SAGGING skin! Help!!
emzulpea
Posts: 4 Member
Lord knows I'd rather have sagging skin than the extra weight that stretched it out! However, throughout major weight loss, sagging skin is a byproduct. This post is designed for positive feedback and realistic suggestions or hopefully real testimonials about what worked for them.
I've researched lightly and read about how soy, in the form of tofu, can strengthen the elasticity of skin. I also read that fish oil supplements work. If these things or others have worked for your skin, how much and how often did you take/consume them?
Strength training? Toning? Reps and what exercises?
Please and thank you! I STRONGLY encourage FACTUAL responses!
Keep positively looking forward,
Em
I've researched lightly and read about how soy, in the form of tofu, can strengthen the elasticity of skin. I also read that fish oil supplements work. If these things or others have worked for your skin, how much and how often did you take/consume them?
Strength training? Toning? Reps and what exercises?
Please and thank you! I STRONGLY encourage FACTUAL responses!
Keep positively looking forward,
Em
1
Replies
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It's down to genetics mainly. You're either going to have to make your caloric deficit less aggressive or just wait for the elasticity of your skin to adapt to your new mass.
Surgery is always an option, but it'll be expensive.0 -
I don't think any single food can give your skin the elastic fibers it lacks. Nor any single supplement. Creams can't get low enough to help, so even if they had the elastin we lack, can't help. Sloughing of dead cells won't get elastin in there, either.
If there were some way to make skin bounce back, the histologists have not announced it yet. Most of what you read is just hokum.
Personally, I'm starting to think - and this is so not a real thing - that sunshine helps. I don't know, though. For most people, the risk of skin cancer would prevent a lot of sun, anyway, so it wouldn't matter. I need the rest of this summer and next winter and summer to see if I really even think I can consider it, anyway.
I understand how much it sucks to have loose skin. If I thought there was anything to be done, I'd be doing it and saying, "Try this!" I just don't think there is anything to do about it, so no reason to waste money on special brushes or creams.
Some people think that time will help. I tend to doubt it, but - hope being the thing with feathers - I'm hoping that they're not full of it. 0 -
Lifting will help retain muscle mass.
A person starting at 230lb could potentially look better at 180lb then 170lb if lifting was involved but not in the latter.
The main compound exercises are the way to go to retain as much muscle as possible. If you want you can do others exercises but they aren't necessary (if you do make sure to do useful ones like dips, pull ups, romanian deadlifts etc. Far too many people will skip compounds for bicep curls thinking it will make their arms look better)
Don't lose too fast. For a start you will be more likely to give up at 1000 calories a day. You can lose consistently with way more calories. Make sure it's a lifestyle change, not a race. Secondly if you manage toe lose say 4lb a week your skin will eventually become exceptionally saggy as it's not had time to tighten.
For the main compounds I'd go for 4-6 reps. I usually aim for 6-10 reps for anything else. I find strength training easier to stick with as you can set yourself weight goals to achieve.
I can't imagine any form of supplements make any significant difference to tightening skin. I may be wrong on this but I can't imagine anything making more than maybe a 5% difference at best.0 -
There's not much you can do. Genetics, age, and the length of time you were overweight will determine almost everything.
If the loose skin is in an area subject to reasonable muscle growth and there isn't too much loose, you might be able to fill it back up with muscle, but that's going to be a fairly limited option.
Other than that, if it happens, it'll be a question of living with it or getting it surgically removed.0 -
I have a question, I see the advice "lose weight slowly to minimize loose skin" and my brain can't compute this. Why would the rate of weightloss have any effect on how much loose skin you end up having?
Here's an example to highlight what I don't understand:
Say you had identical twins, both being 50kg overweight. Twin A loses the weight at .5kg/week. Twin B on the other hand loses the weight at 1kg/week.
