Loose Skin

aahodges
aahodges Posts: 5
in Getting Started
Has anyone who has lost 50 or more lbs had any loose skin? If so how did u get rid of it or what makes it less noticeable

Replies

  • jynxxxed
    jynxxxed Posts: 1,010 Member
    I don't have any (yet?). Losing weight slowly helps, and it is claimed that proper hydration plays a part as well. Just don't rush through your weight loss, and the rest is pretty much genetics.
  • swet02
    swet02 Posts: 52
    Its basically my concern too, loose skin. I'll see when I get there.
  • jaecamp1
    jaecamp1 Posts: 120 Member
    It takes time for the skin to catch up. I've heard up to two years. I can tell you that I actually have less now than I did a couple months ago, even though I have lost weight and inches in that time. I find myself wearing more sharpers now too because of it. Its mostly due to genetics and age.
  • suchan7
    suchan7 Posts: 3
    I am also worried about this. The surgery looks awful.
  • lisabinco
    lisabinco Posts: 1,016 Member
    It takes time for the skin to catch up. I've heard up to two years. I can tell you that I actually have less now than I did a couple months ago, even though I have lost weight and inches in that time.
    Yes, I've lost enough weight (50 lbs) now to have to deal with loose skin on arms, belly, thighs. Part of that is due to gaining/losing that same 50 and even 60 pounds more than once (and stretching skin over and over) --yeah, slow learner here-- but some of that is due to my age now. Also, in my younger lighter years I was never blessed with taut skin even at 115 pounds, so I don't expect it will ever look like that now. What my doctor said was that loose skin can take a couple of years to "snap back" into shape but most people, including me in the past, can't keep it off long enough to give skin a chance to shrink. Skin loses its elasticity with age, too. This time I'm keeping it off (one year and counting) and trying to take off my last 10 pounds, but taking my time. My skin has actually snapped back quite a bit from a year ago. I don't exercise much right now so that may help a lot when I get my lazy *kitten* moving more. Maybe in a couple of years I may decide to do the surgery for trouble spots, but I'm so thrilled to be a normal weight again that I don't worry too much about it right now.
  • AccioFitness
    AccioFitness Posts: 244 Member
    I'm still early on in my weight loss, but there are three things I've heard over and over from success story posts. Lose the weight slowly. Drink water, lots of it. And lift, lift, lift. Most of the accredit their skin "bouncing back" to lifting weights. Not just the tiny 5lbs weights, but incorporating heavier, push-your-body weights. (If 5lbs *is* pushing your body obviously don't harm yourself)

    There is this myth that if a woman lifts she will get bulky, but in all honesty you have to try really hard to accomplish that. The models and starlets who have bodies we aspire to most DEFINTELY lift, and we so how bulky they are.
  • RaggedyPond
    RaggedyPond Posts: 1,487 Member
    The more I have lost the more part of my stomach is looking like post postpartum loose skin. Here I thought I made it through my pregnancy unscathed.
  • redneckbettie
    redneckbettie Posts: 20 Member
    It catches up, It takes a while but it does, even when it seems absolutely impossible that that much skin could just go away. I am just now beginning to be compfortable with my stomach after 80 lbs and 2 yrs. 6 months ago I had so much excess belly skin when I bent over that it hung down 6 inches (literally) all the way from sternum to hip bones. Gross, and graphic I know but all too true. The other day I noticed I have a little stretchy skin at the bottom of my belly, but thats it and when I lean over nothing hang down at all. Just give it time and take care of your body, it will heal :)
  • errbellyq51
    errbellyq51 Posts: 10
    Too much loose skin can be a real bummer, but remember that looking better is only a part of weight loss. The advantages of better health FAR outweigh mere apperance.

    The skin should gain some elasticity over time if you keep the weight off and don't regain thus restretch the skin, and I have also heard that proper hydration is a big factor about how well the elasticity will return.

    But don't worry too much; if you already have a significant other who truly cares about you, a little bit of loose skin should pose no problem. And if you're still looking for that perfect someone (as alot of us are), and you think you've found one but he has a problem with that, dump him keep looking for someone who sees YOU for being who you really are, irregardless of any percieved shortfalls (we all have 'em)!

