Extra Skin After Weight Loss - Men and Women

playitagainsam

I don't see too many discussions about this and wonder how much of an issue it is for everyone. I am 32 and was overweight all of my life. So, as I got older and grew (both up and out - LOL!!!), the skin grew with me. Now, in my early 30's and having lost over 100 lbs., thinking that I would start to have a "normal" looking body, what I have and what I see is the excess skin. Granted, there are muscles growing, fat lost and good things happening, but what I want is to finally look normal. I want to have the confidence to take of my shirt in public, go swimming and now worry about how I look. I do have more fat to lose and I am still a work in progress, but when I look in the mirror now, rather than seeing the muscles that are developing or the other positive changes in my body, all I focus on is the deflated chest and the extra skin around my stomach and sides that just seems to hang there and buldges over the waist of my pants. I know that cosmetic surgery is an option, but not at the $25,000 price tag that I was presented with. I have to say, I am becoming happy with what I see under the extra skin, it's just the extra skin itself that I wish I could do something about.

Does anyone else out there struggle with extra skin? Does it really even bother you? Should I worry about it so much? If you've struggled with it, does it ever get any better? Does it really tighten up over time? Perhaps with more fat loss, it will get better?

I'm interested in any thoughts, feelings, suggestions or just general discussion about having and dealing with extra skin after weight loss, especially if you grew up overweight and had extra skin as an adult after weight loss, but not limited to this scenario. I see people who are thin in their early years, gain weight in their 20s, 30s and 40s and then lose weight and they don't seem to have this problem as much. It this true...of something I just think I am seeing.

Again, appreciate your comments.

Thanks everyone!!!
Best of Luck to All in EVERYTHING that you are trying to achieve!

Karrie262

Have you ever tried juicing or "eating clean." I've been told that for those who lose the weight while eating clean, they don't get the extra skin like most others. This could be a complete fabrication but worth looking into. Good luck with all of your goals and congrats on losing all that weight! Very impressive!

BreannaJohnson1030

I also have this problem I had a son 7 months ago and i have lost a total of 17 lbs since my 6 week check up and i fit back in my pre baby jeans and now they are getting baggy on me but my belly where i hold my extra skin is keeping me from going down in pant sizes and looking "good" in (dresses, dress outfits) I keep loosing the weight and am now below what i was befor pregnancy but i just cant loose the skin. under the skin looks great but it just wont leave me!!!!

zyxst

I'll probably have saggy skin from my weight loss when I reach my goal. I've got 90# to go and the only noticeable saggy skin is along my upper, inner thighs. My biceps are really flabby, but there's a lot of fat hanging there, too. I plan on leaving my skin to firm up on its own, unless I develop some sort of medical problem.

I've been either chubby or fat since I was a kid, about 35 years now. All I do to help the skin is drink water, lotion up after showers, and lift weight/resistance bands.

drmerc

Have you ever tried juicing or "eating clean." I've been told that for those who lose the weight while eating clean, they don't get the extra skin like most others. This could be a complete fabrication but worth looking into. Good luck with all of your goals and congrats on losing all that weight! Very impressive!

nonsense

mirthfuldragon

The problem is subcutaneous fat - the yellow fat between the skin and muscles. From my research and experience, the only thing to do is to keep loosing weight. Your goals may not be low enough, and the last fat to go is the loose belly fat.

A little background - 296lbs three years ago, 187lbs today, 6'2" male, age 28. I have good definition in my back and arms, and my quads are starting to get there to - but my belly looks like an empty shopping bag.

In the last several months, I've been pushing harder than ever, and I've started training for a triathlon, so I am still losing weight. I just finished P90x, and I lost 18.7lbs, and a total of 19". Of that 19", 4.5" came from each thigh and 4" came from my waist. That's over a 1:1 ratio of inches to pounds lost.

Now that I am getting near my goal, the inches are burning off like wildfire and the definition is starting to show. My body fat % went from 22.9% (per my crappy electronic scale meter) to 18% during P90x, and my goals is 10%. That puts my weight goal around 170lbs. To put that in perspective, my original "goal" weight was 240lbs, then 200 . . . you get the picture.

My advice would be to make sure you're weight training with heavy weights, keep up the cardio, and keep losing the weight. The truth of the matter may be that, while losing the last 30lbs, your belly flab may be the worst it ever is, but that it can be lost.