I get that twin B could potentially have more loose skin at the 1 year mark than twin A would have at the 2 year mark. But what about twin B at the 2 year mark as well? Surely their potential loose skin would be very similar at that point, if not identical.0 -
I don't think rate of loss makes any long-term difference. At most, losing slowly will keep the loose skin from showing as quickly. If both twins eventually lose weight beyond their skins' ability to rebound, they'll both end up in the same place (presuming metaphysically perfect identity for the sake of discussion). Five years out, or whatever, their skin will look the same. Skin doesn't get tricked into not adjusting like some cartoon item that doesn't fall when a character drops it and runs away real fast.0
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If you lost weigh super-fast, you'd probably have a lot more extra skin. If they lipoed it out and didn't make skin adjustments, there'd be a bunch.
But losing slowly is NOT a guarantee that there won't be any.
Age is the best thing to have going in your favor. Skin naturally loses elasticity as we age, so the younger you are, the better shot you have at having your skin bounce back.0 -
Elastin content in the skin drops dramatically after the age of 20. After that, basically, skin doesn't bounce back. One of the posters above suggested weight training - short of skin surgery, this is probably the most viable idea out there. As you lose mass due to fat loss, you replace it with muscle (e.g., instead of fat occupying the stretched skin, have muscle occupying it instead).
Unfortunately, at a certain point (e.g., if you were overweight enough) there's no way to avoid the loose skin. Example is Jon Calvo, who lose 175 pounds and basically became super-buff (I mean, the guy is *huge*) but still couldn't avoid the tons of loose skin that resulted. I haven't followed him closely but I'm guessing he's removed the skin by now.
Video http://www.thedoctorstv.com/videos/jon-calvo-s-question-about-excess-skin0 -
The cold hard reality is going to come down to a couple of things: age and genetics.
I've done this long enough to see results from so many different people and some that only had to lose 30lbs had some loose skin where someone who lost 80lbs had very little. Regardless of what they ate or how well.
You're dealt the cards you're dealt. Once goal is met and if skin hasn't retracted in 18 months, chances are it won't. Options at that point are acceptance or surgery. My opinion (from observance) on it is if one has to lose more than 80lbs, loose skin is going to be there.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Lord knows I'd rather have sagging skin than the extra weight that stretched it out! However, throughout major weight loss, sagging skin is a byproduct. This post is designed for positive feedback and realistic suggestions or hopefully real testimonials about what worked for them.
I've researched lightly and read about how soy, in the form of tofu, can strengthen the elasticity of skin. I also read that fish oil supplements work. If these things or others have worked for your skin, how much and how often did you take/consume them?
Strength training? Toning? Reps and what exercises?
Please and thank you! I STRONGLY encourage FACTUAL responses!
Keep positively looking forward,
Em
Welcome, Em. Congratulations on your weight loss thus far!
Elasticity of the skin as to do with many factors, including genetics, how fast/slow you lose you weight, whether you did any resistance training while losing weight, and probably countless other things.
I believe the tidbit about soy/tofu and fish oil supplements helping might be a myth.
Do you do resistance training of any kind? I was fat my whole life, sometimes obese, and what helped me is the weight lifting. I have very little saggy skin, thanks goodness! It has gotten better over time and I use no supplements and/or creams or anything like that.
Now, I'm going to go and read the other replies. 0 -
I agree with more or less what others have said. But on a pesonal note; pilates has helped me not to have loose skin. Yes-age,genetics and all that but some sort of toning exercise might not totally get rid of excess skin but at least reduce it. If nothing it's worth a try.1
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Elastin content in the skin drops dramatically after the age of 20. After that, basically, skin doesn't bounce back. One of the posters above suggested weight training - short of skin surgery, this is probably the most viable idea out there. As you lose mass due to fat loss, you replace it with muscle (e.g., instead of fat occupying the stretched skin, have muscle occupying it instead).
Unfortunately, at a certain point (e.g., if you were overweight enough) there's no way to avoid the loose skin. Example is Jon Calvo, who lose 175 pounds and basically became super-buff (I mean, the guy is *huge*) but still couldn't avoid the tons of loose skin that resulted. I haven't followed him closely but I'm guessing he's removed the skin by now.
