My stomach is shrinking but it’s also hanging

cynthiabickham

I’ve lost quite a bit of weight but my stomach now droops down. The skin from my upper belly is folding at the bellybutton (which has actually caused a minor infection inside my belly button) and my lower belly is drooping causing it to uncontrollably rub on my more sensitive area. I just need some advice as to how to get it to maybe not hang as much as it is.

yirara

How much weight have you lost, and in how much time? If you've lost a lot of weight then there's less 'stuff' underneath your skin, and as skin doesn't have muscles it can start to hang down. Skin has the habit though of getting tighter again with time. Also, posture plays a big role. If your posture isn't so good then your belly might appear to be hanging more, while with a good posture it's all not that bad. Are you doing any strength training and some mild stretching?

AnnPT77

Are you able to use light compression clothing to hold the folds more in place, until you lose more, so that there's less chafing or overlapping? There are forms made for regular situations (the lighter all-day "shapewear" kind of thing; some types of workout clothing that are spandex or otherwise firmly stretchy; and some special garments made for post-childbirth use that may be more accommodating for someone whose abdominal area is of special concern for other reasons. I'm not advancing this "a cure", but it might help keep things in place and reduce secondary negative effects.

Depending on details, an anti-chafing product might help in some areas, too, if you haven't already tried that: Bodyglide is the brand I use, but there are others. There are even some suitable for sensitive areas. Do a web search for a term like "anti-chafe products", and you'll see examples. In my experience, anti-chafe products are more effective than things like baby powder or vaseline.

I hope you're able to find a solution!