How Long for Facial Skin to Tighten After Weight Loss?

fatasfack

I recently lost more than 35 lbs. Unfotrunately, I now have sagging neck skin and my face is noticeably fatter than it was before I gained the weight even though I'm now at the same weight I was before I gained. If you look at my profile picture and compare it to my second picture you can see a dramatic difference in the width of my face and my jaw line. How long does it take for facial skin to firm up after weight loss? Thank you in advance.

126siany

Congrats on your progress!

Are you saying that your profile picture is the current picture? That doesn't look like sagging skin, just a fuller face. Do you have any idea if you might have a higher body fat percentage now than you did before?

fatasfack

Hi, my profile is the current pic. The picture is a little blurry, so you can't really see the sagging skin as much as you can in person. Are you thinking that when I lost the weight, I lost a lot of muscle and therefore I'm fatter than I was before I gained, but the scale says the same thing? That was my theory and it's possible because my stomach is certainly larger than it was last time I was 175 lbs. I don't actually know my body fat percentage. I wish I had found out what it was previously so I could compare.

TavistockToad

How long is there between the before and after pictures?

grandmothercharlie

Although you were the same weight, I venture to say that the photo where you were blonde was not recent. I have noticed that men, in particular, fill out in their faces and necks as they mature. Although the same weight, there is a huge difference in my son's face between the 20's and the 30's.

However, take a look in the women's cosmetic section. There are many "firming" facial creams both daytime and nighttime. Men tend to neglect their skin and getting older. These creams won't make you look 23, but they do help firm the skin.

126siany

Yes, that's what I was thinking--that you have less lean mass than you did in the other picture.

If the other picture is of a substantially younger you, that might also explain some of slackness at the jaw line. Both men and women tend to see that tautness go away with age, even if they maintain their weight. I'm in the normal weight range and my jawline isn't what it was 5 or 10 years ago. :ohwell:

Age, natural skin elasticity, proper diet and hydration, etc. all influence whether and how well skin bounces back.

fatasfack

Hi, the first picture(current) was taken at 32 and the second one was taken at 29.

fatasfack

Hi, the current pic is me at 32 and the second one was me at 29. That's an interesting theory. I will certainly look into creams. You would think that a face only gets fuller because one weighs more. Thanks.

TavistockToad

Some of it's probably just ageing unfortunately!

fatasfack

Hmm, I guess I will really know once I lose another 10 lbs or so. I think my body is no longer interested in dieting anymore, as I'm having a difficult time staying below my calorie limit recently. Hopefully it won't take longer than a few months to drop those 10 lbs.

fatasfack

That's possible, but it's odd that at 32 my face would be noticeably fuller than it was at 29 and I would have sagging skin. I would expect this around 45, but not 32.

SandraJN

I'm 61 and at about the 25 lb loss I developed turkey neck. I thought at my age I was stuck with it, but somewhere around 6 months later I was in a store restroom, where the lighting is harsh, and noticed it was gone. I think if my skin could tighten up your skin can. Not a bad idea about skin care products. I'd give it a go, you might as well help nature where you can.

fatasfack

That's awesome. Thanks, Sandra. I would assume that means I have a few more months to go.

midnightjogger

I have the same problem. My neckline has been sagging and it really bothers me. I have been trying facial cream with little results. I realize I am much older than you-but I didn't have this problem until I began losing the weight. I highly suspect it has a lot to do with the weight loss.

Jim_Barteck

While 35 pounds of weight loss is nothing to sneeze at (Congrats!), as a percentage of your overall body weight you're really talking about only talking about 17% of your body weight. That shouldn't be enough to cause "loose skin" in any significant amount. That's typically an issue for extreme amounts of very rapid weight loss.

At the relatively tender age of 32, your skin should not have lost enough elasticity for that to be an issue either. You're typically talking about 40+ years old for that to really be an issue. And even then, you don't have that "weathered" look to your skin which would indicate an issue there.

If your stomach is larger now at 175 than it was previously, then it's probably a safe bet that you lost muscle along with fat during your weight loss. Unless you're working hard to avoid it, it's almost impossible for at least some portion of that weight loss to NOT be lost muscle.

Figure out what body fat percentage (NOT body weight) you're shooting for, and work on getting there. Pull up Google Images and see what 10-15-20% body fat generally looks to get an idea of where you'd be satisfied with yourself. I would be willing to guess that once you hit that BF percentage, then you won't be dealing with "loose skin."

NK1112

I recently lost more than 35 lbs. Unfotrunately, I now have sagging neck skin and my face is noticeably fatter than it was before I gained the weight even though I'm now at the same weight I was before I gained. If you look at my profile picture and compare it to my second picture you can see a dramatic difference in the width of my face and my jaw line. How long does it take for facial skin to firm up after weight loss? Thank you in advance.

Hate to tell you this … but you may be stuck with the saggy skin on your face for a couple of reasons ….
1 … you are getting older and skin loses it's elasticity with age so it sags more … ever see the pouchy eyes and jowls of a man in his 60's and older?
2 … skin doesn't really shrink, that's why people who lost a lot of weight sometimes have the extra skin surgically removed … which is a major ouch in the body and wallet.

My suggestion … love the face you have, it's nice looking … and it will only get better looking as you grow older. Seriously, take this as a fact from a really old lady who appreciates good looking guys.

fatasfack

Thank you. That does make a lot of sense. I lost the weight very fast and I was eating very little protein in the beginning, so it is definitely possible that I lost a lot of muscle in the process.

fatasfack

Thank you, I appreciate it.