Loose Skin - Does it happen to everyone?

yes we are.. we just lie about that like everything else. And skin will firm up, slowly. How much will depend on genetics.

I lost a lot of weight before joining MFP, and I don't have loose skin, but I do have loose fat. I think most of the time when people talk about loose skin or think they have it, it's actually fat, which really confuses most of the things you read about loose skin. I'd guess that loose skin is more rare than people generally think. Fat can be difficult too - I haven't gotten rid of mine, but I've only just stopped losing weight. It wasn't helping my problem areas and I think eating more and strength training will help immensely, from other results I've seen or read about. From what I've heard from other people, loose skin can't be eliminated in the way that remaining fat can - some people say building muscle can mask it, but again I think that's generally the case with fat, wrongly labeled as loose skin (though it might help there as well, but I know it doesn't change its appearance for everyone). I started getting worried that I might end up with the same problem, and I didn't, although I still have a lot of work to do to reach the physique I want. Don't worry too much. If you come to that problem, you'll still have achieved so much and feel so much better, and there will always be options down the road to get rid of it. I've heard people say it can go over time, when you begin to eat more again. It doesn't happen to everyone, and being younger helps your chances of avoiding it, though genetics play a large part. Also, images you find on Google are probably the more dramatic cases.

I don't have a lot of genetic advantages, but skin tautness is one. I've lost around 140-150 pounds over a year's time and no loose skin whatsoever. If only I were so fortunate with my hair...

I have purposely slowed down my weight loss in the hopes that my skin will keep up.

I already have some and still have a long way to go. It's very depressing.

I think that when you're young, there's a much better chance it'll snap back. Skin is more elastic when you're younger.

I'm 30 pounds down with about 40 to go and I'm noticing loose skin now. I'm worried about how it'll look- kind of deflated looking my mom previously lost 40ish pounds and my body is reacting like hers did (not good ) so at least I know what's coming.

It happens to some people and not to others. My best friend, who gained 100 lbs. during her first pregnancy, had NOTHING extra except a few stretch marks on her rear afterward, and had no loose skin at all. I, who gained 80 lbs. during my first pregnancy at the "bounce-back" age of 19, had a huge hanging flap afterward even down to 105 lbs. with working out, and 17 years later, when I got pregnant with my second, that flap was still there, so I think I gave it a fair trial to determine that it was (is) permanent.

But I'd rather be thin with an ugly flap than fat with an ugly flap. I can say with absolute assurance, even looking back with an objective eye years later, that my ugly flap was invisible when I was wearing jeans, and without them, I never actually had a complaint. (Even now, at my comparatively quite gigantic weight, when I put on my clothes, it simply doesn't show. Well-fitting underwear - not Spanx or anything crazy, normal underwear - and well-fitting jeans, and it just doesn't show.)