Loose skin.....

Lillymoo01

Losing all this weight has been great, except for all the loose skin that came with it. The joys of being the wrong side of 40 for weight loss.

Will this skin eventually shrink back closer to my current size or is it something to deal with for the rest of my life?

marelthu

I'm going to be dealing that with that too. Plastic surgery is the only hope I'm afraid.

Just_Eric

I'm not too hopeful, but I'm doing all sorts of things that people allege to be effective. For one, I'm not worrying too much about it until I'm around 10-12% body fat, so I'm not looking at subcutaneous fat and thinking it's skin. Secondly I'm taking a hydrolyzed beef gelatin supplement, fish oil, and just started taking a dropperful of Gotu Kola leaf extract each day as recommended in Tim Ferriss' new book. Allegedly the Gotu Kola takes months to be effective, but if I can avoid the knife when I'm done with all of this, it'll be worth having tried.

subcounter

Guys loose skin is simply depends on your genetics. Some people will have nearly none, some people will have a lot, most people will be in the middle of the spectrum. Also it depends on how long you have been overweight, how much you've lost and from which area too.

If you have it though, there is no "cure" or easy fix for it. You either maybe build a lot of muscle, and it will be less obvious, or plastic surgery. Don't waste your money on people that sell you "snake oil".

tugsandpulls760

I just had skin removal surgery and hernia repair they took off 5# of loose skin I'm happy with the results

Lillymoo01

It seems that either this excess skin needs to become a badge of honour to prove the success that I have had, or I'd have to spend $$$$ to have it removed. Sigh.......

sijomial

Lillymoo01 wrote: »

It seems that either this excess skin needs to become a badge of honour to prove the success that I have had, or I'd have to spend $$$$ to have it removed. Sigh.......

Give it time!
Depends on genetics, how much you lost etc.
I lost my weight the wrong side of 50 and although I didn't lose a huge amount I wasn't happy with how the skin on my stomach looked - especially in the (ahem!) press up position.

Couple of years later it was fine.

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crackpotbaby

There are degrees of 'loose skin'.

After rapid weight loss some skin may shrink back in time - like many bellies after pregnancy.

However, skin that has been severely damaged and stretched will never ever bounce back. No products, creams, pills will make it do so.

For some, loose skin is just an unfortunate cosmetic consequence of losing weight.

MommaLovesToLoseIt

Hi! Don't despair! I have lost 130 pounds over a year and a half (and gained/lost a couple of times before that), am near 40, and with weight lifting and very healthy eating/hydration, it isn't awful. I won't ever be a swimsuit model, but I look good in longer shorts and a t shirt. I also suspect it will shrink up a bit more over the next year or two. If all else fails, try to look into payment options for surgery as noted above, but be aware you trade loose skin for scars

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lorrpb

Loose skin looks a lot better than fat, imo. Nothing wrong with your grandma!

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AnnPT77

My loose skin (after 60+ pound loss only) has continued to shrink over the bit over one year I've been in maintenance so far, and I'm 60 years old (age is one of the things that can limit skin elasticity).

Be sure you're looking at loose skin - very small wrinkles, like the folds of a medium-weight fabric (like denim or corduroy, maybe). Any folds on the order of 1/2"+ are more likely squishy subcutaneous fat, and that's unlikely to shrink unless you lose that fat more fully (it's keeping the skin stretched out). Either more weight loss via deficit can help with that, or (if you're at a weight you like) weight training for slow body recomposition can also help, to lose a bit of fat, plus build some muscle to fill the area out with firmer tissue.

I'm inclined to guess (no proof) that the regular exercise could help a bit in other ways, too, such as by encouraging good circulation in the surrounding tissues to keep them more healthy/vital. Just a guess, though.

Francl27

My loose skin still looks as bad after 2 years at maintenance sadly. I'm 38.

Spliner1969

To some extent loose skin, for me at least, will always be there. I have found over the last two years that it can be improved upon in a couple of ways. First, I started exfoliating daily (at least on days I work out) from the start. That helped to reduce (and in a lot of cases made them almost invisible) stretch marks (yes, guys get them too). The other thing that helps was to increase muscle. As my chest, arms, shoulders, and ab muscles grow, they take up a lot of the space that was left when I lost the fat. This has helped to re-distribute a lot of the loose skin. Granted, I have more than I likely can hide completely unless I want to become a serious body builder, but overall it now doesn't look bad (I don't think anyway). It continues to get better, but some of it will never go away without surgery. What I have left you can definitely see when I'm doing a push up or plank, but standing up straight it's much harder to notice. I'm 47, and keep myself well hydrated as well. Add all those things up and it'll help reduce, but likely not get rid of it all.

millcreekr

Could high intensity training help? But if it were me, I think I would rather have the plastic surgery scars than the skin. Good luck!

nxd10

How much? I was in my mid-50's when I lost 38 pounds. I was a bit blubbery for a while where all that old fat had been and was now empty. I walked it off and it snapped back within six months. But I gained and lost 50 pounds for each baby. Part of it is genes and the resilience of your skin.

