Is there any way to know if I'll have a bunch of loose skin?
Losingthedamnweight
Posts: 536 Member
I have another 87 lbs to lose. Is there any way to tell from the way I look or anything whether I will have a bunch of loose skin when I get all skinny and sexy?
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Replies
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Probably. It depends on your genes, how you carry your weight, how much you have to lose, etc...
There are people that lost 100+lbs and don't have too much loose skin. There are others that lost less, and have the skin.
Like, I know that I'll have a lot of loose skin when I lose the weight because I'm carrying mine really badly. If you're carrying your weight well then it might not be as bad.0 -
Isin't that the faster it comes off the more likely you will have loose skin? Due to the skins elasticity, not having the proper amount of time to "bounce back"? I think the slower it comes off the more likely their is going to be less loose skin.0
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Isin't that the faster it comes off the more likely you will have loose skin? Due to the skins elasticity, not having the proper amount of time to "bounce back"? I think the slower it comes off the more likely their is going to be less loose skin.
This is true as well.0 -
Everyone is different. Also age plays a factor.
When I used to lose weight in my 20's I never had loose skin. Now I do.0 -
There are a few factors that contribute to this, so it's honestly hard to say.
1: the nature of which you lose, if drastic, will cause skin sagging. If you were to lose 87 over the course of a decade? I'd say it'd be a lot less bad than just months. Still, 87 pounds while daunting, is not where I've seen problematic sagging. Perhaps the stretchmarks and looseness that would be indicative of someone once overweight in the past, yes... To the trained eye. But based on what I've seen personally? No incredulous turkey necks or flesh-colored hammer pants so far.
2: The amount of collagen in your skin. Affected by gender/race/genetics and most importantly, age. (as you age, your skin naturally begins producing less collagen.) If you know anybody in your family that has lost a large amount of weight, you can check their results to see generally what yours may be like. Specifically under their arms and neck, if there is lose skin with little fat content, you may be looking at something similar in your future.
3: Whether or not you wish to gain muscle, or be lean. Obviously if there is still mass of some sort under your skin, it will have similar amount of content; just redistributed. If you wish to be thin though, that lack of content under the skin will show.
4: The amount of time you harbored the excess weight and if you used moisturizer to maintain elasticity (though that is more about the stretchmarks, honestly.) If you had the excess weight through puberty and your body was built around it, you'll find a large leap from your current build will require surgical help to be as aesthetically pleasing as you wish it to be.
Just want to throw it out there, but there is no shame in surgical help to remove the excess skin. When done by a professional, it is safe and has good results. It's a badge of honor for both men and women who underwent a personal lifestyle change, and now need help allowing their hard work to shine through. There IS a matter of price, which is definitely a doozy... But is certainly a viable option in this day and age. C:0 -
Simply put, it is the luck of the draw.0
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I'm a 52yo female and have lost 53lbs in 16months (still have about 30-40lbs to go) and I have no loose skin to speak of. Of course, I'm not at my goal yet, but I believe that slow weight loss allows to skin to adapt and "shrink" back more readily. Thighs, belly, etc show no stretch marks either.0
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There are a few factors that contribute to this, so it's honestly hard to say.
1: the nature of which you lose, if drastic, will cause skin sagging. If you were to lose 87 over the course of a decade? I'd say it'd be a lot less bad than just months. Still, 87 pounds while daunting, is not where I've seen problematic sagging. Perhaps the stretchmarks and looseness that would be indicative of someone once overweight in the past, yes... To the trained eye. But based on what I've seen personally? No incredulous turkey necks or flesh-colored hammer pants so far.
2: The amount of collagen in your skin. Affected by gender/race/genetics and most importantly, age. (as you age, your skin naturally begins producing less collagen.) If you know anybody in your family that has lost a large amount of weight, you can check their results to see generally what yours may be like. Specifically under their arms and neck, if there is lose skin with little fat content, you may be looking at something similar in your future.
3: Whether or not you wish to gain muscle, or be lean. Obviously if there is still mass of some sort under your skin, it will have similar amount of content; just redistributed. If you wish to be thin though, that lack of content under the skin will show.
