Can you really get rid of loose skin?

esteffz23
esteffz23 Posts: 9 Member
I have really loose skin in my stomach and wanted to see if it's possible for me to maybe have a flat stomach. I really need some proof some people say I can and others say no ! I just want to see how much can I do to thighthing a little bit at least! plz if you guys can post before and after pics that will be great !
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Replies

  • gary241069
    gary241069 Posts: 255 Member
    The fact that you didn't get any replies to this makes dieting seem off putting.
  • esteffz23
    esteffz23 Posts: 9 Member
    What do you mean? lol
  • SomeNights246
    SomeNights246 Posts: 807 Member
    What do you mean? lol

    I think they're suggesting that it means most of us have not successfully gotten rid of loose skin lol

    I sure haven't. Many people can't. But it's a small price to pay to be healthy. I'd rather be healthy and have loose skin, than have skin that's tight and unhealthy. :flowerforyou:

    Some people have relative success. Maybe they'll chime in later.
  • ShrinkinMel
    ShrinkinMel Posts: 982 Member
    I've heard good things about dry skin brushing. Research that. My thoughts is there is probably going to be some but with years it can shrink back some.

    I fear for my arms but like previous responder said I'd rather be healthy with loose skin than continue on unhealthy. My arms already hang down from when I was pregnant and my bp had me with quite a bit edema swelling in them. They have not snapped back but there is also a lot of fat cells left on them so I hope they will improve.
  • fatfudgery
    fatfudgery Posts: 449 Member
    No. Sorry.
  • lukewind
    lukewind Posts: 177 Member
    If you still have loose skin a year after you have lost all your weight then the only way to get rid of it is surgery. If its not much skin you could always bulk up a bit with some heavy lifting and fill that skin in a bit with muscle, but if its a lot of skin that will ony help so much.
  • my2kin04
    my2kin04 Posts: 69 Member
    I don't think you can get rid of it..but I believe if you lose weigh slow it will give your skin time to shrink. At least that is what I've been reading.
  • millie15734
    millie15734 Posts: 2 Member
    Yes you can. It takes a LOT of hard work. One of my close friends Steph_getfit did it! She has lost over 70lbs but she did it slowly and the RIGHT way. Healthy food choices and hard work. When she started really watching her diet and lifting more is when she started seeing those results. Look her up and she will help you any way she can. She is on instagram too Steph_getfit. She posts all types of progress. I don't know how to post pictures on here or I would, but if you find her instagram she has several before and after photos.
  • adjanz
    adjanz Posts: 3 Member
    I have really loose skin in my stomach and wanted to see if it's possible for me to maybe have a flat stomach. I really need some proof some people say I can and others say no ! I just want to see how much can I do to thighthing a little bit at least! plz if you guys can post before and after pics that will be great !

    if you don't mind me asking, how did you lose the weight?
  • TutuMom41
    TutuMom41 Posts: 278 Member
    I have really loose skin in my stomach and wanted to see if it's possible for me to maybe have a flat stomach. I really need some proof some people say I can and others say no ! I just want to see how much can I do to thighthing a little bit at least! plz if you guys can post before and after pics that will be great !

    Some times yes some times no. It all depends on the amount of weight you loose and how elastic your skin is. It looks like you are trying to loose 9 lbs so I would say you will have no problem with it. I lost over 200 and my insurance company paid for a tummy tuck. They removed 25 lbs of extra skin. It was hurting my back. I am a runner.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,023 Member
    Yes you can..............................with surgery. If in a couple of years it hasn't retracted back to "tautness", then more than likely it's not going to.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • bethlaf
    bethlaf Posts: 954 Member
    ACTUALLY - most people can lose a significant amount of it over the course oof a year or so at goal weight, it might not all go away, but lots and lots of it depends on genetics , how big you were and for how long, and plain old dumb luck
  • melanie3rd
    melanie3rd Posts: 11
    this is one thing that worries me the most about losing weight. I want to be able to wear a bikini or nicer clothes with confidence but I'm worried I'm going to be too self conscious of loose skin. is 2lbs a week slow enough to lose weight without the skin being loose? I've lost 9lbs so far and I want to lose 40lbs so I'm hoping its not that big of a difference that it will be too loose.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    I have really loose skin in my stomach and wanted to see if it's possible for me to maybe have a flat stomach. I really need some proof some people say I can and others say no ! I just want to see how much can I do to thighthing a little bit at least! plz if you guys can post before and after pics that will be great !

