cream on it and also a glycolic acid peel. It seems to be helping very slightly. Not as much as id like but maybe it will just take more time. As old skin comes off and new is made im hoping it will be tighter and tighter. Congrats on your weight loss that is awesome
  • jeepinshawn
    jeepinshawn Posts: 642 Member
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    I have heaps of loose skin on my belly pecs and upper thighs and my neck after losing 110lbs. It is a sort of a disappointing to still not be comfortable with my shirt off, but not much you can do about. No cream or wrap will do anything. After some time maybe a year or two some will have tightened...
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    What's with women thinking that they're 'skinny fat' if they have even a little bit of fat left? I don't get this. 25% body fat is not skinny fat.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    What's with women thinking that they're 'skinny fat' if they have even a little bit of fat left? I don't get this. 25% body fat is not skinny fat.

    Dunno. I was always under the impression that skinny fat meant BF% of 30 + while at a healthy weight.

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