LivingtheLeanDream

It definately tightens in... mostly! It takes time. I've been at maintenance for 4 years and still have a little saggy pouch of loose skin - nothing short of surgery would remove it. (I wont be resorting to that as its not that big a deal imo)

Lillymoo01

Thanks for all of your replies. It does give some hope of improvement over time.

NikkiiBaby68

I have seen some things about knox gelatin helping the elasticity of skin this way improving the collagen. I know it helps hair and nails so I am inclined to believe it for this and ready to take it myself in bigger doses to help my skin because I was very large. I did see a lot of improvement when i used coconut oil at night before bed in the condition of my skin. Seemed it tightened it up a bit while conditioning it...and smoothed it out. I also got those derma rollers and saw a difference with them... but also did dry brushing...saw equal i think in improvement with dry brushing. I think dry brushing is the best alternative to be honest and been proven to help stretch marks as well as derma rollers. Use coconut oil after dry brushing at night and dont shower and skin will feel silky smooth in morning. Some say do shower after and it is good to do sometimes...but I felt so relaxed after i dry brush i just want to sleep. lol The other method is good too with coconut oil. As I am writing this...I am wondering about heating coconut oil enough so gelatin would dissolve...then dry brush and rub on skin...in the old days manicures consisted of soaking fingers in knox water. People had great nails. Knox is very expensive...i get the gelatin in the hispanic section. Same stuff.

BeeerRunner

I lost 40 lbs, am over 40, and I mainly have loose skin on my stomach and arms. I've been in maintenance for a year now, and it's a little better, but it's still there. My arms are way better...no more hanging skin when I flex. However, when I'm doing a plank, I've got skin that droops down on each side of my belly button. Standing up is fine though. I'm 5'7" and my weight range is 125 to 128. I'll take this skin over the fat anyday, but would love to have a nice flat stomach when holding a plank instead of my skin drooping down.

wellthenwhat

I had a friend that lost over 100 pounds. I didn't know it until she told me. She had extra skin on her arms, legs and stomach. It wasn't noticeable at all, and she was really hot in my opinion!

JeromeBarry1

I look good in clothes.

spiriteagle99

It depends partly on your age and skin type. I am 60 and have spent a lifetime in the sun. My skin doesn't have a lot of elasticity. When I run, my saggy baggy skin quivers and wobbles. I don't care. I can run.

Sumiblue

I didn't think I had any loose skin. Until I was doing a plank and looked down toward my belly! But, I'm 48 and had a baby at 42.
I don't think my skin is going to snap back anymore. In general, I'm happy with my weight loss & fitness & I try to not look when I plank

DietPrada

I think it's genetic, and how fast you lose makes a difference. I'm 42, down 80lbs but I lost that weight over 4 years. I don't have any lose skin, in fact my tummy is flatter than it's been in 20 years.

icemom011

I lost over 70 lbs over about 10 months, I'm 45yo and I've been overweight to various degrees my whole life, with 230ish lbs as my heaviest. I have very few skin issues at this point, I'm in normal bmi and weight right now, and have been maintaining for 4 months, although i decided to go down a bit more to get more definition in my legs. I have very good strong muscles but still too much padding over, so they aren't so visible right now. As for loose skin, when i bend or do plank it hangs in sort of a very sad way, but.. I'm feeling better, stronger than ever, slimmer that ever, and when i stand, it's not there. I also have a bit of extra skin on my arms, but it's very minor, short sleeve covers it fine,and i can wear tanks and short shorts and look good in them. So it's a great trade off for me, loosing all that extra fat that made my back, knees and feet hurt. I also find it so much more fun to ride my bike, cause it's way easier to propel my body now that I'm so much lighter, lol. So, OP, go for your goals, don't let this loose skin fear hold you back. It's worth it at the end, health is everything, and that's the most important benefit, imo. Good luck.

caroldavison332

Avoiding loose skin, living to a healthy old age, etc are the reasons why I eat for strength and avoid junk sometimes refereed to as food.

SoulRadiation

When I was young, I lost 70 pounds in one year and I had zero loose skin...I kept it off for a long time, but 20+ years later I've put the weight back on and this time I'm not as sure how it's all going to work out. I worry about loose skin...but I worry more about a heart attack at an early age. Either way, loose skin or not...bring it on...I'm going for it! Tired of being overweight. Being overweight makes nearly everything more work...

kgirlhart

I have lost ~70 pounds. I am 48 and do have some loose skin. I am hoping that it will tighten up some as I maintain. I have heard it can take about 2 years to tighten up. I have been trying to maintain since July and have gone about 10 lbs under my original goal, so I don't know when to start the 2 years lol. I don't really like the loose skin. But I don't really think it is all that bad. I look pretty good in clothes and my husband doesn't seem to care. I have learned not to do yoga in shorts. Most of the time my legs look great, but downdog in shorts is not pretty. Plank is an issue too, but as long as my loose skin is covered then I don't have to look at it. I would certainly rather have some loose skin than be obese again. I cannot believe how much better I feel now than I did 18 months ago.