You lost 100+ lbs w diet exercise & then need skin removal?

cheripugh1

My question is triggered by a comment that was made about those having gastric bypass surgery needing to have skin removal surgeries to remove all that excess skin from rapid weight loss. The comment included that those doing it the old fashion way, diet and exercise do not need to have those surgeries because the skin tightens up as you lose weight because of your workouts.

I have 100 lbs. to lose and I'd like to know from those who lost that much or more by diet and exercise, if they toned up as the went or if they had to have or wish they could have, skin removal surgery? I am thinking my arms will not tone up, I am focusing on that issue but I just got to wondering after I heard that the other day.

Francl27

I've lost 75 lbs and I definitely need skin removal (which I'll probably never be able to afford) - belly is the worst, upper arms a little bit, and thighs are pretty bad too (inside). I'm 35 but my skin has always been pretty bad with scarring, stretch marks etc, so it's not really a surprise. It really depends a lot on genetics unfortunately. Some people claim that exercise can help, but I'm the living proof that it doesn't always make a difference (I've pretty much exercised every day from the start, including strength training and weight lifting). Maybe it will get better with time, but I highly doubt it will go away... at least not my belly.

Now, I'm not saying that if you lose weight slowly it will be that bad though. I lost 75 lbs in a year, which is pretty fast.

qtgonewild

i've lost 65 out of 125 so far i do not see any excess skin. i imagine there will be more than plenty when i reach my goal. For me, I'm worried about it but not all that much. My arms, like you said, i would love to not look like saggy batwings. So i pray alot. While moisturing. While jumping on one foot. hahaha jk.

meltedsno

personally. i will take excess skin anyday over excess weight.... i don't weigh myself so can't tell you how much I lost (I do have a starting weight)... The largest size I have ever worn was a size 26... a month ago I bought my first pair of size 10 jeans.... last week I bought a size 8 dress.... I have excess skin, but I am still working on losing a little more... I walk between 5-10 miles a day-- averaging 7. My plan is to hire a personal trainer as a birthday present to me in July.... until then, I am happy where I am at and what I achieved... The fact that I have excess skin is the price I have to pay for excess food.... but, like I said... rather have the skin over the weight...

FitGeekery

From what I understand there is no way to know whether you'll have excess skin or not, or where or how much until you get further along in your journey. There might be minor things you can do to help but nothing will be as significant as genetics and age. On top of that the skin can and will tighten up over time, to what degree again depends. But it's a much slower process than weight loss as in it can take 1-2+ years for skin to tighten as much as it's able to during maintenance.

I'm not saying this to discourage you at all, more to encourage you not to worry about it. The mental & physical health gains you make for yourself with eating better (+exercising if you choose to) far outweigh the -possibility- of -some- excess skin.

I also say this for myself as much as anyone else, I had the same amount to lose in the beginning and it was a definite concern when I stumbled on the topic online.

psych101

I lost the majority of my weight through my early 20s so that probably played a part - I don't have a lot of loose skin, maybe just a bit more jiggle under my arm than I'd like and a little crease of skin on my lower stomach. I think my age, how slowly I lost the weight (over 2-3 years) and lifting heavy all certainly helped.

Iknowsaur

Loose skin can happen no matter HOW you lose weight, especially if it's something significant like 100 pounds.
The more rapidly you lose weight, the more likely it is that you will have loose skin, and that is why it is so common for bypass patients to have loose skin (and, of course, because of the degree of weight they lose.) Exercise and strength training as you go can definitely help with preventing loose skin, but it isn't completely black and white.

cheripugh1

Thank you all! I see I am getting a diversity of answers. I pretty much figured that's how it would go, but I was curious if the majority had any issues.

I am not overly worried about it, again I think my arms will be the worse end of the deal and I'm certainly not doing this to win any beauty contests LOL I'll be 56 Sat. and I have health issues, so my reasons are simple, to be healthier so I can dance and my grandchildren's weddings (maybe even their children's weddings too)

Again thank you all for responding!

mfoster1019

I lost weight through the normal diet/exercise and have a lot of excess skin. Belly, upper arms, and inner thighs mainly like another PP said. But I have overall loose skin everywhere unfortunately, even though I have a lot of muscle in my arms, shoulders and thighs. The excess would definitely have to be removed via surgery. It's unfortunate because the excess skin, for me personally, I feel doesn't reflect the true weight I've lost and true results I've achieved.

player30

First off, happy early birthday! I just turned 56 a few weeks ago.

