Excess Skin After Fat Loss
JasminPetals
Posts: 30 Member
Hey guys!
I've recently come across a few stories about people who have made incredible fat loss transformations (~130lbs) and are left with a bunch of excess skin. I was wondering if anyone knew when this typically happens, aka amount of weight loss correlating to if/how much extra skin there is (would this happen to someone who loses 60lbs?)
I've recently come across a few stories about people who have made incredible fat loss transformations (~130lbs) and are left with a bunch of excess skin. I was wondering if anyone knew when this typically happens, aka amount of weight loss correlating to if/how much extra skin there is (would this happen to someone who loses 60lbs?)
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That only happens to people who lose weight EXTREMELY fast to the point where the collagen in the skin can't keep up at the same pace. Really fast weight loss being about over 30lbs a month. That's not average for overweight/lightly obese people (30-70lbs overweight) And it's not average for even moderately obese people (150lbs overweight) who lose at a healthy rate.0
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I lost 66 pounds over a year and a half and I have some saggy skin...especially around my abdomen. A friend lost 150 over 4 years, 100 of it over 2 years, and she has lots of saggy skin. I think there is a point beyond which the skin is just too stretched, plus being older does not help.
Exercise helps, but my middle area is saggy with tight as muscles underneath.7 -
Mistywolf3000 wrote: »That only happens to people who lose weight EXTREMELY fast to the point where the collagen in the skin can't keep up at the same pace. Really fast weight loss being about over 30lbs a month. That's not average for overweight/lightly obese people (30-70lbs overweight) And it's not average for even moderately obese people (150lbs overweight) who lose at a healthy rate.
This is only part of the issue. I have lost 90 lb over an almost 2 year period..a healthy rate... collagen does play a role, but age is probably the biggest single factor involved. Another factor is water intake and retention rates...but the older we get the less our skin can get back into shape. I do all sorts of exercises and am under a doctor's supervision for this...and will be having cosmetic surgery for it later this year...7 -
Genetics also factors into the equation, which is something none of us can control.
So, it's pretty much a crap shoot. You kind of get what you get.
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To Pardisjasmin: If you are older, the skin may sag no matter what. People over 60 tend to have much less collagen so their skin is not going to bounce back as well, if at all. The slower one loses the weight, the more chance one has for the skin to bounce back. I am trying to lose a pound per week, but because of my age - in my early 70s - there is going to be sagging whether or not I like it. I am grieving the reality of that fact now as I lose. The only things I can do are to stick to an eating regimen to help and exercise as effectively as possible.4
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Genetics is also believed to be a factor.
After losing 60+ pounds at age 59-60, I don't have a huge amount of loose skin, and what I do have has continued to shrink over the two years I've been in maintenance since the loss, though the shrinkage rate slows. There are bits I can see (like on my arms above the elbow, when my arm is hanging down from my shoulder with the elbow bent) that others don't seem to notice (based on talking with friends about it and seeing how they react to my pointing it out).
I suspect (i.e., no scientific basis) that part of the problem is that we don't lose fat neatly from outer layer to inner layers, but rather in somewhat random fashion throughout the fat mass. One can end up with residual subcutaneous fat collaborating with gravity to keep the loose skin stretched.
Actual skin is pretty thin, like folds of medium-weight fabric. Thicker folds, of say 1/2"+, are more likely to be skin with a residual fat layer. I'm not saying the skin will magically automatically and fully shrink back if fat loss is more extreme, just that I think residual fat is another factor alongside age, genetics, etc. that may make a difference in how much the skin shrinks for different people.
ETA: Healthy weight with loose skin is way better than obesity, in so many ways. I hope no one considers skipping weight loss out of fear of loose skin.6 -
Mistywolf3000 wrote: »That only happens to people who lose weight EXTREMELY fast to the point where the collagen in the skin can't keep up at the same pace. Really fast weight loss being about over 30lbs a month. That's not average for overweight/lightly obese people (30-70lbs overweight) And it's not average for even moderately obese people (150lbs overweight) who lose at a healthy rate.
Not even close to being true. So many factors contribute to excess skin, fast weight loss being one of many. Age, genetics and how much you lost play a much bigger factor than how fast you lost the weight.7 -
I cut back on my loss rate - not helping at all - depressing looking at the skin folds - even though I'm at my lowest weight in 34 years2
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I have this problem too! I have lost 92 lbs in the last 2 or 3 years. The first year I lost most of it and I was so distressed with the skin. At first it was legs. Like my knees had loose skin. Weird! Then it was my arms. My stomach has it too but it doesn't bother me with all the stretch marks from having babies. Now I am losing again and I feel like I will be scooping up my saggy skin and scooping it into my jeans! Thighs are the worst. I tell my kids to take care of their bodies. Because you can lose the weight but you'll never look the same.2
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I started my weight loss at the age of 55. I've had 5 children (including 1 set of twins). The only excess skin I have is on my abs and it's a lot to the point it looks gross. I don't ever plan on wearing a bikini so I don't let it bother me any more.1
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Thank you to everyone who has commented so far! I just want to be prepared with a realistic vision of my post-weight loss body so I don't get bogged down by unexpected changes (like this!) so I really appreciate everyone giving their personal experience1
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I've just finished my weight loss journey (lost 26 kgs during 8 months), I am 49 and I have loose skin. I started maintenance on April 25th.
My excess skin is basically around my stomach and in my throat.
After lot of reading, IMO there is basically one path: wait and see. If after 2 years (yes, 24 months) there is no change, in principle there will be no way to solve it without surgery.
