For those who have lost a lot of weight -- skin question

Ivarivdnoe

I checked with our insurance and they said that if I maintain my goal weight for one year (with periodic visits to my dr) that I would qualify to have excess skin removal, as long as I did not have the elective surgery (ie gastric, band, sleeve etc...)

chiedo_le_donne212

I was wondering about this since i had two kids and worried about my skin. and all the stretch marks too.

RHSheetz

Drink tons of water

Strength train

Lose it slowly

Moisturize

About 90 of the 95 lbs ive lost has been from my belly, and my loose skin is very minor, I think even with more strength training it will go away completely.

There is a difference betwene lose skin and lose fat. I currently still have some droopy fat hanging down from my arms, around my mid section and in my lower body. As I continue to lose fat, this will keep getting tighter and tighter.

I also hear that Omega 3 is good for skin as well, so I am using that was well as, healthy eating, lots of water, strength training, and moisturizing.

DivineRED1

I've heard the dry body brushing, Palmers Cocoa Butter and/or Firming Lotion helps. I have 50lbs to lose before I feel like my old self and 80 to lose to reach my goal. I'm worried about that too but I'm trying to do a preemptive strike with the body brushing, Cocoa Butter along the way. We'll see!

NovemberJune

Hi I have very little issue with this. My arms--I can see a teensy bit of extra skin. My thighs--a little more but I don't think anyone else would notice. My stomach--Well if I bend forward, I do have some skin hang down. BUT it's not visible through any of my clothes, my tummy looks sort of flat. lol. I'm 28. I've been overweight/obese for about 10 years. I've had 2 pregnancies in those 10 years. I lost 85 lbs over 18 months. Good luck :flowerforyou:

ETA I rarely use lotion other than on my hands, but I do drink a lot of water. And I have no idea what skin brushing is!

anemoneprose

No way for moisturizers or dry brushing to affect skin other than cosmetically or via temporary increase of blood circulation (which isn't to say it's not worth doing, it still makes skin look and feel smoother for a little while at least).

Skin will slowly recoup, but it will probably not look *perfectly* tight at the end, especially if you're middle-aged and up or have smoked. Consuming foods high in Vitamin C, EHAs, and phytochemicals - probably some others, basically things that are important in collagen synthesis - might have a small positive impact.

Stretch marks can only be mitigated by expensive lasers/RF treatments, and even those conservative results aren't guaranteed. With stretch marks, pace of weight loss doesn't matter; it's usually the gaining that tears the tissues to create what are really deep scars.

I think surgery is only a good tradeoff (scars for skin) for people who've lost 100+ pounds.

Still - what's better, a bit of skin that's only noticeable if you look for it, or the health risks of being overweight?

edit: I don't mean to be discouraging, but the reality is there are limits that can be hard to face. I think dealing with body image issues after weight loss might be as tough as actually losing it. So, I'm for a certain amount of acceptance..

Also: another vote for strength training, to fill out the space.

rileamoyer

Minimizing loose skin was/is a concern of mine as I was losing, mostly due to my age I knew my skin would not recover well.

1) Lose slowly
2) Moisturize like crazy
3) Strength training (use those weights girl)
4) SAVE MONEY for Surgery. I had the girls restored once I hit my goal, not as expensive as I thought it would be. A year later? I wish I could affort to fix my loose chin, arms and abs. And will do so if I ever it the chance, in that order too.

At your age, your skin will respond wonderfully, it takes time.

OfficiallySexyVal

I have lost 47 of the 120lbs I have to lose and have noticed already that my skin around my stomach and arms are already becoming saggy! I have started strength conditioning and I am hoping it starts to help!

Cheri_M

I just recently saved some links to my blog regarding this topic. I am recognizing many of the tips people are posting from the article I recently read. Here are highlights I save for myself followed by the link to read the full article:

How to Tighten Loose Skin After Weight Loss

As you lose fat and your loose skin begins to appear, the first rule is: don’t panic! Because it is a living organ, your skin will slowly return to a shape that fits your new body. But since that process can take up to two years, here are steps you can take to make your skin tighten more quickly:

Tip #1: Don’t Lose Weight Too Quickly

In addition to weight loss, age, poor nutrition, dehydration, excessive sun exposure, and smoking can all affect the elasticity of the skin.

Crash diets and excessive amounts of time spent exercising can rapidly shed both muscle and fat, resulting in a double-whammy on your skin--the supportive underlying muscular structure that holds skin against your body is lost, as is the fat that keeps the skin stretched out. Quick and dirty tip for not losing weight too quickly: Aim for 1-2 pounds of fat loss per week, and make sure your weight loss program includes weight lifting so that you do not lose lean muscle. Check out more weight lifting and strength training tips here.

