Loose skin

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Lian98
Lian98 Posts: 275 Member
in Getting Started
Hi!
I'm really young (20) and have been per weight since my early teens. I'm really worried that when I lose the weight I will have loose hanging skin. That sometimes makes me feel like quitting but I keep going because I want to feel healthy. What should I do ?

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  • phil6707
    phil6707 Posts: 541 Member
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    What is the worse having some skin hanging or being unhealthy?
  • meganjcallaghan
    meganjcallaghan Posts: 949 Member
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    the sooner you lose the weight the better chance you have of it tightening up. you're still young, so your skin is more resilient than an older person's.... and in the scheme of things haven't been overweight THAT long. It might look like it's not going to snap back but it can take a while....like up to a year or so after you're at your goal weight. hydrate and moisturize. don't wait until you're my age. It's too late for me and the only thing that can fix me now is a surgery I can never hope to afford. seriously. don't wait.
  • danibrosseau
    danibrosseau Posts: 45
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    What is the worse having some skin hanging or being unhealthy?

    this
  • weblur
    weblur Posts: 140 Member
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    I will take loose skin over my obesity any day: my obesity didn't hinder me too much when I was your age, but now that I'm older, it's impeding me. Do a forum search for "loose skin" and see what's been posted already. You have youth and time on your side.
  • Cheekies_
    Cheekies_ Posts: 319 Member
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    What is the worse having some skin hanging or being unhealthy?

    Double this ^^

    The younger you are, the more "bounce back" your skin has, so you're ahead of the game already! :smile:
  • andrewgilfrin
    andrewgilfrin Posts: 8 Member
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    You have the benefit of being young, your skins is still pretty stretchy and you will see benefits if you tone up after losing weight.

    I lost a lot of weight, well over 100lbs, didn't really have loose skin.
  • theseus82
    theseus82 Posts: 255 Member
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    Different people sometimes have less of an issue. A friend of mine was 100 pounds overweight and when he lost weight he was OK as far as loose skin. He was young and lucky. You are young still, better to deal with the weight now and deal with the skin later if it is an issue. Ultimately, if it's a problem you could decide to have it removed. Even better if you can convince your physician to start building a medical case for it so insurance might cover some of the cost. Things like rashes from rubbing of skin folds creates a medical reason for skin removal, because rashes can lead to infection.

    I live in Iowa, so I know that University of Iowa does a full body excess skin removal for $8,000. That's expensive, but not prohibitively so. I was about 318 pounds at my highest and I expect I will have to have skin removed when I reach target (and when I can afford the procedure).

    However, I don't regret for a second losing the weight. I've lost about 120. I still look a lot better with my clothes and have am much healthier. I can wear much better clothes now. And honestly, it has opened up my dating options a lot more to lose that weight. I can always explain about the skin issues when things get serious. It doesn't usually bother women once they get to know me.

    I'm just being frank about this. Losing the weight takes priority over the skin. There are temporary solutions you can do to deal with skin issues. I agree with what others have said.
  • acorsaut89
    acorsaut89 Posts: 1,147 Member
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    As well as being younger, it depends on how quickly you lose.

    A friend of mine is around my age - 25 - and she had gastric bypass surgery. She has a lot of lose skin now because she lost so quickly. She's doing what she can like weight training to tighten up but because she lost so fast it's going to take a bit.

    That being said, if you're losing slowly through a certain eating regiment and workout schedule then you should be fine because the weight will come off at a decent pace and give your skin time to tighten up before the next drop.

    I have lost 70 lbs and I have a tiny tiny bit of lose, saggy skin around my bra line but that's it - and I have done it through eating right and weight training with some cardio.

    Good Luck!!
  • Tilda_P
    Tilda_P Posts: 30 Member
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    I started at 323 and am down to 263 lbs. I have a little loose skin, nothing hanging, just softer and looser. I'm sure I will get more as time goes on.

    You already have hanging skin. It's filled with tons and tons of fat. I'm sorry that sounds blunt, but I remind myself of this constantly. I am the kind of person who needs to look at things analytically. Your skin isn't going to look worse, quite the contrary. Right now I am not happy with the way I look in clothes or out so even if I am not THRILLED with my nekked body after I have far more options to pacify myself than I do right now (that's what Victoria's Secret was made for, sweets).