    if you don't mind me asking, how did you lose the weight?

    Yes--there are some suggestions if you want to lose a lot of weight and don't want to look like a deflated balloon.

    1) Lose weight slowly and don't regain before you lose again. That will help to ensure that you are actually losing more fat proportionally than lean tissue. Lose 20 and then maintain for a few months, then lose some more and then maintain for a few more months, etc. Going up and down a lot doesn't help your skin.

    2) Stay as well-nourished as you can while losing. While you will lose weight on a diet of Pop-Tarts (as long as you stay within your calorie goals), you may not like what you see when you are done. Every part of your lean tissue needs nourishment and depriving your skin of nourishment will not get you a visible vote of approval from what is really your body's largest organ (your skin).

    3) Losing some lean tissue is inevitable on every fat reduction plan. Use your maintenance periods to attempt to strengthen and build muscle.

    4) Make sure that it is actually lose skin that you are looking at and not really some body fat that needs to come off.

    5) Weight lifting (even if it is just body weight) is very helpful in curbing body fat and that will minimize "loose skin" (see point 4)

    6) Water, water, water. Staying well hydrated will help your skin to eliminate toxins that are produced by your metabolism (the skin is an organ of elimination). These toxins will build up in your skin, lymph channels and subcutaneous fat (and everyone is going to have some---even professional body builders) and make it look worse than it needs to. Some people say that Epsom salts baths help with the elimination of toxins from the skin and lymphatics. And, in any case, it can't hurt as most of us are deficient in magnesium and taking Epsom salts baths (Epsom salts are magnesium sulphate) will help restore magnesium levels and moisturize skin.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    this is one thing that worries me the most about losing weight. I want to be able to wear a bikini or nicer clothes with confidence but I'm worried I'm going to be too self conscious of loose skin. is 2lbs a week slow enough to lose weight without the skin being loose? I've lost 9lbs so far and I want to lose 40lbs so I'm hoping its not that big of a difference that it will be too loose.

    How old are you? In general, the older you are, the slower you need to lose it to avoid the saggy, baggies.

    ETA: I just looked at your page and see that you are 27. Someone in her 20s should be okay losing 2 pounds a week. But all the other suggestions apply from my other post. For good health, 2 pounds a week is a safe loss for someone in her 20s. For someone in her 50s, she would need to lose it at a rate of less than 1 pound a week--which can be hard with calorie counting because the margin of error is so small.
  • TutuMom41
    TutuMom41 Posts: 278 Member
    I have really loose skin in my stomach and wanted to see if it's possible for me to maybe have a flat stomach. I really need some proof some people say I can and others say no ! I just want to see how much can I do to thighthing a little bit at least! plz if you guys can post before and after pics that will be great !

    if you don't mind me asking, how did you lose the weight?

    Yes--there are some suggestions if you want to lose a lot of weight and don't want to look like a deflated balloon.

    1) Lose weight slowly and don't regain before you lose again. That will help to ensure that you are actually losing more fat proportionally than lean tissue. Lose 20 and then maintain for a few months, then lose some more and then maintain for a few more months, etc. Going up and down a lot doesn't help your skin.

    2) Stay as well-nourished as you can while losing. While you will lose weight on a diet of Pop-Tarts (as long as you stay within your calorie goals), you may not like what you see when you are done. Every part of your lean tissue needs nourishment and depriving your skin of nourishment will not get you a visible vote of approval from what is really your body's largest organ (your skin).