4: The amount of time you harbored the excess weight and if you used moisturizer to maintain elasticity (though that is more about the stretchmarks, honestly.) If you had the excess weight through puberty and your body was built around it, you'll find a large leap from your current build will require surgical help to be as aesthetically pleasing as you wish it to be.
Just want to throw it out there, but there is no shame in surgical help to remove the excess skin. When done by a professional, it is safe and has good results. It's a badge of honor for both men and women who underwent a personal lifestyle change, and now need help allowing their hard work to shine through. There IS a matter of price, which is definitely a doozy... But is certainly a viable option in this day and age. C:
Well that's quite a response! It's hard to know what to expect. I was skinny all through out my childhood and didn't really gain any significant weight until 20 and when I did, it was pretty slow. I've never done anything to moisturizer my skin and I'm currently losing weight slowly. The right way ;-)
It's been so long since I've been skinny, I don't even remember what I look like without all this fat on me. Is there a certain....look that people have when they're fat that is a giveaway for loose saggy skin? I don't know if I carry my weight well or not. Should I post a picture and you be the judge? I'm so impatient. It'll take me a yearor so to lose this weight and I wanna know about the loose skin nowwwww0 -
There are a few factors that contribute to this, so it's honestly hard to say.
1: the nature of which you lose, if drastic, will cause skin sagging. If you were to lose 87 over the course of a decade? I'd say it'd be a lot less bad than just months. Still, 87 pounds while daunting, is not where I've seen problematic sagging. Perhaps the stretchmarks and looseness that would be indicative of someone once overweight in the past, yes... To the trained eye. But based on what I've seen personally? No incredulous turkey necks or flesh-colored hammer pants so far.
2: The amount of collagen in your skin. Affected by gender/race/genetics and most importantly, age. (as you age, your skin naturally begins producing less collagen.) If you know anybody in your family that has lost a large amount of weight, you can check their results to see generally what yours may be like. Specifically under their arms and neck, if there is lose skin with little fat content, you may be looking at something similar in your future.
3: Whether or not you wish to gain muscle, or be lean. Obviously if there is still mass of some sort under your skin, it will have similar amount of content; just redistributed. If you wish to be thin though, that lack of content under the skin will show.
4: The amount of time you harbored the excess weight and if you used moisturizer to maintain elasticity (though that is more about the stretchmarks, honestly.) If you had the excess weight through puberty and your body was built around it, you'll find a large leap from your current build will require surgical help to be as aesthetically pleasing as you wish it to be.
Just want to throw it out there, but there is no shame in surgical help to remove the excess skin. When done by a professional, it is safe and has good results. It's a badge of honor for both men and women who underwent a personal lifestyle change, and now need help allowing their hard work to shine through. There IS a matter of price, which is definitely a doozy... But is certainly a viable option in this day and age. C:
Well that's quite a response! It's hard to know what to expect. I was skinny all through out my childhood and didn't really gain any significant weight until 20 and when I did, it was pretty slow. I've never done anything to moisturizer my skin and I'm currently losing weight slowly. The right way ;-)
It's been so long since I've been skinny, I don't even remember what I look like without all this fat on me. Is there a certain....look that people have when they're fat that is a giveaway for loose saggy skin? I don't know if I carry my weight well or not. Should I post a picture and you be the judge? I'm so impatient. It'll take me a yearor so to lose this weight and I wanna know about the loose skin nowwwww
The goal is the weight loss.
Stay focused.You are still going to look fabulous and feel great when you lose weight.
Unless you live in Florida and hang out barely clothed on the beaches, it is not going to matter whether you have the loose skin thing or not.0 -
... flesh-colored hammer pants....
I had to think about this one for a while, and now it's an image I can't rid myself of!0 -
It depends on genes and how quickly you lose from what I've read.
