Non surgical skin tightening options

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cedarhurst2006
cedarhurst2006 Posts: 378 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Have lost 100+ lbs. and am looking to tone sagging skin on abdomen and chin and upper arms. I know spot exercises don't help but any thoughts out there would be appreciated.
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Replies

  • dointime
    dointime Posts: 103 Member
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    No answers for you, but I'm curious about this one.
  • AdorablePanda
    AdorablePanda Posts: 125 Member
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    I heard drinking lots of water helps.....but I'm sure you already heard of that. :-)
  • Gilbrod
    Gilbrod Posts: 1,216 Member
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    Doesn't exist. Sorry. But my wife uses Maderma skin lotion to treat her after pregnancy stretch marks. It is actually working.
  • vbennett7
    vbennett7 Posts: 99 Member
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    I have been wondering about this topic. What do they do on Biggest Loser? Why don't they have sagging skin at the final weigh in?( some do, but most don't)
  • bddavis1
    bddavis1 Posts: 43
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    Have lost 100+ lbs. and am looking to tone sagging skin on abdomen and chin and upper arms. I know spot exercises don't help but any thoughts out there would be appreciated.

    There is hope… My wife was in the same situation. She lost 58 lbs, size 16 to size 6 and now weights 136 lbs. She had some lose skin and we researched it. If you are young, it may tighten up in time. However my wife was 45 and it wasn’t going to tighten much. So you have two options: Surgery to remove the skin (not recommended) or feel the skin with muscle. Most woman say right away… NO ! I don’t want to look like a man. Well, you can’t, you don’t have the testosterone it takes to get that big. If you worked as hard as you can to build muscle, you would never get that big. My wife began working out on weights and now looks great. You can see her before/after pictures on her site. www.advocarelife.net, click before/after on the left side. even one in a bikini (lol). She still would like to tighten more and she is working really hard on more muscle. This is all my just my opinion, but I say “fill with muscle”. My wife is cool about helping other reach their goals, feel free to email her questions if you like. Good luck and God Bless with your goals…

    You can see her before/after pix at www.bobbydavis.net.
  • wvjanie
    wvjanie Posts: 37 Member
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    bump
  • melvac
    melvac Posts: 333 Member
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    I too have initially loss in excess of 100#'s. I have the saggy skin I drink lots of water and do toning exercise. I do believe once I am at goal wt I will have to get some surgical help.
  • barleespringers
    barleespringers Posts: 61
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    I have been wondering about this topic. What do they do on Biggest Loser? Why don't they have sagging skin at the final weigh in?( some do, but most don't)

    They do have sagging skin ... but most are wearing body girdles (other whatever they are called). After the show has ended, they are allowed to get skin surgery.
  • MaeKhaleesi
    MaeKhaleesi Posts: 61 Member
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    I used to work for a place that did mineral body wraps, mainly targeting loose skin. I had just had my son when I worked there and they gave me one and it worked amazingly on the loose skin on my stomach! Granted they are rather expensive. Ours ranged from $125 to $140 apiece, depending on the type of wrap, but, in my opinion, if you have the money they're worth it.
  • MissMaryMac33
    MissMaryMac33 Posts: 1,433 Member
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    If you lose over 100# and especially if you also had kids and you're over 40 -- that extra skin isnt going to disappear.
    It sucks because you work so hard to get there and stay there and still can't get rid of it! I go to the gym 6-8 times a week and have been for over a year -- it doesn't budge, but you are way healthier than you were! I've seen number of specialists and been told many times that I have 15-20 pounds of extra skin just on my abdomen (where I carried most of it when I was obses) and its not going anywhere without some medical intervention.

    Another note -- if you were overweight for a long period of time, your bones are also denser than someone who has always been normal weight --- so even your bones weigh more! That's why you might not like the number on your scale, but if you subtract the weight of your extra skin and account for bone density you'll be happier :) When I do that, I'm happy with my weight and just working to maintain and save for some plastics with my tax return next year!

    Good luck to you :)
  • MrsWibbly
    MrsWibbly Posts: 415 Member
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    I wondered this after having my son and gaining a huge saggy belly. Lost 20 lbs last year and only in the last couple of months did the sagging start to reduce. I asked the dr and she said that basically where a 20 something would get her shape back in weeks for me at over 40 it would take months or even a couple of years but with good diet and exercise it does sort itself out eventually.

    My waist went from 28" to 46" when pregnant and by the time my son was 1 year old it was back to 30". Still have a couple of lbs to shift but having seen my results so far I know the best option is patience.

    Other options are things like pilates and yoga which specifically tone and build muscle without building bulk.
  • DropsOJupiter
    DropsOJupiter Posts: 131
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    If you lose over 100# and especially if you also had kids and you're over 40 -- that extra skin isnt going to disappear.
    It sucks because you work so hard to get there and stay there and still can't get rid of it! I go to the gym 6-8 times a week and have been for over a year -- it doesn't budge, but you are way healthier than you were! I've seen number of specialists and been told many times that I have 15-20 pounds of extra skin just on my abdomen (where I carried most of it when I was obses) and its not going anywhere without some medical intervention.

