60 years old with saggy skin.

MamaSteg

So I’ve lost 23 pounds since January and have 15 pounds to go. I’m proud of the weight loss but upset about the saggy skin on my face, neck, arms, stomach and legs. If I lose the a 15 more pounds my doc wants me to lose I’ll look like I’ve melted. Feeling conflicted.

777Gemma888

Congratulations on your loses MamaSteg! Without seeing your level of skin laxity post fat loss, it's difficult to suggest treatment. Granted, Thermage would be the first option, if your skin has minimal laxity. A consultation with a reconstructive/cosmetic surgeon is advisable for a higher degree of skin droopiness post fat loss.

cheryldumais

Give it some time. I had a tummy tuck for my stomach area but I lost 104 pounds. As for my face, neck etc areas some of that has filled in a bit. At first my neck looked very turkey-like but really it's not bad now. The tummy tuck was worth it in the end but I had a very tough time so would suggest you give your body time to bounce back as much as it's going to before doing something that drastic. Being thinner than I was is worth any excess skin. I look much better in my clothes and I feel a ton better.

middlehaitch

How much the skin will recover is down to genetics and age. Unfortunately age isn't on our (I'm 64) side when it come down to the elasticity of our skin.

The best advice I could give is -
Lose the last 15 lbs slowly, 0.5lbs a week. This will give you the best chance at fulfilling your nutritional needs.

Get plenty of protein, aim for ~0.8g per lbs of ideal body weight (middle of normal BMI range). Both collagen and elastin are proteins and are the building blocks for skin.

Protein also helps with muscle retention and bone density- we need all the help we can get in that department as post menopausal women.

As an older person protein is better synthesized when ingested 25-35g at a time rather than 10g here, 15g there, so try to focus on protein when meal prepping.

Move more, not only is it good for your cardio vascular system, it helps with circulation and cell turnover giving your skin a better nutrient delivery.

Do some form of resistance training. This helps with muscle retention and bone density too. Having a good substructure of muscle helps the skin hang on the body better even if there is some loose skin left.

Posture, practice good posture all the time. It is amazing how better one can look just by sitting or standing correctly.

Hydrate, drinking enough liquid will help the skin be hydrated too and help offset the striated look we can get as we age.

You are just past the half way point of your weight loss. This van often lead to a melted candle look. Don't dispear, things will improve. You may never look like a 30 yo again but given time, up to 2years, things will improve, and you will be a better healthier, 60+yo than you would have been if you hadn't lost the weight.

My face looked old, well it was, haggard, and drawn, for the first 6 month after I lost 30lbs. Now I am use to its new shape, few extra wrinkles, they came with age, and it looks healthy and happy.
Oh yes, practice smiling, it really does help with the haggard look.

It is almost 10 years since I lost the 30lbs, and started working out and I look better now, can do more now, (thanks to an improved fitness level and muscle strength), than I did/could have twenty years ago at 45.

Don't give up.

Cheers, h.

Me before I lost 30 lbs, during recomp, on holiday this March



Face at 45 and 61ish- no longer youthful, but not too shabby- a lived in face that I can live with.

cbstewart88

I am 63 years old - have lost 40 lbs with about 10 to go. I was worried about the saggy skin thing too. So I started working out. Like crazy working out. Boxing, calisthenics, running, jumping rope...it has seemed to work. No saggy skin. Even my boobs have started to perk up a bit! Don't know if this is an antidote to saggy skin, but it might be worth a try???

88olds

Beware. Not a scientific survey but an observation on countless posts I’ve seen on loose skin. Folks lose some weight, post about the loose skin and disappear. I was in Weight Watchers meetings. There was a guy over 400lbs. Lost nearly 100. The day he mentioned saggy skin was the last time I saw him. Loose skin seems to be a favorite way the anti weight loss brain says “Not good enough.” Not good enough is the first step to Why bother?

Look at the big picture and what’s in your post. Your Dr says to lose weight. Your Dr seems to think your health is at risk. You’re succeeding. Now your brain wants to make it not about your health, but your appearance. Is that what you really want to do? Perfect is the enemy of the good.

bikecheryl

I'm 59, have lost 111 lbs and have saggy skin at my waist, thighs, arms....lol.... pretty much everywhere .... and I still have another 20 or so lbs to lose.

I don't care !

I really don't, cause saggy skin beats the alternative ANY DAY!

Do I wish I could change it - hell yes, but seriously, what did I expect after being so overweight most of my adult life?

I don't look at my saggy skin with disgust but with pride - I worked damn hard to get to the point I'm actually talking about it.

amgreenwell

I'm sorry you are having this issue but I'll tell you that it has happened to me at 41 as well. There is always the skin surgery where they remove it but I know that is along recovery. Be proud of your accomplishment and just know that saggy skin comes with it.

Healthydiner65

I have wrinkled skin on my batwings. If you find something that works let me know. I’m tempted to buy that Crepe Ease that I saw on TV.

AnnPT77

I'm going to repeat what I just said on another thread, because I think it's applicable here, too:

There's a phase part way through weight loss where some of us look worse, not better. What happens is that fat can deplete anywhere in our fat mass: It doesn't always neatly melt off from the outside first, then progress inward, like a melting ice cube. Consequently, the fat mass can get (ugh) squishy or floppy part way through. It's like a water balloon partially filled with water (no air) - floppy - compared to one that's all full with water - more firm and rounded, kind of stands up by itself. The squishy fat conspires with gravity to keep the skin stretched out.

But, as goal approaches, that situation can improve. That "part way" point can be misleadingly worse.

As more fat drops away, some of these areas will deplete enough that the skin can shrink better. When we get down to actual loose skin, it's thin wrinkles, like wrinkles in fabric. Those possibly can shrink. Thicker folds or rolls (like 1/2" plus) still have some fat keeping things stretched out.

In my experience, fat loss is potentially a much faster process than skin shrinkage. My true loose skin (thin wrinkles) kept shrinking well into my second year of maintenance, even at age 60+. (I lost 50+ pounds, total, at age 59-60, and am now 62.) The areas where I still have some remaining squishy fat (for me, abdomen, inner thighs) don't much shrink.

If you're roughly halfway to goal, it's going to be really hard right now to evaluate how things will end up. I know - boy, do I know - that that in-between phase can be scary and annoying. Hang in there! As you get closer to goal, it will be increasingly obvious where you stand. Even then, areas of just loose skin may keep shrinking for quite a while.

Also, I endorse everything that @middlehaitch wrote. Like her, my face looked more haggard right when I reached goal, but improved over the next few months with some skin shrinkage and probably glycogen replenishment. I look my age, and am proud of being who and what I am: I don't think I look worse for having lost weight - quite the contrary. The average person meeting me now is visibly surprised if it comes up in conversation that I was obese just 3-4 years ago.

Keep going. Things are very likely to improve as you approach goal weight, and gradually for quite some time even beyond. Best wishes!