EXTRA HANGING SKIN =(

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jarrett515
jarrett515 Posts: 10
in Health and Weight Loss
Does any of those who have lost ALOT of weight have any advice to follow along the way to reduce the amount of hanging skin before joining I have lost 46 ish pounds and already I have some skin that is kinda mushy and dangily I have ALOT more to still lose and I am hoping to reduce the hanging skin as much as possible any advice would be WONDERFUL and taken to the full extent I even wondered about every so often getting these wrap things to help tighten it back up
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Replies

  • Jessamin
    Jessamin Posts: 338 Member
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    Yeah, at the end of the day it's kind of random. Drinking a lot of water and moisturizing should help. Toning and weight-training should help. Being young should help.

    But I have done these things, am 21 years of age, have lost 180 pounds and still have hang-y skin. It's not as bad as I expected, though. Only 50 pounds to go and I can head to Thailand and get it all sliced off. Hooray!
  • AmandaTWaH
    AmandaTWaH Posts: 181 Member
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    Drink plenty of water. Moisturize your skin. I use a mix of aloe and cocoa butter. It has been helping with my stretch marks as well! I apply it every night.

    In the end it is all about keeping your skin healthy and hydrated so it can try to pull itself tight again.

    If you have a lot to lose, you should expect some extra skin though. My plan is to stick with this and six months after I hit my goal, I'll start looking into skin removal surgery. I'm already saving money for it.
  • jarrett515
    jarrett515 Posts: 10
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    Thanks i will try the aloe and coco butter mix i got the water down I have lots more to take off so I am hoping to tone it as best as possible along the way my worse is the flabby arms I like my tank tops
  • hailzp
    hailzp Posts: 903 Member
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    Weight lifting will help enormously :)
  • KeriW626
    KeriW626 Posts: 430
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    I do not know if this is of any help at all. But I have heard that skin is the largest muscle you have. If it is indeed a muscle, you should be able to work it off. Ie. Lift etc. ( However, 50ish more lbs I am headed to Thialand as well)
  • oeagleo
    oeagleo Posts: 70 Member
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    I too am affected by the "hanging skin syndrome". Initially, I had lost around 50-60 pounds, and I honestly felt that I could jump off a building, and glided like Rocky Squirell down to earth, it was that bad. Then, I decided to try weights, so I bought a couple of light (8 lb) dumbells at Wal-Mart, and started doing some of the routines that I remembered as a younger person. (Curls, French presses, shoulder shrugs, deltoid raises, etc) Also did side bends with the weights in my hands.

    I honestly believe that these exercises have helped, I have gradually increased the weights, after upping the reps, and sets, then with the heavier weight, cut back to work my way back up. This, has actually helped immensely, I can actually see some definition in my uppper arms, and deltoids. I still have a long way to go, but I believe the weight training is the way to go. I don't want to do the bulk up thing, just shrink the skin, and build a LITTLE muscle, and it's working, at least for me.

    Hope that helps, go buy a set of fairly light dumbells at Wal-mart, around $20, well worth it!
  • thinjustfabulous
    thinjustfabulous Posts: 30 Member
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    i have extra hanging skin around my stomach too--- >.<
    and i find it difficult to do push up, what to do????????
  • SassyLynndog
    SassyLynndog Posts: 10 Member
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    Skin stretches when you gain weight. If the weight is lost slowly, then the skin has time to adjust, especially if you are young. However, if the skin is stretched too much and you are older you may have some issues with it. Whoever said what is sagging is fat is incorrect. However, keep losing because weight loss would be the best thing to maintain your health. Do it slow and stead but keep doing it. Good luck.
  • SassyLynndog
    SassyLynndog Posts: 10 Member
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    Also, as one other person said, do some toning exercises as you go. It might be what you need. :)
  • sonjanicole
    sonjanicole Posts: 25
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    I do not know if this is of any help at all. But I have heard that skin is the largest muscle you have. If it is indeed a muscle, you should be able to work it off. Ie. Lift etc. ( However, 50ish more lbs I am headed to Thialand as well)


    I believe it's the largest organ.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
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    Everyone will be different in this regard. There is alot of factors in the equation like age, starting weight, how fast you lost, did you weight train throughout, how long did you carry the weight, genetics come into play, your diet, etc, etc.. and ultimately in the end you may just have to much saggy skin and will be in need of surgical intervention. That was the point I finally had gotten to and there was nothing else but surgery that would repair the damage that I had done to my skin.. I am 4 days Post Op from a full circumferential body lift surgery and have a blog you could check out that was approved by MFP staff to document the process... Best of Luck to you....

    www.gettingfit4life.com
  • kimad
    kimad Posts: 3,010 Member
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    I think it will be different for everyone. I have went from 245-158 but I have a huge amount of skin left on my tummy. I had full term twins almost 7 years ago (weighed in at 280) and my body was forced to expand quickly. I am slowly accepting for myself, that my tummy is here to stay (as well as the seperated ab muscles) I have told myself if I can keep the weight off for a year that I will consider a tummy tuck.
    I am not brave enough to post pics of it, but I have to tuck the skin into my pants. My stretch marks are 2 inches wide easy, it's gross. But I have 2 beauties.

    All the suggestions are good ones.
    I too will start focusing more on mid section as I am about to my goal.