It may not apply to everyone though - I've never yo-yo-ed, and was simply overweight for the duration, and if one's weight was in the extreme end of things, the skin may be harder to lose, but for most folks, the answer is to keep losing the weight.

californiagirl2012

I don't see too many discussions about this and wonder how much of an issue it is for everyone. I am 32 and was overweight all of my life. So, as I got older and grew (both up and out - LOL!!!), the skin grew with me. Now, in my early 30's and having lost over 100 lbs., thinking that I would start to have a "normal" looking body, what I have and what I see is the excess skin. Granted, there are muscles growing, fat lost and good things happening, but what I want is to finally look normal. I want to have the confidence to take of my shirt in public, go swimming and now worry about how I look. I do have more fat to lose and I am still a work in progress, but when I look in the mirror now, rather than seeing the muscles that are developing or the other positive changes in my body, all I focus on is the deflated chest and the extra skin around my stomach and sides that just seems to hang there and buldges over the waist of my pants. I know that cosmetic surgery is an option, but not at the $25,000 price tag that I was presented with. I have to say, I am becoming happy with what I see under the extra skin, it's just the extra skin itself that I wish I could do something about.

Does anyone else out there struggle with extra skin? Does it really even bother you? Should I worry about it so much? If you've struggled with it, does it ever get any better? Does it really tighten up over time? Perhaps with more fat loss, it will get better?

I'm interested in any thoughts, feelings, suggestions or just general discussion about having and dealing with extra skin after weight loss, especially if you grew up overweight and had extra skin as an adult after weight loss, but not limited to this scenario. I see people who are thin in their early years, gain weight in their 20s, 30s and 40s and then lose weight and they don't seem to have this problem as much. It this true...of something I just think I am seeing.

Again, appreciate your comments.

Thanks everyone!!!
Best of Luck to All in EVERYTHING that you are trying to achieve!

I lost 60 lbs at age 50 so yes I have loose skin. It takes a lot longer for the skin to adjust than it does to lose the fat. The older you are the less elastic your skin is. If you are young your skin has more of a chance to adjust.

Also lifting weights helps to "fill in" the loose skin. Exercise is for making your lean body mass pretty (especially lifting weights) for when the fat is gone. Losing fat with no muscle is ugly and cardio alone will not make you pretty. You cannot out exercise too many calories.

Everyone needs resistance training to improve their health and bone density and this will especially improve your quality of life when you get older. But you will not gain all that much lean body mass as fast as everyone thinks. Guys of course will gain more. A DXA scan will prove the point. There are lots of stories about changing size but no one REALLY knows unless they do a DXA scan. Here's more about that --> http://bradpilon.com/weight-loss/intermittent-fasting-and-bulking/ this is true whether you IF or not. My DXA scans proved that I really didn't gain that much lean body mass yet I look very muscular for a female.

I recently had my DXA scan done and at 51.5 years of age I have the bone density of a super athletic 30 year old. That is a direct result of lifting for over 30 years. Now if that is not scientific proof that lifting weights keeps you younger I don't know what is! Also I believe it is why most people think I look much younger than I really am. Because of this I don't have to worry about osteoporosis. If you wait until you are older and your bones start to deteriorate it's a bit too late, you can't get back what you lost, and you can only start a resistance routine that will prevent further damage.

smileitmakespeoplewonder

My surgeon (bartiatric) told me the skin will never go back compeletly. The fact that I have stretched my skin out beyond it's elasticity. It's like a elastic waistband if you break the fibers that bind it together and keep stretching eventually the waistband won't go back to the shape and tightness it was when you bought it...same thing with our skin.

I already know I'm gonna have to have plastic surgery...I'm going to Arizona to have it as they bill everything through the surgeon in one lump sum and for a Lower Body Lift, Inner Thigh Lift and my arms is about $15,000 out the door (so to speak).

bokodasu

Funny, I was thinking about posting this same topic today, except whinier. The last time I lost weight I was younger and didn't have kids, and this time there's just a big smushy yuk where my belly was. I hate it. And then I get mad at myself for hating it, 'cause it's just skin, and it shouldn't bother me, but it still does, and why am I so shallow?

My cousin did the gastric bypass and her surgery to remove the extra skin got paid for because she got in this program where they use it for burn victims. But it was like 17 or 19 lbs of skin, not just a little saggy belly flap.