    3) Losing some lean tissue is inevitable on every fat reduction plan. Use your maintenance periods to attempt to strengthen and build muscle.

    4) Make sure that it is actually lose skin that you are looking at and not really some body fat that needs to come off.

    5) Weight lifting (even if it is just body weight) is very helpful in curbing body fat and that will minimize "loose skin" (see point 4)

    6) Water, water, water. Staying well hydrated will help your skin to eliminate toxins that are produced by your metabolism (the skin is an organ of elimination). These toxins will build up in your skin, lymph channels and subcutaneous fat (and everyone is going to have some---even professional body builders) and make it look worse than it needs to. Some people say that Epsom salts baths help with the elimination of toxins from the skin and lymphatics. And, in any case, it can't hurt as most of us are deficient in magnesium and taking Epsom salts baths (Epsom salts are magnesium sulphate) will help restore magnesium levels and moisturize skin.

    Sorry this is inaccurate. I have seen and heard it all including you can get skin removal for free if you donate it to burn victims. The cold hard facts....
    It depends on how much weight you loose,
    It depends on your age and elasticity of your skin. If your skin has lost its elasticity do to being over stretched or age you can loose 1/8th of a lb a week and you will still end up with extra skin!
    If you have lost a significant amount of weight your insurance will cover the tummy tuck if it is proven medically necessary. (I have done this I had 25 lbs of skin removed) There is no way I could have built a 25 lb muscle to tighten it up!
    If you do not have much to loose and your skin is not stretched or worn out you should be fine.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,023 Member
    this is one thing that worries me the most about losing weight. I want to be able to wear a bikini or nicer clothes with confidence but I'm worried I'm going to be too self conscious of loose skin. is 2lbs a week slow enough to lose weight without the skin being loose? I've lost 9lbs so far and I want to lose 40lbs so I'm hoping its not that big of a difference that it will be too loose.
    If you're under 200lbs, then trying to lose 2lbs a week is a bit aggressive and aggressive weight loss is a reason why skin can get loose.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    I have really loose skin in my stomach and wanted to see if it's possible for me to maybe have a flat stomach. I really need some proof some people say I can and others say no ! I just want to see how much can I do to thighthing a little bit at least! plz if you guys can post before and after pics that will be great !

    if you don't mind me asking, how did you lose the weight?

    Yes--there are some suggestions if you want to lose a lot of weight and don't want to look like a deflated balloon.

    1) Lose weight slowly and don't regain before you lose again. That will help to ensure that you are actually losing more fat proportionally than lean tissue. Lose 20 and then maintain for a few months, then lose some more and then maintain for a few more months, etc. Going up and down a lot doesn't help your skin.

    2) Stay as well-nourished as you can while losing. While you will lose weight on a diet of Pop-Tarts (as long as you stay within your calorie goals), you may not like what you see when you are done. Every part of your lean tissue needs nourishment and depriving your skin of nourishment will not get you a visible vote of approval from what is really your body's largest organ (your skin).

    3) Losing some lean tissue is inevitable on every fat reduction plan. Use your maintenance periods to attempt to strengthen and build muscle.

    4) Make sure that it is actually lose skin that you are looking at and not really some body fat that needs to come off.

    5) Weight lifting (even if it is just body weight) is very helpful in curbing body fat and that will minimize "loose skin" (see point 4)

    6) Water, water, water. Staying well hydrated will help your skin to eliminate toxins that are produced by your metabolism (the skin is an organ of elimination). These toxins will build up in your skin, lymph channels and subcutaneous fat (and everyone is going to have some---even professional body builders) and make it look worse than it needs to. Some people say that Epsom salts baths help with the elimination of toxins from the skin and lymphatics. And, in any case, it can't hurt as most of us are deficient in magnesium and taking Epsom salts baths (Epsom salts are magnesium sulphate) will help restore magnesium levels and moisturize skin.