Loose skin has been a concern of mine also. I was doing the weight machines 4 days a week, but my weight wasn't moving and so I just do them once a week now. I do have a good bit of muscle that is coming back to life.

Two things I do religiously are http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTGBFlB1fEI and 150 sit-ups everyday using an excercise ball (I worked up from 10). I do the arm excercises everytime I take my dogs outside and so I do them 4-5 times a day. I am hoping that these will help my arms & stomach with loose skin.

As far as skin removal, in May, 2013 I paid for my best friend to have excess skin removed from her abdomen (gastric bypass), She says that she is glad she did it, but she is having her 4th surgery next Tues, her doctor made belly button has disappeared and she has an incision completely across her abdomen.

When I reach the 70lb mark in my weight loss, I am giviing myself a neck lift, but I can say with certainty that I will never have my torso worked on .

cheripugh1

Hmm ok thank you... I can't do sit ups, none at all, I can do the ones where you sit on a chair and go to knees but that's it. nothing that puts any strain on the neck, back of head area. I'll check out that link... and thank you again!

MintyStarshine

I think it depends on how fast you lose it. Right now, I've lost 60lbs over the last eight months and have no need for skin removal. My inner thighs have gotten a little easier to grab, but that's it, but are nowhere near what I've seen in pictures of rapid weight loss. I honestly don't even think that my boobs have suffered either. I'm 29 so I'm no spring chicken. I haven't done much exercising since November, either, when I quit my job.

lcfairbairn74

I have started noticing the beginnings of loose skin, especially around my tummy, inner thigh and arm areas. I still have a lot of weight to lose, so was surprised I've noticed it this early. However, apart from staying hydrated, moisturizing my skin and strength training, there isn't anything I can do about it. I wouldn't worry about it too much if I was you. Essentially, the excess weight causes health problems, whereas loose skin doesn't. With the right clothing, we can hide the fact we have loose skin. And, for me, it will be a constant reminder never to go back to where I was!

mamadon

I'm almost 52. I do have some loose skin, but it's not as much as I thought it would be. Do I jiggle a little? Yes! It's still better than being morbidly obese though. What I have learned is that I should have started in the weight room at the gym when I started to lose. The consensus seems to be lifting weights is the best way to help with the loose skin.

Francl27

I'm almost 52. I do have some loose skin, but it's not as much as I thought it would be. Do I jiggle a little? Yes! It's still better than being morbidly obese though. What I have learned is that I should have started in the weight room at the gym when I started to lose. The consensus seems to be lifting weights is the best way to help with the loose skin.

But it's not true... I'm the living proof of that. It's genetics.

cheripugh1

Again thank you for coming on and saying what you have faced or are facing! It just really helps to hear this stuff, to prepare your mind a bit for an issue you must might face and to try to prevent it by taking extra care to focus on those areas.

Player30 gave me a great youtube link (see below) and I can sure feel it, plus there are other tubes on that side bar for other parts like Abs to do standing which is what I need also. I envy that anyone can do 150 sit ups lol but that is one of the things I just will never be able to do without a brace... so these others look great and like I said I tried some last night and wow! I could really feel it.

I don't think my legs will be a problem, and I'm not super worried about my waist/abs although I'm focusing on that area too, but move over batman my arms are horrible!

My health is my number one issue as I've said, but I do want to try and tighten up and look the best that I can, again not planning to enter any beauty contests! But we all want to look well... good.

for arms: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTGBFlB1fEI

Dahamac

Yeah, I look like a Shar-Pei without my shirt. It is discouraging at times. I've been roughly maintaining weight for the last year even though I want to drop more body fat. After a year, I am thinking that I am noticing the skin tighten a little.

BTW, I rode a bicycle 11,900 miles last year. So, I think that is plenty of cardio.