I'm using a firming butter once a day to try to pre-empt it, but honestly that's more for my mind really (+ I have dry skin and kp so it helps with that anyway) - there's no evidence that any creams/skincare regimes etc actually work!0 -
I don't think 'how quickly you lose' matters except that it takes your skin time to rebound. E.g., lose 100 lbs. over 6 months and then wait a year for your skin to catch up or lose it over 12 months and wait 6 months. In either case, the skin reacts the same-- 18 months to rebound from the same loss.0
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I've got about 140 lbs to lose. I'm 32 and have had 4 GIGANTIC babies over 8 years (smallest of the 4 was still 8 lbs. 10 oz and 21.5 inches long)). I already know that I'm going to have lose skin. BUT I have been doing a LOT of research and have found that while age, genetics, time spent carrying extra weight, etc. all play a factor they don't have to determine the end result completely. There are a TON of creams on the market that have extra collagen, vitamin A/D/E, and other tightening agents that will help. There are also many homemade recipes that will help. Drinking lots of water makes a much bigger difference than you would think. AND strength training from the beginning helps as well because it will replace the fat with muscle therefore keeping the skin "fuller" as it rebounds. Most people say that getting the weight off and being healthy is more important and I agree with that BUT putting in the time and work to get there and then having the lose skin is really disappointing. Do some searching around on the internet and start with things that make the most sense logically. While there isn't any scientific "proof" that topical creams work, they certainly can't hurt and daily moisturizers make sense. Think of a new rubber band versus an old one that has dried out. I'm just starting out and have only been at it for a month but if I find something that seems to be working fairly well I will be sure to revisit this post and let you know!0
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The slower you lose the weight the less chance of loose skin.0
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Its different for everyone, I hardly have any and lost 150 lbs in 1 year... so I don't believe the faster you lose weight the looser your skin is.0
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Agree with other posters, it's different for everyone. Just like some people get stretch marks, others don't. It depends on how much you gained and lose, and genetics.0
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Its different for everyone, I hardly have any and lost 150 lbs in 1 year... so I don't believe the faster you lose weight the looser your skin is.
150/ 52= average 3 pounds per week. Hmm pretty good.
I was told by a nutritionist that if you lose the weight healthy no matter the calorie deficit that you will have no loose skin. Sounds like the water intake was good.0 -
I get your concern, and I have a lot of loose skin, but keep in mind, loose skin is 1000000000 times better than skin stretched tight by fat.0
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There are a few factors that contribute to this, so it's honestly hard to say.
1: the nature of which you lose, if drastic, will cause skin sagging. If you were to lose 87 over the course of a decade? I'd say it'd be a lot less bad than just months. Still, 87 pounds while daunting, is not where I've seen problematic sagging. Perhaps the stretchmarks and looseness that would be indicative of someone once overweight in the past, yes... To the trained eye. But based on what I've seen personally? No incredulous turkey necks or flesh-colored hammer pants so far.
2: The amount of collagen in your skin. Affected by gender/race/genetics and most importantly, age. (as you age, your skin naturally begins producing less collagen.) If you know anybody in your family that has lost a large amount of weight, you can check their results to see generally what yours may be like. Specifically under their arms and neck, if there is lose skin with little fat content, you may be looking at something similar in your future.
3: Whether or not you wish to gain muscle, or be lean. Obviously if there is still mass of some sort under your skin, it will have similar amount of content; just redistributed. If you wish to be thin though, that lack of content under the skin will show.
4: The amount of time you harbored the excess weight and if you used moisturizer to maintain elasticity (though that is more about the stretchmarks, honestly.) If you had the excess weight through puberty and your body was built around it, you'll find a large leap from your current build will require surgical help to be as aesthetically pleasing as you wish it to be.
Just want to throw it out there, but there is no shame in surgical help to remove the excess skin. When done by a professional, it is safe and has good results. It's a badge of honor for both men and women who underwent a personal lifestyle change, and now need help allowing their hard work to shine through. There IS a matter of price, which is definitely a doozy... But is certainly a viable option in this day and age. C:
Well that's quite a response! It's hard to know what to expect. I was skinny all through out my childhood and didn't really gain any significant weight until 20 and when I did, it was pretty slow. I've never done anything to moisturizer my skin and I'm currently losing weight slowly. The right way ;-)
It's been so long since I've been skinny, I don't even remember what I look like without all this fat on me. Is there a certain....look that people have when they're fat that is a giveaway for loose saggy skin? I don't know if I carry my weight well or not. Should I post a picture and you be the judge? I'm so impatient. It'll take me a yearor so to lose this weight and I wanna know about the loose skin nowwwww
The goal is the weight loss.
