Do stretch marks mean my skin will stay loose and never firm up?

92_jesss
92_jesss Posts: 2 Member
edited November 18 in Health and Weight Loss
Hope my question isn't confusing. I have loose skin on my lower back, and my stomach, which is basically covered in stretch marks from prior weight gain.

I'm concerned because I was told since the skin there has stretch marks, that my skin there is basically permanently damaged and that the skin will stay loose and will not firm up with weight training. I hope this isn't accurate?

Replies

  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
    edited May 2015
    not 100% true. I have mad stretch marks from both my pregnancies and while the stretch marks stayed, the skin isn't loose at all.

    I think genetics plays a roll in it though. I have a girlfriend who had twins and had no stretch marks at all.

    You can firm up with exercise and weight training, but you might never be 100% taut. Personally, I can live with that.
  • stina17
    stina17 Posts: 4 Member
    edited May 2015
    .
  • meganjcallaghan
    meganjcallaghan Posts: 949 Member
    dang. was logged into my co-worker's account ^ lol...

    anyway, you're young. your skin will tighten back up far more (and more quickly) than someone older or who has carried the weight for longer. You'll still have stretch marks. They just won't be decorating permanent skin drapes like mine.
  • echofm1
    echofm1 Posts: 471 Member
    You can have skin that is tight even with stretch marks after losing weight. I have stretch marks everywhere and even after losing 100 pounds lost I wouldn't say the skin anywhere is loose. The stretch marks don't look very pretty, true, but they haven't made my skin loose I would say.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Stretch marks don't determine whether skin will firm back up or not. Diet, hydration, age, genetics and time are the key factors.
  • 92_jesss
    92_jesss Posts: 2 Member
    Ok I have hope then :) It's like the lower sides of my back, I think they call those love handles? Not completely sure...anyways it was the last place on my body to gain weight so hopefully the fat will go away. I was very upset when one day I was checking out my back and noticed a crap ton of stretch marks. It looks like a tiger clawed down my back Lol. Don't want to sound superficial but it really upset me. I know the marks will stay but i started worrying that the skin there was permanently damaged and that I would never be able to tone it up. But thank you all for the replies.
  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,771 Member
    I actually read on these forums that the two are linked. Given that I've had stretch marks since puberty, this really worried me--until I lost 56 pounds, no loose skin anywhere. I have also read that losing more slowly works, but I was losing 10 pounds a month in the beginning. YMMV obviously, but I wouldn't be too worried.
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