Tip #2: Stay Hydrated

Attend to your hydration needs. Water is a crucial component of maintaining skin elasticity. From both food and drink, you should be taking in at least two liters of water each day. A wonderful resource for learning more about proper hydration is this article from Nutrition Diva: How Much Water Should I Drink?

Tip #3: Eat Properly

Two necessary ingredients that keep skin plump and elastic are collagen and elastin. Protein-rich foods such as cottage cheese, milk, legumes, tofu, beans, seeds, nuts, and fish all contain collagen and elastin forming components, as well as oils to help maintain healthy skin. Quick and dirty protein tip: For optimum absorption, squeeze 100-200 calories of these protein sources in immediately after your workout. For more on what to eat when working out, see my article on what to eat before and after exercising.

Tip #4: Take Care of Your Skin

Nourish and care for your skin. Daily exfoliation can help to remove dead skin cells and increase skin circulation. A hot bath with sea salts and minerals can improve skin tone. Skin tightening creams with herbal formulas and ingredients such as aloe vera, hyaluronic acid, yeast extract, soy protein, vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin A can help to hydrate and increase collagen and elastin formation in skin.

Stay away from harsh detergents, such a sulfates in soaps, shampoos and dishwashing liquids, limit your sun exposure and stay away from tanning booths, and limit your exposure to hot and chlorinated water—all of these things will decrease skin elasticity. Quick and dirty tip: If you swim for fitness, use soap and shampoos that are specially designed to remove chlorine.

http://getfitguy.quickanddirtytips.com/how-to-tighten-loose-skin-after-weight-loss.aspx

Men, get down to around 10-12% body fat before you start considering surgery or anything drastic. Women, get down to 15-17% body fat before taking any surgical steps.

First and foremost, any weight loss regimen must be accompanied by resistance training. Yeah, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: you have to be lifting heavy things in order for the best things to happen to your body composition. There are a few genetic outliers who can put on muscle as easily as breathing, but those folks probably won’t have the problem of loose skin anyway. For the rest of us, however, we need to lift weights in order to maintain and/or build lean mass during weight loss. If your loose skin is caused by a rapid diminishing of body mass, packing on a bit more mass in the form of muscle can mitigate the problem

One study found that dietary gelatin improved skin elasticity (PDF). Eating real bone broth, fatty gelatin-rich meats like oxtail, poultry feet, or short ribs, or even using gelatin powder as a supplement might be able to restore or preserve skin elasticity. You’re already getting dietary gelatin anyway, right?

Another study found that a proprietary blend of nutrients, including selenium (salmon, brazil nuts, seafood), zinc (oysters, red meat), vitamin C (vegetables, fruit, raw liver), and various carotenoids (fruits and vegetables, red palm oil), was effective at increasing skin elasticity.

Vitamin C is important for collagen formation, which is vital for skin elasticity. Make sure to get enough vitamin C.
If weight loss occurs and you’re at a low-enough body fat percentage to determine that you truly have excess skin, give it several months before you turn to the scalpel. My guess is that for Primal eaters who are eating a nutrient-dense diet (including plenty of the aforementioned nutrients), truly excess skin won’t be as big a problem as it might be for the general dieter."


Read more: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-get-rid-of-excess-skin-after-major-weight-loss/#ixzz24ZiR7Hy0

"Subjects randomized to oral
supplementation with gelatin, and
combination borage seed oil/fish oil
demonstrated greater skin elasticity
at the end of the study than at
baseline as measured by cutometry.
Those subjects supplemented with
green tea had increased skin
conductance and decreased
perivascular inflammation. Those
subjects supplemented with gotu
kola, and hyaluronic acid for 8
weeks did not improve TEWL, skin
conductance or elasticity."

http://www.nuskin.com/global/library/pdf/products/tegreen_study_01.pdf

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Cheri_M/view/excess-skin-after-weight-loss-412462

MzFyreKitty

I've lost over 120 lbs and so far my stomach isn't bad at all. I used loads of lotions and have worked out consistently. I'm in my early 50's and have been obese since I was in elementary school. I'm hoping after I lose another 30 lbs hat it won't be too bad, but I'm not a shallow person and just so happy to finally not be obese (or morbidly obese). I can understand some of you younger ladies wanting to wear a bikini and look good. Maybe this could help and it's not so expensive or invasive like a tummy tuck. One of my old HS friends had a tummy tuck recently andis so happy with the results. Also, another friend from a weight loss board is planning to go to Mexico to get the surgery because they have great Doctors there and it is so much cheaper than in the USA.

Here is a link with Dr Sandra Lee, MD showing "Reaction" system tummy tuck using a laser. IT has a few more photos of results at the end which were a lot more extreme too.

http://youtu.be/eqXjoAsFmbI

This was from an episode of "The Doctors" and they say it costs about 1200 bucks total. ALso, I have seen groupons that will give you big discounts (I would check out the company providing these with the BBB and any health related boards along with getting references from friends online and in real life!).