    If in doubt make a pro/cons list. Mine looks something like this:

    Cons

    Loose skin in my arms would be hard to hide
    I will probably never have a completely flat stomach
    I will probably have minor discomfort from loose skin rub
    I will probably consider and eventually pay for skin removal at least on my upper arms
    I will probably not be comfortable in tank tops or short shorts until I work on my self confidence (notice I said WORK on it. Self-esteem takes WORK!)

    Pros

    I will live longer
    Losing weight has already improved my mood and depression
    People already stop me and ask my about my hair and skin (they ain't looking at my arms)
    I can have surgery if it gets super bad
    I will look hawt in clothing
    I will look 100x better nekked, even if I'm not thrilled with loose skin
    All the other NSVs you are going to discover and love along the way

    If someone told me that I could choose between going back to my old life and having fat, firm skin and losing the rest of the weight and being able to base jump with my bingo wings I'd pick the latter in a heart beat. I was really afraid of loose skin when I started to, but now that I'm 60 lbs into this I realize that it's mince meat next to what's really important.
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
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    Hi!
    I'm really young (20) and have been per weight since my early teens. I'm really worried that when I lose the weight I will have loose hanging skin. That sometimes makes me feel like quitting but I keep going because I want to feel healthy. What should I do ?

    Stop putting the cart before the horse. You haven't lost the weight yet - quit worrying about what might happen once you lose the weight and focus on losing it in the first place. Saying that it "makes ... [you] feel like quitting" sounds like an excuse frankly. In any event, I have yet to see someone who looks worse with a bit of lose skin than they did when they were obese.
  • bklynite
    bklynite Posts: 8
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    I agree with everyone here and I would also add to include weight training NOW. Don't wait until you are close to your goal to start. This will minimize your loose skin and move you along at a great pace.
  • meganjcallaghan
    meganjcallaghan Posts: 949 Member
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    I live in Iowa, so I know that University of Iowa does a full body excess skin removal for $8,000. That's expensive, but not prohibitively so.

    SERIOUSLY??!!?!?! dude! I guess I'm going to Iowa!!!
  • SomeGirlSomewhere
    SomeGirlSomewhere Posts: 937 Member
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    I live in Iowa, so I know that University of Iowa does a full body excess skin removal for $8,000. That's expensive, but not prohibitively so.

    SERIOUSLY??!!?!?! dude! I guess I'm going to Iowa!!!

    That makes 2 of us! :-) I bet the surgery is similarly cheap at other hospitals affiliated with public universities, especially in areas like Iowa that have a lower cost of living. I am most definitely going to remember this when the time comes for me to be thinking about surgical options.
  • AMahfouz67
    AMahfouz67 Posts: 13 Member
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    I am 25 and just had a baby via c-section and I have a bit of skin that I am not used to have hanging around. You just have to remember the reason you're wanting to lose weight. Also, lose skin is way better than skin that doesn't hang because its filled out with extra pounds of fat. :-P
  • luckypony71
    luckypony71 Posts: 399 Member
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    I have lots of loose skin. even on my neck. I have more wrinkles on my face now too. I look older. I would not give up the weight loss though. Maybe one day I will have surgery, maybe not. A little makeup and the right clothes and I look great.

    Shopping is so much more fun. My activity level is great. I am living my life and enjoying every minute. Even if I now look 10 years older than my husband.
  • Lian98
    Lian98 Posts: 275 Member
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    Thanks for your message. You're right, I can't just make excuses. So thanks for putting things objectively :-)
  • theseus82
    theseus82 Posts: 255 Member
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    I live in Iowa, so I know that University of Iowa does a full body excess skin removal for $8,000. That's expensive, but not prohibitively so.

    SERIOUSLY??!!?!?! dude! I guess I'm going to Iowa!!!

    My ex-wife did the research when she was looking into gastric bypass. She found out through some calls that the full body skin removal is about $8K here at University of Iowa. Those numbers are a few years old, but that's what she found out, yes.

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