In any case, I am very happy with my "new ME".4 -
One thing i never see mentioned in these posts is that when skin is under chronic tension (being fat), it responds by increasing it's surface area i.e. making additional skin cells. When you lose weight, all that tension disappears, but those extra skin cells don't go away hence the "loose skin".
Now skin is also elastic so it does retract some when there's less fat weighing it down, but that's about all you can hope for.0 -
I've just finished my weight loss journey (lost 26 kgs during 8 months), I am 49 and I have loose skin. I started maintenance on April 25th.
My excess skin is basically around my stomach and in my throat.
After lot of reading, IMO there is basically one path: wait and see. If after 2 years (yes, 24 months) there is no change, in principle there will be no way to solve it without surgery.
In any case, I am very happy with my "new ME".
Similar story for me. I am 38 & have lost 30 kg's in 10 months and have loose tummy skin as well as some loose arm & thigh skin. However, I am just so happy to not be fat anymore that the skin doesn't really bother me! I am also happy with the 'new me' and just love trying on clothes & looking normal. I agree that it's a matter of wait & see if there are any improvements with time.2 -
Genetics, time under tension... who knows?
The thing I know that's not true is how long it takes to lose the weight.
I lost the weight at a reasonable clip, but I have majorly loose skin.
It's funny, I had two pregnancies, and my belly snapped right back from the first, but the second, when I was 7 years older? NOPE.
I'm older (I'll be 55 in a couple of months) and really don't care. I'd much rather have loose skin than be fat like I was for years. I'll happily bare my saggy arms which is something I never did when they were fat.2 -
Good things have been mentioned in this post lots of factors deal with loose skin age, etc.
However, I want to let you know Op regardless if one ends up with loose skin or not at the end of the day one is still going to be more healthy and have an increased lifespan (since weight would be off). I don't think the possibility of loose skin should deter anyone from their goals.0 -
I lost 50 pounds in 2 months, but I was doing lots of strength workouts with cardio I never got excess skin, just got stretch marks from gaining, my workout was 75% strength workout and 25% cardio.
Everyone's body is different though. Skin takes the longest to adjust, just how it is, but there are things you can do to help the process, such as strength training imo.
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Lost 70 lbs over a couple years time and I have two kids. I have thin folds of loose skin on my lower abs and around my bellybutton. Now that I'm getting closer to my goal and the remaining fat has decided to come off my legs, I'm starting to get folds on my inner thigh. There's also skin covering my elbow when my arms are relaxed.
Not nice but it's the result of 30 years of overweight, obesity and yo yo dieting. Keeping your weight stable after you reach goal and even during diet breaks helps prevent "re-expansion".0 -
Just give it time it will just go away 0
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I have a little bit of loose skin, but still have a lot of fat to lose0
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I've lost 70 and I'm a saggy wrinkly mess. I'm 40. It must be genetics. I'm losing it the right way.0
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I'll toss a question out there. I've lost ~ 90 lbs, from 330 to 240. I'm 52 and male. I really have not noticed loose skin yet. I think long term I want to be sub 200 but am aiming for 220 for now. If I haven't seen much loose skin yet, is there a chance I will be spared or will it show up more from the last bit of loss. Just wondering if those who have loose skin saw it get worse throughout the weight loss or if it mostly showed up at the end?
Thanks.0 -
One thing to consider is that what people call loose skin can, in fact, still be fat underneath. Those are those final lbs which can be so tough to lose to get an appropriate body fat percentage. Just because you are at a ideal weight doesn't mean you're at an ideal BF.3
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Age in general makes for saggy skin. My hubby who has never been overweight at all has some saggy skin on his arms by his elbow. Not a lot but it is there. I think you just get saggy with age. Now maybe if you are continuing to get fatter and fatter you can fill up that loose skin but that really should not be an option.0
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Ive lost 22 kg and still have 10 kg to go. As I'm loosing weight my skin is shrinking and I'm toning up as well as I'm doing strength training - compound exercises and isolating exercises. I still have away to go. I'll probably have a bit of a pot belly but thats from having children not from weight gain or loss. As I've never previously done strength training with weight loss my pot belly may go. I'll have to wait and see.0
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In my 30s I lost 80 pounds without getting loose skin. I lost it slowly and exercised while doing it.0
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I lost a ton of weight in the past and loose skin wasn't an issue at all - the only thing I can attribute it to was that I was exercising regularly (aqua aerobics classes).0
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KWlosingit wrote: »Age in general makes for saggy skin. My hubby who has never been overweight at all has some saggy skin on his arms by his elbow. Not a lot but it is there. I think you just get saggy with age. Now maybe if you are continuing to get fatter and fatter you can fill up that loose skin but that really should not be an option.
When I compare healthy-weight very active people I know to healthy-weight mostly-sedentary people I know of the same age (typically 40s-70s) the inactive people tend to have saggier skin, especially in the later part of that age range. Not a perfect correlation, and just a subjective observation not science, but it makes me think that being/staying/becoming very active might make a difference in general.
(No observations about whether active after weight loss has any beneficial effect. I only know 1-2 people who've lost large amounts of weight, and they're active, so I have no reference group. I post this more to encourage young folks to get active and stay active . . . as if they need any more reasons.
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richardgavel wrote: »One thing to consider is that what people call loose skin can, in fact, still be fat underneath. Those are those final lbs which can be so tough to lose to get an appropriate body fat percentage. Just because you are at a ideal weight doesn't mean you're at an ideal BF.
For some people, depending on what they're considering.
Here's the difference... loose skin is crepey; loose skin with fat looks like a shar pei.6
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