Loose Skin

Slow loss, doing it when I'm young, and regular moisturization with a chemical exfoliant lotion has helped my skin, but sag will still happen. No lotion will stop your skin from being loose, but good moisturization and possibly exfoliation can help improve its appearance and increase cell turnover. If you tend to have dry skin in general, they could be a very helpful part of your routine.

I use an AHA (alpha hydroxy acid) lotion called Silk Wrap by Alpha Hydrox (I get it at Ulta) which helps loosen the bonds between dead skin cells, so the skin on my stomach looks a bit smoother and is better moisturized. This stuff is also a godsend for my arms and legs that used to have red, rough bumps from keratosis pilaris - for the first time in over a decade, I don't have any of these embarassing, itchy bumps. I originally bought it for my KP and later started using it on my stomach.

The last tip is to be sure you've really lost the fat in an area before getting too concerned about loose skin. We tend to carry fat right under our skin for quite a while, and if you're pinching extra skin and it's anything more than a couple mms, you've still got fat to lose. Losing that fat will help relieve the sag of any of your extra skin due to gravity.

Also RE: stretch marks - they'll fade with time, but don't go to great lengths to get rid of them. They'll always be around, just hopefully be less noticeable over time.

i found a derma roller helped a lot with stretch marks.

lose skin takes time to shrink. my baby belly took months but the skin did shrink back a lot.

felicia2686 wrote: »

I was just curious what any of ya'll do to help keep your skin from getting saggy while gradually losing weight. I have very slowly, lost 25 pounds

Lose the weight relatively quickly since skin elasticity declines with age. Plus new skin cells are created the longer that skin is stretched, and those don't go away without surgery.
Follow a good strength training program to minimize muscle loss.

PS coconut oil and vitamin E oil for the external use on the skin. You can buy vitamin E capsules instead of the expensive creams - cut a tip in the capsule and apply to skin, it's especially good for the face and around your eyes.

Since I can't edit my earlier post now, please be sure you use broad-spectrum sunscreen if you use any AHA lotions. The AHA exfoliation makes your skin more sensitive to UVA/UVB rays.

There is no magic cream to tighten everything up, but, yes, there are things you can do to help the appearance of skin.
It might be impossible to do all, but here goes:

-Drink plenty of water.
-Don't smoke or tan. Both destroy collagen fast.
-Try to limit alcohol and avoid alot of junky, processed foods. Skin is our largest organ.
-Don't lose weight super fast...skin needs time to recover and repair.
-Lift weights.
-Dry brush the skin or at least use a puff or loofah at least 3-4 times a week. Use very mild body wash, or even none every day on your body. Don't rely on any "firming" washes, if it doesn't stay on the skin, it doesn't have much effect.
-Retinols are amazing anti-agers. Percentage is key...try to get a prescription. I also like Puristica serum on Amazon. Retinol can be mixed in the body moisturizer.
-Use high quality body moisturizers. Not necessarily expensive, just quality. Most stuff at drugstores...Vaseline, Jergens...is junk. Palmers is good (and cruelty free) at a good price. Nivea is OK. Lamactin (?) is good and the Alpha Hydrox line. Wear sunscreen if you use any acid type moisturizers. You can even use cocoa butter or coconut oil. Keep the skin moisturized! Sally Beauty Supply has decent fair priced stuff too.
-If you belong to Planet Fitness, use the Angel Beauty booth. It is infrared light. Healing. You can even join Planet Fitness for $20 a month to have access to the booth. One treatment at a spa can be $40+.
-Look into a derma roller. They are cheap on Amazon. Use caution.

Skin can go through plateaus and weird stages as it adjusts to weight loss.
I have worked in the skincare industry for 15 years. Not trying to sound like a know-it-all, but I have seen alot of crazy stuff and the tried-and-true in this time.

And age and genetics are a factor. And whether you have yo-yo ed with weight.

I am 62 years old, have lost almost 100 pounds over the past year and am beginning to have a bad problem with sagging skin, especially in the upper arm area, where I tended to carry a disproportionate amount of my weight. Due to arthritic knees my workout have to be limited to my upper body, but I know that lifting and stretching won't be the full answer. I still have about 60 pounds to go so I am not going to worry too much about it yet. However, my arms are getting so bad that I have well-meaning people commenting on it already and asking me what I plan to do about it. My daughter says I am probably closer to goal than I think due to the weight of the extra skin.

A co-worker who had gastric bypass surgery told me that some burn centers around the country will do free skin removals for the donation. Does anyone know anythng about these programs? I know my insurance would not pay for it. Otherwise, long sleeve shirts are probably all I will be wearing in the future.