Video http://www.thedoctorstv.com/videos/jon-calvo-s-question-about-excess-skin
The bold part is not 100% accurate. I'm 53 and my skin has bounced back over the last year. I've seen quite a difference. However, the caveat is that I weight lift and have been doing so for years (thought it's just been heavy weight lifting for about a year and a half).
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I appreciate everyone's courtesy and personal education on the subject. I personally feel like it's genetics, amount of weight lost, and age. Something inside of me is strongly advocating for strength training and toning. I was researching excess skin removal surgery and it's definitely not the route I'd personally want to take. Scarring is common for my 24 year old skin at this point. I have come to the realization that I need to move forward regardless. The health benefits I've been receiving, have and will far more outweigh (no pun intended
) the slight annoyance of sagging skin.
Again, thank you and I strongly encourage factual and positive comments!
Also, I understand that weight is carried on everyone differently. For me, I noticed so far sagging in my thighs, abdomen, and underarms. If this is the price I have to pay for making a conscious lifestyle change and receive better health benefits, so be it. Part of my weight gain was sluggish inactivity due to my hypothyroidism. A MAJORITY was my lack of confidence, depression, and laziness. Boy, how good it feels to identify my PAST problems knowing I've overcome them! I encourage anyone else to challenge yourselves the same way. Maybe changing your mentality is all you need...1 -
Lifting will help retain muscle mass.
A person starting at 230lb could potentially look better at 180lb then 170lb if lifting was involved but not in the latter.
The main compound exercises are the way to go to retain as much muscle as possible. If you want you can do others exercises but they aren't necessary (if you do make sure to do useful ones like dips, pull ups, romanian deadlifts etc. Far too many people will skip compounds for bicep curls thinking it will make their arms look better)
Don't lose too fast. For a start you will be more likely to give up at 1000 calories a day. You can lose consistently with way more calories. Make sure it's a lifestyle change, not a race. Secondly if you manage toe lose say 4lb a week your skin will eventually become exceptionally saggy as it's not had time to tighten.
For the main compounds I'd go for 4-6 reps. I usually aim for 6-10 reps for anything else. I find strength training easier to stick with as you can set yourself weight goals to achieve.
I can't imagine any form of supplements make any significant difference to tightening skin. I may be wrong on this but I can't imagine anything making more than maybe a 5% difference at best.
I agree with the above.
Youth is also on your side.
I am over 50 and lost a lot of weight previously. I started exercising and strength training after losing the first twenty pounds. I was still able to lose a pound a week by paying attention to my macros and upping my calories in accordance with my strength training.
I never believed for a minute that I couldn't tighten that skin. I just kept going hard and strong with my exercise and it worked for me. Even if it looks or feels like it's not doing any good- keep pushing. You WILL eventually see the sagging skin go away.
I read books and switched up my routines as my body adjusted. One book that changed my life was "The Abs Diet Get Fit Stay Fit Plan". I need to lose again, and I am starting with this book again. Read all you can ( a lot of MFP members share their stories on here- browse through!).
Never give up, because you can do this. Just gotta put the work in.1 -
I'm 45 lbs down and still have another 50 or so to go. The skin on my upper arms is definitely saggy. I use my hand weights on a daily basis and have noticed some improvement. However, at age 51 I doubt that it will snap back completely. If I have to choose between being overweight or having arms that look like they belong to a flying squirrel, well, I'll just think of it as earning my wings. 0
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Do you have any guesses as to what mechanism would cause exercise to get rid of sagging skin?StrengthIsBeautiful wrote: »Lifting will help retain muscle mass.
A person starting at 230lb could potentially look better at 180lb then 170lb if lifting was involved but not in the latter.
