Loose Skin?

sunlovdove445
sunlovdove445 Posts: 13 Member
edited November 14 in Health and Weight Loss
As an 18 year old weighing 230 lbs, I'm extremely worried about loose skin when I reach my goal of 155. Besides genetics, is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening? And how much do you think I'm at risk for loose skin? It seems that younger people have better collagen (crossing my fingers).

Replies

  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
    I hear there isn't much to be done. But would you rather be fat or fit with some loose skin.

    Imagine if you had a lot of loose skin. A few bulldog clips and you got your self a pouch.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Your young age is a definite plus. The only other things I can advise it to lose your weight slowly to better allow your skin to snap back. Weight lifting will also help build up the muscle behind your fat and skin.
    And to a lesser extent moisturise and exfoliate daily and drink plenty of water.
  • mandolynnn81
    mandolynnn81 Posts: 4 Member
    I worried about this too, but I'm down from 220 to 185 and no skin issues at all.
  • ncboiler89
    ncboiler89 Posts: 2,408 Member
    edited March 2015
    sunlovdove445 wrote: »
    As an 18 year old weighing 230 lbs, I'm extremely worried about loose skin when I reach my goal of 155. Besides genetics, is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening? And how much do you think I'm at risk for loose skin? It seems that younger people have better collagen (crossing my fingers).

    I'm a dude but when my wife was preggo she slathered lotion on herself every night and there was no indication she had ever had a child - except she was a lot more bitchy.

    So I guess I am saying; use lotion?
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
    You're young so that will REALLY help. I had a baby at 23 and my body snapped right back to normal... Had another baby at 29.... Definitely not the same reaction and I think I will have a little skin for the rest of my life.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    ncboiler89 wrote: »
    sunlovdove445 wrote: »
    As an 18 year old weighing 230 lbs, I'm extremely worried about loose skin when I reach my goal of 155. Besides genetics, is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening? And how much do you think I'm at risk for loose skin? It seems that younger people have better collagen (crossing my fingers).

    I'm a dude but when my wife was preggo she slathered lotion on herself every night and there was no indication she had ever had a child - except she was a lot more bitchy.

    So I guess I am saying; use lotion?

    :laugh: God you crack me up!

  • minties82
    minties82 Posts: 907 Member
    Drink lots of water. Keep your skin hydrated and moisterised. Lift weights. Give it time (sometimes a couple of years) to shrink down.
  • totaldetermination
    totaldetermination Posts: 1,184 Member
    I was 230lbs at my heaviest. I'm now not under 150 lbs.

    I started to notice loose skin at around 190lbs and was really disappointed. I was worried about how bad it would get since I had so much more fat to lose. But the skin just takes a bit longer to catch up. As I kept losing weight, there was always a bit of loose skin but it didn't get worse, because the skin was just one step behind the weight loss. I hope that makes sense !

    I do have some loose skin now. Its so little that most people wouldn't notice it, unless you know about weight loss, and what to look out for. I expect that even that will improve with time. I've slowed my weight loss down to 1/2 lb per week because I'm getting closer to goal and I want to transition into maintenance easily. this should also help give the skin time to catch up.

    I guess my main message is that even if you do start to see loose skin, don't panic ! - It might just be that it needs a little time to catch up with your weight loss.

    I also do agree with the other posters - losing so much weight is worth it - even if it means a bit of loose skin !

    Good Luck !
  • abatonfan
    abatonfan Posts: 1,120 Member
    I love scaring people with my loose skin... though I am probably just as wrinkly as my grandmother now (maybe a tiny bit less). :stuck_out_tongue:

    I have similar stats as you (18 when the weight first started coming off, highest weight 210, current weight around 145), but due to an undiagnosed autoimmune disorder, I ended up losing about 55 pounds of the lost weight super rapidly (within 3 months). The loose skin seems to be super bad on my arms, upper inner thighs, and back of my knees.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited March 2015
    I'm 47, had 2 children, was 215...lost 50lbs and I don't have any (without lotion slathering)

    Just take it one step at a time and don't worry about things that possibly won't happen
  • mumblemagic
    mumblemagic Posts: 1,090 Member
    christinev297 wrote: »
    Your young age is a definite plus. The only other things I can advise it to lose your weight slowly to better allow your skin to snap back. Weight lifting will also help build up the muscle behind your fat and skin.
    And to a lesser extent moisturise and exfoliate daily and drink plenty of water.

    This. Lose slowly, moisturise, exercise. All these help skin go back into shape. Olive oil allegedly helps get rid of stretch marks too, although I've not tried it myself.
  • neaneacc
    neaneacc Posts: 224 Member
    christinev297 wrote: »
    Your young age is a definite plus. The only other things I can advise it to lose your weight slowly to better allow your skin to snap back. Weight lifting will also help build up the muscle behind your fat and skin.
    And to a lesser extent moisturize and exfoliate daily and drink plenty of water.

    I agree with this post. If you lose the weight gradually your skin will gradually pull tighter too. Don't get discouraged if you go through "flabby" stages as your body changes due to your weight loss. If you stick with it this will change too with time.
  • SteveMFP123
    SteveMFP123 Posts: 298 Member
    It's the luck of the draw, but being young and not at your heaviest for long will really help. I've lost 60+lbs and have really bad loose skin on my arms which I hate. £3500 - £5000 to have it removed, so I'll have to live with it.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Yes, your youth will serve you well. There's no cream, exercise, or protocol that will reduce the amount of excess skin you end up with. To make myself feel better (pretending I have some control over the process) I use creams with Vitamin E in them. Slower weight loss will allow more time for the skin to catch up.

    I started at 275, have lost ninety, and I have lots of excess skin. But for me, it's manageable. It doesn't flap embarrassingly low, for instance. I can tuck it all in. Spandex is my friend.

    Nobody but my husband notices. I get lots of compliments on how much more energetic and youthful I look.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    neaneacc wrote: »
    If you lose the weight gradually your skin will gradually pull tighter too.

    Skin doesn't pull in any greater when you lose slowly, it's just less noticeable during the 1-2 years it can take for skin to shrink. Since skin elasticity declines with age, lose the weight relatively quickly while you're still young. Just be sure to do full-body strength training with heavy weight to minimize the muscle loss that happens with rapid weight loss.

  • elephant2mouse
    elephant2mouse Posts: 906 Member
    I've lost 60 so far (255-195) and no loose skin so far. Also I'm nearly 23. I probably will have a bit of loose skin once I get to my goal weight, but you can hide skin with clothes, there's no hiding obesity. ;)
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    You have age on your side, I wouldn't worry about it yet.
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