    Good luck to everyone!!!
  • kingscrown
    kingscrown Posts: 615 Member
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    Lots of good comments. I talked to my Dr. about it. She said the younger you are the more elastic your skin is and can snap back. Extremely over weight people will still have some saggy skin. Stretch marks are scars and will never go away, but can become skin colored and not as noticable. She said exercise, weight training and it just takes time up to a year to fully see how far your skin will stretch back after losing weight.
  • trishtrish84
    trishtrish84 Posts: 237 Member
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    Everyone will be different in this regard. There is alot of factors in the equation like age, starting weight, how fast you lost, did you weight train throughout, how long did you carry the weight, genetics come into play, your diet, etc, etc.. and ultimately in the end you may just have to much saggy skin and will be in need of surgical intervention. That was the point I finally had gotten to and there was nothing else but surgery that would repair the damage that I had done to my skin.. I am 4 days Post Op from a full circumferential body lift surgery and have a blog you could check out that was approved by MFP staff to document the process... Best of Luck to you....

    www.gettingfit4life.com

    Simply Amazing! You are truly an inspiration, sir. Well done. I actually felt my eyes start to tear up while looking at your blog. Thank you. Good luck to you in your new journey.
  • WeekndOVOXO
    WeekndOVOXO Posts: 779 Member
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    Yeah, at the end of the day it's kind of random. Drinking a lot of water and moisturizing should help. Toning and weight-training should help. Being young should help.

    But I have done these things, am 21 years of age, have lost 180 pounds and still have hang-y skin. It's not as bad as I expected, though. Only 50 pounds to go and I can head to Thailand and get it all sliced off. Hooray!

    I know that feel. I 21 too and am starting to see my skin elasticity not react with my progress losing weight and feel like I'll have to get surgery done. It was very hard to take cause my goal was to get abs. I went to the doctor and I asked him if this is normal and he straight up told me "you'll never get abs so you can forget that." Pretty much quit there(Lost 61lbs by then,) and lost all motivation to continue. A bit later I just felt unhealthy, and gross, so I decided to lose weight again. I rather be healthy and have a minor inefficiency than just being miserable. Congrats on losing 180. Keep up the good work!

    Anyways to the OP, you'll likely have to get surgery if it is that bad. I know it's hard to take, but just remember you'd rather be in better shape be able to go outside during the summer, go for a run, hike, swim, jog, EVERYTHING. Don't let it bring you down and keep pushing forward.
  • LaNeekaRN
    LaNeekaRN Posts: 19 Member
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    actually, it's the largest organ, not muscle
  • WeekndOVOXO
    WeekndOVOXO Posts: 779 Member
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    Everyone will be different in this regard. There is alot of factors in the equation like age, starting weight, how fast you lost, did you weight train throughout, how long did you carry the weight, genetics come into play, your diet, etc, etc.. and ultimately in the end you may just have to much saggy skin and will be in need of surgical intervention. That was the point I finally had gotten to and there was nothing else but surgery that would repair the damage that I had done to my skin.. I am 4 days Post Op from a full circumferential body lift surgery and have a blog you could check out that was approved by MFP staff to document the process... Best of Luck to you....

    www.gettingfit4life.com

    Will you be able to post post recovery pictures? Your stories inspiring man! I have a close cousin that is at a similar weight and would like to show him ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. Keep up the work!
  • Lozze
    Lozze Posts: 1,917 Member
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    I'm starting to see the wrinkly affect after losing 40kg. Ultimatly as much as I hate it, it''s better to be saggy than tight and full of fat.

    I'm not even considering surgery at this point. I'm going to wait to see how it is when I get to goal and then give myself two years once I've hit that point. If then it's still saggy and gross, then I'll consider it.
  • jarrett515
    jarrett515 Posts: 10
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    I think it will be different for everyone. I have went from 245-158 but I have a huge amount of skin left on my tummy. I had full term twins almost 7 years ago (weighed in at 280) and my body was forced to expand quickly. I am slowly accepting for myself, that my tummy is here to stay (as well as the seperated ab muscles) I have told myself if I can keep the weight off for a year that I will consider a tummy tuck.
    I am not brave enough to post pics of it, but I have to tuck the skin into my pants. My stretch marks are 2 inches wide easy, it's gross. But I have 2 beauties.

    All the suggestions are good ones.
    I too will start focusing more on mid section as I am about to my goal.

    Good luck to everyone!!!

    I too carried twins full term and I know that by doing so it stretched my skin more than it had ever stretched although they are not to blame of the stretched skin in general i have been overweight all my life and have had 3 full term pregnancies in the last 4 years so I am pretty sure my skin is like one of those rubber bands that have been left out in the sun for days lol However after 3 c-sections I am not too keen on the idea of having surgery ever again for any reason so i may just have to deal with hanging skin!
  • lessofme150
    lessofme150 Posts: 105 Member
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    Everyone will be different in this regard. There is alot of factors in the equation like age, starting weight, how fast you lost, did you weight train throughout, how long did you carry the weight, genetics come into play, your diet, etc, etc.. and ultimately in the end you may just have to much saggy skin and will be in need of surgical intervention. That was the point I finally had gotten to and there was nothing else but surgery that would repair the damage that I had done to my skin.. I am 4 days Post Op from a full circumferential body lift surgery and have a blog you could check out that was approved by MFP staff to document the process... Best of Luck to you....

    www.gettingfit4life.com

    WOW!!!!! I checked our your blog. Well wishes on your recovery. You are truly an insperation.

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