The main compound exercises are the way to go to retain as much muscle as possible. If you want you can do others exercises but they aren't necessary (if you do make sure to do useful ones like dips, pull ups, romanian deadlifts etc. Far too many people will skip compounds for bicep curls thinking it will make their arms look better)
Don't lose too fast. For a start you will be more likely to give up at 1000 calories a day. You can lose consistently with way more calories. Make sure it's a lifestyle change, not a race. Secondly if you manage toe lose say 4lb a week your skin will eventually become exceptionally saggy as it's not had time to tighten.
For the main compounds I'd go for 4-6 reps. I usually aim for 6-10 reps for anything else. I find strength training easier to stick with as you can set yourself weight goals to achieve.
I can't imagine any form of supplements make any significant difference to tightening skin. I may be wrong on this but I can't imagine anything making more than maybe a 5% difference at best.
I agree with the above.
Youth is also on your side.
I am over 50 and lost a lot of weight previously. I started exercising and strength training after losing the first twenty pounds. I was still able to lose a pound a week by paying attention to my macros and upping my calories in accordance with my strength training.
I never believed for a minute that I couldn't tighten that skin. I just kept going hard and strong with my exercise and it worked for me. Even if it looks or feels like it's not doing any good- keep pushing. You WILL eventually see the sagging skin go away.
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Regarding 'mechanism/s' that would cause exercise to get rid of sagging skin, I'm not the best at summing up everything I've read in a sentence or two, so I'll spare you that! Here is a link to part of what I believe happens undehttp://www.healthguidance.org/entry/15096/1/How-to-Tighten-Saggy-Skin.htmlr the paragraph Get Physical.
I do know that what I did and continued to do worked for me.0 -
StrengthIsBeautiful wrote: »Regarding 'mechanism/s' that would cause exercise to get rid of sagging skin, I'm not the best at summing up everything I've read in a sentence or two, so I'll spare you that! Here is a link to part of what I believe happens undehttp://www.healthguidance.org/entry/15096/1/How-to-Tighten-Saggy-Skin.htmlr the paragraph Get Physical.
I do know that what I did and continued to do worked for me.
Can't take the Get Physical paragraph seriously when it says 'leaner muscles'... lol.Get Physical
Believe it or not building up the muscle under the skin can help reduce sagging. In mild cases of saggy skin this can often be enough to reduce the sagging to a nearly unnoticeable degree. Muscle under the skin can decrease the problem because it holds its shape much better than fat and is more apt to fire under normal daily activity.
Physical activity might not be enough. Small weights and muscle building exercises are often required to help improve the look of sagging skin. If you start an exercise program that is designed to contribute to your overall muscle mass, try to build the longer, leaner muscles through programs such as Pilates rather than bulkier muscles that come from weight lifting repetitions.
sense?? none0 -
IsaackGMOON wrote: »StrengthIsBeautiful wrote: »Regarding 'mechanism/s' that would cause exercise to get rid of sagging skin, I'm not the best at summing up everything I've read in a sentence or two, so I'll spare you that! Here is a link to part of what I believe happens undehttp://www.healthguidance.org/entry/15096/1/How-to-Tighten-Saggy-Skin.htmlr the paragraph Get Physical.
I do know that what I did and continued to do worked for me.
Can't take the Get Physical paragraph seriously when it says 'leaner muscles'... lol.Get Physical
Believe it or not building up the muscle under the skin can help reduce sagging. In mild cases of saggy skin this can often be enough to reduce the sagging to a nearly unnoticeable degree. Muscle under the skin can decrease the problem because it holds its shape much better than fat and is more apt to fire under normal daily activity.
Physical activity might not be enough. Small weights and muscle building exercises are often required to help improve the look of sagging skin. If you start an exercise program that is designed to contribute to your overall muscle mass, try to build the longer, leaner muscles through programs such as Pilates rather than bulkier muscles that come from weight lifting repetitions.
sense?? none
Right?! I can't take in seriously in a scientific way myself, being written by a hairdresser. People can use their own time and resources to google or read for the science or mechanisms behind things.