Final note though. I will take the lose skin over the extra 135lbs any day, every day, and all day. The other day I carried a 50lb bag of dog food into the house and felt the extra weight in my joints as I climbed the stairs. I thought to myself then that I used carried twice this much weight everyday and every step.

Don't let the idea of lose skin de-motivate you from losing the weight. My motto: I'll work on the loose skin when I have lost the weight and maintained for a minimum of three years.

WBB55

I lost 100 lbs over 2 years, and I was 32 at the time. So I don't think my excess skin issues were as bad as some people's. I also found 80% of the saggiest of skin tightened up eventually (after about 6 months after the weight was lost) ESPECIALLY around the face. That being said, at goal weight, the following areas never tightened: upper under arms, skin around the top of the knees, skin at the previous FUPA region, breasts -- think regions most likely to have stretch marks from things other than pregnancy. But it's so much easier to mask extra skin than mask the extra 100 lbs I was carrying around.

But as I've put back on muscle, I hardly notice the saggy skin anymore. Like, building muscle in my quads helped tighten the skin at the knees, that sort of thing. The girls though, they're just a mess. They're the only thing I'd have surgery on now.

cheripugh1

Thank you! Nothing is going to stop me, I just like having an idea of what I might be facing, and trying to minimalize it, if I can, along the way.

LianaG1115

I lost weight through the normal diet/exercise and have a lot of excess skin. Belly, upper arms, and inner thighs mainly like another PP said. But I have overall loose skin everywhere unfortunately, even though I have a lot of muscle in my arms, shoulders and thighs. The excess would definitely have to be removed via surgery. It's unfortunate because the excess skin, for me personally, I feel doesn't reflect the true weight I've lost and true results I've achieved.

YES!! I am right in the same boat you are!! I am almost at the 100lb loss mark (I lost 30 lbs before starting MFP) and I tell you the arms are so bad along with other places. My arms though, I have a huge complex about it even though I have SO many "new" muscles, it doesn't really show because if I flex, the skin just hangs like I've spread my wings to take flight!! UGHHhh It bothers me so much I keep googling, MFP pal searches to find a glimmer of hope that the flappy fairy will come swooping in to take them away but the reality is, they wont...and with each pound lost and new muscle gained, they get worse...I'm bound for either excess skin or plastic surgery. We shall see when I lose the rest and attain my goal. But thank you for your comment, you hit it right on the mark!!

dkriss

I have now lost 95 pounds and I am sure I will need to have excess skin removal at least on my arms and legs. Anyone know of a good doctor in Minneapolis?

lmhbuss

I've lost 89 lbs so far and don't really have tooooo much excess skin, but I figure that if I have the grit to accomplish 89+ lbs of weight loss and maintain it...I totally have what it takes to save up for a skin reduction surgery IF I decide that I really want one.

anewlife1980

I lost weight through the normal diet/exercise and have a lot of excess skin. Belly, upper arms, and inner thighs mainly like another PP said. But I have overall loose skin everywhere unfortunately, even though I have a lot of muscle in my arms, shoulders and thighs. The excess would definitely have to be removed via surgery. It's unfortunate because the excess skin, for me personally, I feel doesn't reflect the true weight I've lost and true results I've achieved.

I feel the same way. I've lost 105lbs in the past yr without surgery & I still find it hard to get clothes because you can see it all bunched up under my clothes! I feel like I still need to hide. Swimsuit shopping was HORRIBLE, all of the skin pushed up & came out any openings in the suit, I nearly cried in the fitting room. When I see pics all I see is the bulges of hanging skin under my clothes. My stomach & around my bra line is the worst. My arms too but I can get over that. The skin on my stomach is heavy too, so while I have 40lbs to reach my goal, its prob less then that if the skin was gone. I have a consult with plastics in 2wks but insurance won't cover it so I won't be able to afford it.

WaterBunnie

I've lost over 100 and still have a way to go yet but will stop at the point where I feel I can cope with what I'm left with. I'm fit-fat now, have a lot of muscle tone below the fat from a varied exercise regime but yes I do have loose skin, but is it really any worse than the intensive scarring would be from skin removal surgery? We're never going to be able to completely erase our pasts. Might be better to accept we'll look better in clothes than out of them once done and be happy with that?