I'm not recommending this or not. I'm not a Doctor or anything and have no relations to the company. I just saw it and thought it was really cool and that I might need it eventually!

SuperSexyDork

Men, get down to around 10-12% body fat before you start considering surgery or anything drastic. Women, get down to 15-17% body fat before taking any surgical steps.

You do realize that 15-17% body fat for most women will shut down menstruation, right?

"Columbia University Health Services states that some experts believe women need 17 percent body fat to start menstruating and 22 percent body fat to keep menstrual cycles functioning normally."

The ideal body fat percentage for most women is between 17% and 25% so please do not spread misinformation.

MzFyreKitty

Just because the man (Mark Sisson) owns a vitamin store, doesn't mean he knows anything, sorry. It says he studied "pre med" (wiki) but no meediical school... I know a lot of people who studied "pre-med" and didn't have the grades to get into medical school. Some are the dumbest people that I ever met. One works for UPS now... has a degree in bio-chemistry/pre-md. Would I trust his info on diet and nutrition? DEFINITELY NO!!!

Best to quote people who are actually educated in the field and to list references for studies. I don't know if the "studies" you are quoting actually have substance or merit, sorry...

Eating fatty meats isn't good for your heart:(

I just recently saved some links to my blog regarding this topic. I am recognizing many of the tips people are posting from the article I recently read. Here are highlights I save for myself followed by the link to read the full article:

How to Tighten Loose Skin After Weight Loss

As you lose fat and your loose skin begins to appear, the first rule is: don’t panic! Because it is a living organ, your skin will slowly return to a shape that fits your new body. But since that process can take up to two years, here are steps you can take to make your skin tighten more quickly:

Tip #1: Don’t Lose Weight Too Quickly

In addition to weight loss, age, poor nutrition, dehydration, excessive sun exposure, and smoking can all affect the elasticity of the skin.

Crash diets and excessive amounts of time spent exercising can rapidly shed both muscle and fat, resulting in a double-whammy on your skin--the supportive underlying muscular structure that holds skin against your body is lost, as is the fat that keeps the skin stretched out. Quick and dirty tip for not losing weight too quickly: Aim for 1-2 pounds of fat loss per week, and make sure your weight loss program includes weight lifting so that you do not lose lean muscle. Check out more weight lifting and strength training tips here.

Tip #2: Stay Hydrated

Attend to your hydration needs. Water is a crucial component of maintaining skin elasticity. From both food and drink, you should be taking in at least two liters of water each day. A wonderful resource for learning more about proper hydration is this article from Nutrition Diva: How Much Water Should I Drink?

Tip #3: Eat Properly

Two necessary ingredients that keep skin plump and elastic are collagen and elastin. Protein-rich foods such as cottage cheese, milk, legumes, tofu, beans, seeds, nuts, and fish all contain collagen and elastin forming components, as well as oils to help maintain healthy skin. Quick and dirty protein tip: For optimum absorption, squeeze 100-200 calories of these protein sources in immediately after your workout. For more on what to eat when working out, see my article on what to eat before and after exercising.

Tip #4: Take Care of Your Skin

Nourish and care for your skin. Daily exfoliation can help to remove dead skin cells and increase skin circulation. A hot bath with sea salts and minerals can improve skin tone. Skin tightening creams with herbal formulas and ingredients such as aloe vera, hyaluronic acid, yeast extract, soy protein, vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin A can help to hydrate and increase collagen and elastin formation in skin.

Stay away from harsh detergents, such a sulfates in soaps, shampoos and dishwashing liquids, limit your sun exposure and stay away from tanning booths, and limit your exposure to hot and chlorinated water—all of these things will decrease skin elasticity. Quick and dirty tip: If you swim for fitness, use soap and shampoos that are specially designed to remove chlorine.

http://getfitguy.quickanddirtytips.com/how-to-tighten-loose-skin-after-weight-loss.aspx

Men, get down to around 10-12% body fat before you start considering surgery or anything drastic. Women, get down to 15-17% body fat before taking any surgical steps.

First and foremost, any weight loss regimen must be accompanied by resistance training. Yeah, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: you have to be lifting heavy things in order for the best things to happen to your body composition. There are a few genetic outliers who can put on muscle as easily as breathing, but those folks probably won’t have the problem of loose skin anyway. For the rest of us, however, we need to lift weights in order to maintain and/or build lean mass during weight loss. If your loose skin is caused by a rapid diminishing of body mass, packing on a bit more mass in the form of muscle can mitigate the problem

One study found that dietary gelatin improved skin elasticity (PDF). Eating real bone broth, fatty gelatin-rich meats like oxtail, poultry feet, or short ribs, or even using gelatin powder as a supplement might be able to restore or preserve skin elasticity. You’re already getting dietary gelatin anyway, right?