    Another note -- if you were overweight for a long period of time, your bones are also denser than someone who has always been normal weight --- so even your bones weigh more! That's why you might not like the number on your scale, but if you subtract the weight of your extra skin and account for bone density you'll be happier :) When I do that, I'm happy with my weight and just working to maintain and save for some plastics with my tax return next year!

    Good luck to you :)

    MissMaryMac is absolutely right for those who've lost a great deal and are not in their youth. After toning for a year, I still have what I call "Happy" and "Appy", the arm wings that can wave at you and that wonderful stomach jello shake. Beginning the process of plastic surgery consults for information and assessment by them and me to see how much, if any, I am willing to go through. I think it is a personal decision for everyone.
  • MzBug
    MzBug Posts: 2,173 Member
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    I thought I saw on one of those TV doctor shows where there is a new option available for skin removal. It is less invasive than a full tummy tuck. It can only be done on those that have good muscle structure under the fat and skin, where they pretty much just remove the extra skin and re-locate the belly button if needed. I think they said the healing time was like half that of a regular tummy tuck because they didn't cut or stitch the muscles.

    I have also seen on the news shows where cut rate plastic surgeons are realllly messing up some womens lives. If you consider ANY plastic surgery please get 2-3 opinions and do your research on the doctors!
  • lloydrt
    lloydrt Posts: 1,121 Member
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    drops, you and are in the same boat, but its OK..........Im Ok with it, its better than being where I was 15 months ago as well as I am sooo soooo much healthier , big time

    I m Ok with it, but it would be great to be able to lose my gut, lol........any one with suggestions, please reply
  • Fit4sure
    Fit4sure Posts: 63 Member
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    I lost over 120 lbs. When I first got to my goal weight, I had lots of loose skin. I couldn't wear short sleeve t-shirts or shorts because of it. There was even a small amount of loose skin under my chin but...I STILL LOOKED GREAT! I lost the excess weight being around 40 years of age so I was at a serious disadvantage that way. I couldn't afford the surgeries and so just decided it didn't matter...I'd wear long sleeves. Well...lo and behold...the longer I maintained my goal weight...the tighter the skin got. It seems it simply takes longer for the skin to catch up. 5 years later, still maintaining at or below my goal weight, the skin has tightened up enough that I can wear those short sleeve t-shirts and I wear shorts as well (not short-shorts...but hey...I'm 47 years old!). I don't need "girdles" to wear a fitted dress and everyone thinks I look "hot" so I'm quite happy!

    (You can look at my before and after pictures...)

    I did alot of research into "skin tightening" options but the truth is that if you're youngish...more will tighten but it takes time. Building up the muscle underneath works wonders in and of itself. (I love to flex my muscles and smile about it!) If you're "oldish"...depending on hormones and genetics...it may or may not tighten as well...but it does somewhat tighten up over time.

    Lotions and creams didn't do so much for me. Time...muscle toning and maintaining my goal weight were the best things.

    I still have loose skin but when people look at me as a "hot mama"...who cares about the loose skin. My arms still flap...and I still have wrinkles on my upper thighs so I stay away from bikini's (I am 47 after all) but I feel absolutely beautiful and don't let that bother me or keep me from enjoying my new...thin...healthy...body!
  • i_love_vinegar
    i_love_vinegar Posts: 2,092 Member
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    you can try castor oil packs...it is the strongest emollient and will help to heal your body...=]
  • MarchelleLynne
    MarchelleLynne Posts: 229 Member
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    BUMP
  • tam_a_ram_a
    tam_a_ram_a Posts: 52 Member
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    I've started using castor oil packs, and within a few days my husband noticed a change. I carried twins full term and have a weird apron around my abdominal area, plus I've lost a lot of weight, so the skin is really loose and saggy. Aside from the skin-tightening benefits, it also detoxes your body when you place the pack over your digestive area. I've been doing this for five consecutive days, and this morning was the first morning in years that I woke up with no stiffness in my legs and was able to walk down the stairs like a normal person. I'm not sure if that has anything to do with the packs, but it's funny how I started doing these and I'm feeling different after a few days.
  • tam_a_ram_a
    tam_a_ram_a Posts: 52 Member
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    http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/dietarytherapy/a/CastorOilPack.htm You can also just rub the castor oil on your stomach and wrap yourself with saran wrap and then put a towel over the wrap and a heating pad over the towel. Make sure it's cold-pressed castor oil from a health food store. I don't care for the flannel because it keeps shrinking and is just gross. I'm going to try it without the cloth tonight. Just be sure to wear no clothes or nasty clothes when you do this because the oil does stain. I use an old sleeping bag to cover my bedding. I do it while I watch Mad Men on Netflix.
  • leahmarie65
    leahmarie65 Posts: 8 Member
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    tam_a_ram_a wrote: »
    http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/dietarytherapy/a/CastorOilPack.htm You can also just rub the castor oil on your stomach and wrap yourself with saran wrap and then put a towel over the wrap and a heating pad over the towel. Make sure it's cold-pressed castor oil from a health food store. I don't care for the flannel because it keeps shrinking and is just gross. I'm going to try it without the cloth tonight. Just be sure to wear no clothes or nasty clothes when you do this because the oil does stain. I use an old sleeping bag to cover my bedding. I do it while I watch Mad Men on Netflix.

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