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willdob3

I've lost over 100 lbs the old-fashioned way - by diet & exercise. I will definitely need skin removal surgery. Whether I'll get it remains to be seen; I'm still losing.

It does not really have to do with weight loss surgery vs natural methods. It has to do with many other things like genes, skin elasticity, how big one was & for how long, age, etc. The suggestion is that weight loss surgery causes loose skin because of extremely fast weight loss but even slow & steady weight loss tends to result in loose skin if you lose enough fat. Those who are young & not overweight for that long are less likely to end up with loose skin.

Loose skin is much, much better than tight, stretched skin filled with excess fat.

_Zardoz_

I've lost 139 pounds via diet and exercise and yes I have a wee bit of loose skin but nothing drastic. It can take up to two years for your skin to retract anyway I have another couple of stone to go but even with that I won't need surgery and I'm pretty confident that it'll retract quite a lot more. Most of it's down to genetics and it's almost impossible to predict how much if any loose skin you'll get. The myth about the speed you lose weight affecting the amount you have is that a myth all it means if you lose it slower is you wont notice it as much as your giveing your skin more time to retract through the weightloss. The comparison I always give is a balloon it doesn't matter how fast you let the air out the saggy balloon is still the same at the end.

A wee bit of loose skin is preferable to the health problems and shorter life span being 100 pounds over weight will cause IMO.

lots2lose51

Hi everyone i read a post here saying to prevent saggy skin eat foods rich in ingredients to let your body produce as much collagen as it can. This is really all yo can do to make things better. so a collagen producing rich foods i am looking for now!

chargraves

I lost over 100 lbs in my 40s and the last 130ish lbs in the past 18 months (now in my 50s) through diet and exercise and I have 35 – 45 lbs left to lose. My upper arms are the worst closely followed by the amount of loose skin on my thighs. My stomach is not too bad so far but it is also the last place I seem to be losing. With the amount of weight that I had to lose (250+) loose skin was going to be a problem even if I had been smart enough to lose it earlier in life.

I did cardio from almost day 1 and started light weights with multiple reps a few weeks later. My muscle tone is really good but the loose hanging skin is not pretty. I’ll never say never but at this point I am not considering skin removal surgery. Maybe I have watched too many shows like “My 600 lb life” where some of the patients sail through their bypass surgery but develop some sort of complication from skin removal surgery that keeps them in the hospital for weeks or months. I am sure that this is not typical but if the skin doesn’t cause me any medical issues, I plan to cover it up and keep enjoying my new life!

Edited to add that I had been heavy my entire life which was another strike against my skin's ability to rebound.

Froody2

I'm almost 52. I do have some loose skin, but it's not as much as I thought it would be. Do I jiggle a little? Yes! It's still better than being morbidly obese though. What I have learned is that I should have started in the weight room at the gym when I started to lose. The consensus seems to be lifting weights is the best way to help with the loose skin.

But it's not true... I'm the living proof of that. It's genetics.

Absolutely agree that it's not true. And it doesn't tighten up over time, either. My genetic inheritance sucks in terms of saggy skin




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Pamelicious1988

I have a masseuse come in every two weeks and do deep-tissue work on my whole body, for stress and mild arthritis. I got her to switch from using almond oil to coconut oil, which is reputed to help tone the skin. She even massages my stomach (love that abbreviation, FUPA = fat upper pelvic area), and she says that will help, and that my skin will tighten up well with gradual weight loss. I do have good genes, but still, I'm 55 and it would be great not to sag. In the end, like other posters here, I'll take some saggy skin any day over the 100+ extra pounds I've been lugging around for most of my adult life.

SharonNehring

This varies from insurance to insurance, but if you can demonstrate the loose skin is causing issues other than cosmetic, your insurance may well pay for it. Typically, it's fungal rashes/ infections in the skin folds that are not controlled with topical treatment.

But you must go to the doctor and have it documented multiple times in your records to prove it's a long standing problem and what treatments have been tried. I see many patients who have their tummy tuck covered by insurance and pay out of pocket for the additional costs to do their arms or thighs at the same time. It's much cheaper than doing separate surgeries.