Stay focused.You are still going to look fabulous and feel great when you lose weight.
Unless you live in Florida and hang out barely clothed on the beaches, it is not going to matter whether you have the loose skin thing or not.
My thoughts exactly.
I was thinking about this before but said screw it. I'm gonna loose either way so if I worry now the only thing that will come of it is that I will sabotage myself with negative thinking.0 -
I get your concern, and I have a lot of loose skin, but keep in mind, loose skin is 1000000000 times better than skin stretched tight by fat.
That depends. If my chest has a bunch of loose skin I am getting surgery on it.0 -
Lost 100#. Female. Have some loose skin still. Don't care, I'm still thin. Anything's better than being 100# overweight. Anyone close enough to me to see my few remaining skin folds had better not care about them -- or they're too superficial to be that close to me and my body.
Edit to add: most of the loose skin tightened up within a year.0 -
I have to ask, does it really matter? Will you stop losing weight if you are going to have some loose skin? I won't lie, loose skin sucks and I'll have more by the time I finish, but I'm coming up on 55 years old and when I finish, will have lost 300 lbs from my heaviest weight.
This however is counterbalanced by all the great things losing the weight has done for me. Walking, hiking, being active physically and socially are all things that I do. I won't wear shorts or go shirtless outside my own home, but clothing was designed to cover our perceived inadequacies; and I'm looking forward to being able to dress much better than I have ever done.
Your plan for losing slowly will help. I wish you the best of luck and I hope the outcome of your efforts is beyond your wildest expectations.
Oh, and yopeeps...You know I'm having that surgery as soon as they will let me after having lost the weight and stabilized.0 -
Its so hard to tell when you are in the losing process. Mine will look horrible, then it will firm back up after the fat settles again. lol. I will have over a 100 pound loss. Hoping mine wont be too bad, but the stomach and inner thighs may have a little. Hopefully minimal though!!! Drink your water, lose it slow and lift heavy things. You will be ok, even if there is some!!0
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Its different for everyone, I hardly have any and lost 150 lbs in 1 year... so I don't believe the faster you lose weight the looser your skin is.
150/ 52= average 3 pounds per week. Hmm pretty good.
I was told by a nutritionist that if you lose the weight healthy no matter the calorie deficit that you will have no loose skin. Sounds like the water intake was good.
I drink +/- a gallon a day, more if I ride.0 -
Its different for everyone, I hardly have any and lost 150 lbs in 1 year... so I don't believe the faster you lose weight the looser your skin is.
150/ 52= average 3 pounds per week. Hmm pretty good.
I was told by a nutritionist that if you lose the weight healthy no matter the calorie deficit that you will have no loose skin. Sounds like the water intake was good.
I drink +/- a gallon a day, more if I ride.
That works. I do the same. Only 11 AM and already drank 6 cups of water.0 -
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Not true. There is a lot more to it than just that. Many of us have lost weight at a reasonable/healthy weight and still have loose skin. There is no one size fits all answer to this problem.Its different for everyone, I hardly have any and lost 150 lbs in 1 year... so I don't believe the faster you lose weight the looser your skin is.
150/ 52= average 3 pounds per week. Hmm pretty good.
I was told by a nutritionist that if you lose the weight healthy no matter the calorie deficit that you will have no loose skin. Sounds like the water intake was good.
I know genetics.0 -
Not true. There is a lot more to it than just that. Many of us have lost weight at a reasonable/healthy weight and still have loose skin. There is no one size fits all answer to this problem.Its different for everyone, I hardly have any and lost 150 lbs in 1 year... so I don't believe the faster you lose weight the looser your skin is.
150/ 52= average 3 pounds per week. Hmm pretty good.
I was told by a nutritionist that if you lose the weight healthy no matter the calorie deficit that you will have no loose skin. Sounds like the water intake was good.
Yup - Different for everyone0 -
Its different for everyone, I hardly have any and lost 150 lbs in 1 year... so I don't believe the faster you lose weight the looser your skin is.
+1 for proper use of "Lose/loose."0
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