    Sorry this is inaccurate. I have seen and heard it all including you can get skin removal for free if you donate it to burn victims. The cold hard facts....
    It depends on how much weight you loose,
    It depends on your age and elasticity of your skin. If your skin has lost its elasticity do to being over stretched or age you can loose 1/8th of a lb a week and you will still end up with extra skin!
    If you have lost a significant amount of weight your insurance will cover the tummy tuck if it is proven medically necessary. (I have done this I had 25 lbs of skin removed) There is no way I could have built a 25 lb muscle to tighten it up!
    If you do not have much to loose and your skin is not stretched or worn out you should be fine.

    I disagree but I'm not going to argue the point. I have lost 66 pounds. I have lost it slowly and healthfully and lose skin really isn't a significant problem. I really don't think it depends on genetics. If you have hundreds to lose, it is a different story, but I would imagine skin reduction would be a medical necessity in that case.
  • TutuMom41
    TutuMom41 Posts: 278 Member
    I lose 200 Like I said it depends on HOW MUCH YOU HAVE TO LOOSE and AGE (sorry a 45 year old does not have 18 year old skin)

    Age and gravity everyone's boobs hit their knees. Breast feed a few kids!
  • gary241069
    gary241069 Posts: 255 Member
    What is Instagram?
  • aedreana
    aedreana Posts: 979 Member
    I am 61 with loose skin on my butt because menopause took all the fat from my hips and *kitten* and shifted it around to my waist/midriff. My weight did not change; it redistributed. Now I have narrow straight hips and a flat butt that hangs in a multitude of wrinkles at the bottom where the saddlebags once were. Like wrinkled fabric. I am being 100% honest when I say that if I thought the butt wrinkles would fill out, I would be willing to weigh 200 or 250 pounds. ( I am 121 lbs. @ 5' 3 1/2.") Plastic surgery is my only hope but I am rock-bottom-poor, in desperate need of a rock-bottom. I totally disagree with anyone who thinks fat looks worse than loose skin.
  • TutuMom41
    TutuMom41 Posts: 278 Member
    I am 61 with loose skin on my butt because menopause took all the fat from my hips and *kitten* and shifted it around to my waist/midriff. My weight did not change; it redistributed. Now I have narrow straight hips and a flat butt that hangs in a multitude of wrinkles at the bottom where the saddlebags once were. Like wrinkled fabric. I am being 100% honest when I say that if I thought the butt wrinkles would fill out, I would be willing to weigh 200 or 250 pounds. ( I am 121 lbs. @ 5' 3 1/2.") Plastic surgery is my only hope but I am rock-bottom-poor, in desperate need of a rock-bottom. I totally disagree with anyone who thinks fat looks worse than loose skin.

    There is no chance that I would regain weight to fill in my arms, and butt. I feel better. I am healthier and I look better. I can dress in a way that the loose skin is minimized but after a 200 lb loss I am all skin and bones
  • AvonBell
    AvonBell Posts: 107 Member
    Step 1: Is it loose skin or remaining fat?

    A lot of people confuse the two. Skin is very thin and elastic.

    You would have to have lost a considerable amount of weight for loose skin to be a serious problem for an average person who truly lost the fat and kept it off for a few years. The truth is, for most people it's not a big deal.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    I lost 300 lbs. And had a circumferential body lift and had 17 lbs. Of skin removed and am still paying that surgery bill off... I had documented cases of skin infection and cellulitis that span over a couple years and it had gotten so bad when one of these bouts come on I had to drop what I was doing and go straight to the ER. I was told by my insurance it was cosmetic surgery and was not covered. OP regardless to whether you have loose skin or not it is more important to lose the weight and yet healthy rather than the alternative. ... You can always have something done later if the skin doesn't return to where you like it...... Best of Luck
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,833 Member
    I fully intend to wave my loose skin proudly as a badge of courage -- or enter dog shows as a sharpei.
  • esteffz23
    esteffz23 Posts: 9 Member
    I have really loose skin in my stomach and wanted to see if it's possible for me to maybe have a flat stomach. I really need some proof some people say I can and others say no ! I just want to see how much can I do to thighthing a little bit at least! plz if you guys can post before and after pics that will be great !

    if you don't mind me asking, how did you lose the weight?