As I say, I did a lot of reading, exercising, and adjusting. I kept it up and it worked for me. Just wanted to express motivation to keep going to the OP.0 -
If you build muscle that will eventually fill in a little bit of the loose skin. I started with 125 pounds to loose and I was really out of shape. I've lost 42 pounds and started lifting heavy and I have already noticed an improvement in my flying squirrel arms. Toning your muscles does give you a healthier look. I want to be skinny but I'm gonna do whatever I can do to not be skinny flabby. I'm 45 and I'm sure it's not all going to bounce back but once I've reached my goal and then give it another two years of working out then I can decide if a tummy tuck is something I feel the need to do. But I doubt it. We don't have to have perfect bodies we just have to be better.0
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I had a tummy tuck and breast reduction BEFORE getting to goal. I had done so much damage with gaining through two pregnancies that it NEEDED to be done. I was having skin problems and it was taking the joy out of losing any weight.
It was a painful recovery, and it's not the "easy way out" I'm still going to have to lose the weight, but I don't have an 8lb bag of skin hanging off my stomach or pendulum breasts swinging in the way.
My arms and thighs will benefit from strength training, breasts and damaged stomach muscles would never have recovered with out help.
Just my experience, giving my two cents!1 -
I'm hoping that in the next couple years the loose skin on my upper arms gets its act together & stops looking so icky.
I also hope that if it doesn't, by then I can save enough money for plastic surgery.
(And there's more weight to lose overall, more fat to lose from the upper arms, so the skin is only going to get worse.)
I'm not having such a problem on my abdomen or thighs, though I've lost plenty more inches (and a higher % of
starting girth) from my waist: 26.7% from waist, 19.5% from biceps, 17.5% from hips.
Genetics. :sigh: Whatchagonnado?
[ETA: I've been doing weightlifting all along.]
.
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Im 149 lbs down and luckily so far I dont have much excess skin. Minus my apron belly (had a baby a year and half ago) which I dont think will pull back up without surgery. Weight training can help reduce the excess skin, but like others said, age, genetics determine it.0
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Moisturize daily with a good quality lotion
Consume healthy fats in your diet (and maybe add some fish oil, etc)
Hydrate! Water is your friend
Lift weights to maintain lean body mass
Cross fingers and hope/pray!1 -
Uh oh... not looking good for me.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20629287
"A weight loss of 100+ pounds leaves patients with significant amounts of loose-hanging excess skin and tissue
that can be addressed only with surgery."
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Lost 120lbs here. I have a small crease at the bottom of my stomach which is hidden by
my underwear. Lifting heavy and time have been the best things for me by far - and continuing to lean out, What I thought was loose skin actually turned out to be fat that eventually leaned out.
Overall. Time. Time is your friend.
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Mycophilia wrote: »I have a question, I see the advice "lose weight slowly to minimize loose skin" and my brain can't compute this. Why would the rate of weightloss have any effect on how much loose skin you end up having?
The "lose it slow" myth probably got started because it can take 2 years for skin to snap back (when it does snap back), so when you lose it quickly, the skin appears looser during those 2 years. But after 2 years, someone who lost it slowly should have more loose skin than someone who lost the same weight fast (assuming both do strength training) because 1) skin elasticity declines with age, and 2) new skin cells are created the longer that skin is stretched. New skin cells don't disappear without surgery. Moral of the story - lose it fast.
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Speaking of products to reduce sagging skin - there's probably more data behind products to fade scars (such as those produced by skin removal surgery) then there is for products that "tighten" loose skin. Mederma is one that was recommended by our GP when my daughter lacerated her head and required stitches.
I've lost around 30 pounds myself, which for a six-foot-three guy I suppose isn't a lot, but my GF keeps playing with it and commenting on it. And, I've noticed that my arm skin is actually a tad flabby.
Time to hit the weights I suppose.0 -
Why is loose skin sometimes genetic? Is it because some people's skin is thinner than others?0
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"Genetic" is what doctors/people say when the answer is "I have no idea."
Sometimes it means that it was passed down through your genes, but usually, it means, "We have no clue."
Ditto "idiopathic."1
This discussion has been closed.
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