Help with loose skin on lower stomach

JaysFan82

I've lost 98 pounds since the end of February. I'm starting to notice loose skin beginning to develop on my lower stomach. Is there anything I can do about this?

Lietchi

How much do you weigh currently? Because that's a very, very fast rate of loss. It is commonly said that it's better to lose more slowly to try and avoid loose skin. And fast weight loss has other possible negative health consequences too. It's recommended to lose max. 1% of your body weight per week.

Aside from that, patience is also important: loose skin can improve up to a year or more after weight loss.

AnnPT77

Is it thin wrinkles, like wrinkles in a medium-weight cloth? That'd be what loose skin by itself looks like. If it's still 1/2" or more folds or rolls, there's still some subcutaneous fat in there, conspiring with gravity to keep the skin stretched. As you lose weight, more fat will deplete, and when it gets down to the thin wrinkles stage is when it can really start to shrink. Mine kept shrinking at least into year 2 at goal weight.

Don't panic, it's normal to have some looseness like that on the way to goal weight, and even at goal weight, but it can still improve and potentially resolve. I definitely looked more worrisome part way to goal than at goal, and more worrisome at goal than even a few months later at maintenance weight.

As far as how to minimize loose skin, here's what I think: Genetics matter, and likely age does, too. That's the hand we're dealt, and it's unpredictable and pretty much unchangeable.

Beyond that, skin is an organ. The things that keep other organs healthy will also tend to keep skin healthy, which means elastic and more willing to adjust. These include:

* avoiding fast loss (because it's a physical stress to lose fast),
* getting good well-rounded nutrition (macros and micros, especially but not exclusively protein),
* getting regular exercise (both cardiovascular and strength),
* managing all-source life stress,
* hydrating adequately (not crazy much, but enough),
* avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol,
* specific to skin, also avoiding tanning.

People will say all kinds of things about using creams, dry-brushing, taking collagen supplements, etc. Maybe they help, but personally I'm inclined to thing those are mainly ways to pass the time while skin does pretty much what it was going to do anyway. Help a little? Maybe. Big help? I doubt it. But it can feel good to feel like we're doing *something*. Just my opinion, though.

Try not to worry too much, until you see how things look after a few months or so at goal weight. I'd guess it'll be less significant than you may think. Just my opinion, though. (And I know it's annoying/frustrating in the mean time, too - sympathies!)

cmriverside

I lost about 80 pounds in total over the period of one year.

It took a good two years until my skin firmed up. I lost the weight in my mid-fifties.

I didn't do any heavy weight lifting, just light resistance bands and moderate other exercise like swimming, walking, kayaking.

ninerbuff

As mentioned above, give your skin about 2 years to retract back. If it doesn't, then it's likely loose skin. Just about any client I've ever had that had to lose 80+lbs had some loose skin somewhere on their body.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Rickimariefit

I lost 80 pounds very quickly. Like 6-8 months and I had a lot of extra skin. I went and got mine removed surgically. They removed 18 inches of extra skin after my weight loss from my stomach.I know they say yo take weight loss slower when you’re bigger to prevent extra skin if you lose too fast.

Rickimariefit

Granted mine probably would have tightened up if I gave it some time (I did this about 4-5 years ago I didn’t know any differently). I didn’t think my skin would tighten up because I lost so fast and I wasn’t exercising like how I do now which is probably another reason it didn’t tighten up on its own. So I would give it some time and exercise before considering surgery or anything like that!