    I go to the gym 6 times a week and try to keep a healthy diet, it's hard and takes time but you see results fast. I started seeing results since the first month :) hope this helps
  • paulperryman
    paulperryman Posts: 839 Member
    skin depending on how long it's been stretched for and how old you are may or may not ever rebound to the shape you are now, but it's really slow either way, i have pudgy skin around my waist but healthy body fat atm and some residule stretch marks below the belly button. in my case i was overweight to very overweight all my life and even more so the last 15yrs and at age 40 the chances of the elasticity still being there are much lower doesn't mean it wont eventually get there, just gonna take alot longer then it took to lose 34Kgs..


    Overall as someone else said, that's the least of your concerns, get rid of the weight so you can live then worry about looking good naked. just keep up with resistance training to tighten and tone, which will in turn drag the skin in a little bit at a time. nothing you can do short of surgery or maybe some fancy day spa technique to do it naturally as far as i can tell.
  • CrusaderSam
    CrusaderSam Posts: 180 Member


    Yes--there are some suggestions if you want to lose a lot of weight and don't want to look like a deflated balloon.

    1) Lose weight slowly and don't regain before you lose again. That will help to ensure that you are actually losing more fat proportionally than lean tissue. Lose 20 and then maintain for a few months, then lose some more and then maintain for a few more months, etc. Going up and down a lot doesn't help your skin.

    2) Stay as well-nourished as you can while losing. While you will lose weight on a diet of Pop-Tarts (as long as you stay within your calorie goals), you may not like what you see when you are done. Every part of your lean tissue needs nourishment and depriving your skin of nourishment will not get you a visible vote of approval from what is really your body's largest organ (your skin).

    3) Losing some lean tissue is inevitable on every fat reduction plan. Use your maintenance periods to attempt to strengthen and build muscle.

    4) Make sure that it is actually lose skin that you are looking at and not really some body fat that needs to come off.

    5) Weight lifting (even if it is just body weight) is very helpful in curbing body fat and that will minimize "loose skin" (see point 4)

    6) Water, water, water. Staying well hydrated will help your skin to eliminate toxins that are produced by your metabolism (the skin is an organ of elimination). These toxins will build up in your skin, lymph channels and subcutaneous fat (and everyone is going to have some---even professional body builders) and make it look worse than it needs to. Some people say that Epsom salts baths help with the elimination of toxins from the skin and lymphatics. And, in any case, it can't hurt as most of us are deficient in magnesium and taking Epsom salts baths (Epsom salts are magnesium sulphate) will help restore magnesium levels and moisturize skin.

    You know its funny because
    1)Took me over a year to lose the weight
    2)Didn't eat any "junk" food
    3)Did that and then some
    4)I have been in to single digit body fat
    5)Yeah, hate to brag but I can bench 315 so most people say that I lift
    6)I am one of the dbags that would carry around the 1 gal jug of water at the gym.

    So I did everything you said and still got loose skin. So yeah you are misinformed. Not only that but its damn insulting to have people like you claim that I MUST have done something wrong to have ended up with extra skin. I hate when people like you try and be helpful but instead you are making them fell bad, like they did something wrong, when in fact they did nothing of the sort.
  • Elsie_Brownraisin
    Elsie_Brownraisin Posts: 786 Member
    I fully intend to wave my loose skin proudly as a badge of courage -- or enter dog shows as a sharpei.

    :laugh:
  • scb515
    scb515 Posts: 133 Member
    I fully intend to wave my loose skin proudly as a badge of courage -- or enter dog shows as a sharpei.

    Love your style. :D
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