Another study found that a proprietary blend of nutrients, including selenium (salmon, brazil nuts, seafood), zinc (oysters, red meat), vitamin C (vegetables, fruit, raw liver), and various carotenoids (fruits and vegetables, red palm oil), was effective at increasing skin elasticity.

Vitamin C is important for collagen formation, which is vital for skin elasticity. Make sure to get enough vitamin C.
If weight loss occurs and you’re at a low-enough body fat percentage to determine that you truly have excess skin, give it several months before you turn to the scalpel. My guess is that for Primal eaters who are eating a nutrient-dense diet (including plenty of the aforementioned nutrients), truly excess skin won’t be as big a problem as it might be for the general dieter."


Read more: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-get-rid-of-excess-skin-after-major-weight-loss/#ixzz24ZiR7Hy0

"Subjects randomized to oral
supplementation with gelatin, and
combination borage seed oil/fish oil
demonstrated greater skin elasticity
at the end of the study than at
baseline as measured by cutometry.
Those subjects supplemented with
green tea had increased skin
conductance and decreased
perivascular inflammation. Those
subjects supplemented with gotu
kola, and hyaluronic acid for 8
weeks did not improve TEWL, skin
conductance or elasticity."

http://www.nuskin.com/global/library/pdf/products/tegreen_study_01.pdf

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Cheri_M/view/excess-skin-after-weight-loss-412462

cherbapp

I don't mean to be discouraging...but I have loose skin on my arms and the tummy apron mess...I was over 320 pounds for 10 years though. Now at 200 I can say the skin is much better deflated than loaded with fat. I have noticed it is pulling up ever so slightly with continued weight loss...so mayb e after two years it will go most of the way back? Either way...I am lighter...the skin is no worse than before I lost weight.

wftiger

Try it and see. There is no use worrying about something until you get there and even then if you can't do anything about then no worries.

Lakeswoman

Slow weight loss has been good for me. I'm almost at goal and I have some loose skin. My tummy area not as much as I thought,,but my thighs and arms. And I'm 63...it is what it is, for me at least. I'm just glad I'm so healthy and getting ore and more fit each day!

CyberEd312

Yeah don't want to be a voice of negativity but this is not a one size fits all kind of a question... It really is going to come down to individual basis. Having said that the factors that come into play are Your age, Your max weight, How long your carried that weight, Genetics, Your skins elasticity, How fast you lost it does come into play.... I am speaking from my experience, and I was alot heavier than alot on here (not all but at 560 lbs. I had to be in the top percentage) My weight has been up and down since i was a kid but the majority of my weight was during the last 10-12 years of my life. I started my new life on May 2009 and since then have lost 311 lbs. over the last 38 months which avg. out to 2 lbs. a week. I have been drinking tons of water over that time, been doing both cardio and strength training, and using cocoa butter as well. But I have been left with a boat load of loose skin around my torso and inner thighs. I do have some in my bicep area and chest (but can live with those areas) but the rest I knew (could tell my looking in the mirror) some intervention was going to be needed. I am scheduled for a circumferential body lift on September 24th and will have 12-20 lbs. (surgeon is estimating) of loose skin removed. So in my opinion do all the things that have been mentioned (they do work and/or help) but everyone may have different results in the end. I knew early on so I spent the last 3 years paying off our vehicles to make room to be able to take a loan out to pay for this surgery... I have worked far to hard to be hindered by this loose skin issue. Plus even after all this weight loss I still have body image issue and avoid mirrors cause I do not like what i see.... I made a blog and a you tube channel to document where I have come from and the up coming surgery both Pre and Post-op....... Best of Luck on you Journey....

seamonkey789

I lost about 90 lbs back in 2001-ish, but I was also 21, drank a lot of water, lost it slow, and worked out a lot.

I don't have any loose skin and I didn't carry most of my weight in my stomach, but I did wind up with some killer stretch marks on my thighs, arms, and breast. I moisturized for a while then just left them and they have pretty much faded now

happyfeetrebel1

As my Dr. told me, if you've lost more than 100 lbs, the body just isn't resilient enough to overcome all that extra skin.

Lotions might help, the jury is still out. Water is good, but won't fix it. Exercise certainly will tone up underneath the skin, but not the skin itself...

Which leads to the ugly...surgery. I think I'm gonna have to go that route, but man, it's super pricey

overit75

Thanks for the tips! I know it is all going to depend on where I am at my goal but figured I would see if there were any tips so I don't say I wish I would have known that before

Cheri_M

I recently saved some links regarding this topic:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Cheri_M/view/excess-skin-after-weight-loss-412462