It should get better over time. You're younger, too, which is always a good thing. I plan on waiting a year and then seeing if I feel like I need to do something about it. Although if you're looking for a placebo to entertain you while you're waiting for it to tighten up, you can try vitamin c, biotin, and EFAs - I haven't seen any actual evidence that they work, but they do get recommended a lot.

dsimmons107

The problem is subcutaneous fat - the yellow fat between the skin and muscles. From my research and experience, the only thing to do is to keep loosing weight. Your goals may not be low enough, and the last fat to go is the loose belly fat.

A little background - 296lbs three years ago, 187lbs today, 6'2" male, age 28. I have good definition in my back and arms, and my quads are starting to get there to - but my belly looks like an empty shopping bag.

In the last several months, I've been pushing harder than ever, and I've started training for a triathlon, so I am still losing weight. I just finished P90x, and I lost 18.7lbs, and a total of 19". Of that 19", 4.5" came from each thigh and 4" came from my waist. That's over a 1:1 ratio of inches to pounds lost.

Now that I am getting near my goal, the inches are burning off like wildfire and the definition is starting to show. My body fat % went from 22.9% (per my crappy electronic scale meter) to 18% during P90x, and my goals is 10%. That puts my weight goal around 170lbs. To put that in perspective, my original "goal" weight was 240lbs, then 200 . . . you get the picture.

My advice would be to make sure you're weight training with heavy weights, keep up the cardio, and keep losing the weight. The truth of the matter may be that, while losing the last 30lbs, your belly flab may be the worst it ever is, but that it can be lost.

It may not apply to everyone though - I've never yo-yo-ed, and was simply overweight for the duration, and if one's weight was in the extreme end of things, the skin may be harder to lose, but for most folks, the answer is to keep losing the weight.

I have found this to be true. I have the same issue but I can see it is going away slowly. From my research, it appears depending on age it could take from 1 to 2 years to get rid of it totally. I am little surprise because mine is going away fairly quickly. I went from 239 lbs to my current weight of 169. My original goal was 170. New goal is 165. I did P90X, then P90X2 and am now doing Insanity. Check out my before and after pictures.

salcha76

You are right on the $ with the 25k, I plan to get a body lift....a boob job is an extra 10k.....and neither surgery includes inner thigh leg saggy skin, oy. I lost 130lbs....and had a mean c section.....I have to wear support panties & a spanx tank top every day to feel firm....I feel lost without them.....finance & save....that's what i'm doing....it's discouraging that after such a great weight loss there are these issues to deal with, yuck.

vjrose

I lost a bunch real fast and looked like a melting ice cream cone, lol. now 8 months later I can see a noticeable difference, however, after 40 years of being overweight and 4 kids I don't expect to ever get really tight skin but it's so much better, working out, patience and lots of good moisturizer as well as collagen supplements seems to do the trick for many.

slimmergalpal

Great question ! I asked my trainer the same thing a few weeks ago. I noticed when I started to run a little for the first time, that the extra skin folds I am now seeing actually made a noise when I ran. Totally mortified at this. She told me that is normal with the weight loss and like the above poster stated, you stretch your skin out so far- and with my age, It will not all go away. But, she also said this is why she has me doing so much with weights. To build my muscle and build my metabolism . We do a bunch of tricep work with the arms, - crunches, planks, ect for my core, overhead presses, lat pulls, just gobs of strength training. Not saying this is what everyone should do, just saying this is what she has me working on to reduce the folds. Wish they would totally go away, but know that will not happen on their own.
Congrats on your hard work ! Good luck on your continued journey

rmsrws

Sadly...it is what it is! I have lost 148 lbs. I am about 5 feet tall. So you can imagine what mess I am left with. I diligently work out everyday, yes everyday!

The only way to get rid of the loose skin it to have it surgically removed. I feel like a melted candle when lying down, Dressed I look great!

Still_Fluffy

I'm 33 and have lost 120 slowly over the last four years mainly through running. Recently I started lifting for an hour 3 days a week (up from 30 minutes three times a week) I have noticed the skin on my arms and legs is getting tighter. I still have a gut to loose, but It is slowly shrinking as well. If you've have success with P90X. I would try Insanity and the find a weightlifting program you can do that focus on the whole body. Good Luck! I one day hope ot get rid of my bat wings and extra belly skin.

Ransom_G

I see the same thing when look in the mirror, and having lost over 150lbs it's quite an issue for me. I have no answer, but I'm glad to see some discussion on the topic.

mystikfairy61

Just wanted to share a couple of sites I have found on the extra skin.

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

http://allwomenstalk.com/how-to-tighten-loose-skin-after-weight-loss/

They each have different things, and although one says women, I believe that a man could benefit from some of the tips. hope this helps.