    Keep up the good work and don't let any "perceived shortfalls" dissuede you from your already tremendous achievement and progress towards your ultimate goal(s). :)
  • maybeazure
    maybeazure Posts: 301 Member
    I've seen a little bit, on my thighs mostly. But then I wait a couple of weeks and it seems to have gotten tight again. I still have quite a ways to go though. I have read that it is more likely to shrink back in younger people, and also for some reason people with darker skin. So I'm guessing that you are going to look awesome. Try not to worry about it and just focus on losing the weight.
  • swet02
    swet02 Posts: 52
    I tried doing stretching too while having my diet, just hoping this will help.
  • sandra211061
    sandra211061 Posts: 10 Member
    Since 2011 i have lost 9stone 8lb with weightwatchers .. (another 7 this week with MFP) ... the only skin i have which is a bit saggy is my bingo wings ... which at 52 theyre not going to be super toned anyway!!

    I have lost the weight slowly (no exercise at all) and i agree with a previous poster this is the key ... let your body take the route it needs to get you back into a shape but dont expect it to be like a supermodel ... we all have lumps and bumps in the places we dont want them ... learn to be happy with what youve got and how far youve come!!
  • aahodges
    aahodges Posts: 5
    I've heard that keeping hydrated helps also. Luckily i love drinking water and I do have pretty good genes. Is just all a little overwhelming at first, seeing how much I weighed before I gained weight and now just thinking about all that fat, it gets discouraging at times.
  • JaxDemon
    JaxDemon Posts: 403 Member
    Staying hydrated and hot baths and rubbing/Scrubbing the area to help remove dead skin is supposed to help. Not sure if I will have any once done. Suppose it's something I will just have to live with if I do. I have lost around 90lb in total so far. My pic don't show my belly where I have a little hanging fat, here's hoping it tightens up like the rest of me has lol.
  • PinkNinjaLaura
    PinkNinjaLaura Posts: 3,202 Member
    I'm 45 years old & 60 pounds down & don't have any yet. I'm doing everything I can along the way to try to minimize it, although I won't be able to avoid it completely. I drink a lot of water. I'm losing weight slowly. I read a blog on here about how important it is to exfoliate your skin so I bought a pair of exfoliating shower gloves and use those a couple of times a week. I hydrate my skin externally (either body oil or some kind of skin firming/skin strengthening lotion) several times a week. I should be doing it daily but when I oversleep that's the step that gets skipped. I lift weights. But ultimately I'd rather have loose skin than extra fat so when the time comes I'll deal with it.
  • aahodges
    aahodges Posts: 5
    Yeah, supermodel thin is definitely not what I'm going for. I've always enjoyed being "thick" and I have an hourglass shape, I just want to be healthy, mentally and physically. My doctor, and most of the doctors I've talked to said I'm perfectly healthy, just overweight. And even they've told me that what most people don't get about trying to lose weight is that everyone's body type is not meant to be a size 2 or 0. Its just not gonna happen.
  • CaseyM1985
    CaseyM1985 Posts: 65 Member
    I can see the "beginning" of what it's going to be like when I finally reach my goal weight. I've got some on my inner thigh and of course around my stomach. Not so much under by arms but I still have a good bit of "flab" hanging down.

    I know a lot of people see it as a terrible end result but I try to turn it positive. Some loose skin is better than the other option, being 100+ pounds overweight. Loose skin is better than high cholesterol, high blood pressure, getting short of breath walking and not being able to run, etc.

    I've thought about the "surgery" and what I will do when I reach my goal but I'm still undecided. If it's causing me a lot of issues that I can't solve other ways I would probably go for it. If it's just causing a visual issue I'll try my best to get past it without the surgery.

    Also, if you Google ways to get rid of it/make it better there are A LOT of options, though I've never heard of one that works really well. I think most will say the best way to thwart it is to work extra hard on muscle building/core :) Also, compression garments is a good way to hide it under tighter clothing!

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