Excess Skin After Fat Loss

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  • Ajocal18
    Ajocal18 Posts: 167 Member
    I've lost 66 lbs at 24 and I have loose skin on my breast and stomach. I think it's mostly genetics.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    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.

    It could go either way, depending on how genetically lucky you are. You may end up with actual loose skin, or just a frowning belly button.
  • SafioraLinnea
    SafioraLinnea Posts: 628 Member
    I've lost roughly half the fat I intend to lose and I'm already noticing loose skin in my arms, chest, back, belly, butt, and thighs. I personally don't let it bother me because it is proof of my hard work and my pregnancy. I would rather be happy, healthy and fit with extra skin than be lazy, obese, and unhappy.

    Once I get down to where I want to be (hopefully within the next year) and then have maintained that for a few years, I will reassess and see if I think I need the surgery then.

    My brother gained nearly 150 pounds between age 16 and age 18 due to high stress and anxiety. He lost it all five years ago (age 20) and now wobbles around a bmi of 21. He has stretch marks and some extra skin, but it doesn't hang off him. Basically it's only noticeable if he pulls on the skin and I strongly believe that if he wanted to put the effort in at the gym, he could fairly easily recomp and lose even that. I'm hoping with time I might follow suit.

    Realistically, genetics of skin elasticity and collagen levels, age, how stretched out your skin was/how heavy you were at your highest weight, how long you've been overweight/obese, your height and build, hydration levels in your body and more can contribute to your level of loose skin and stretch marks. Some of them are within your control but many are not.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    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.

    I look like a crepey shar pei! No really. Deal with it once you get to your goal weight. It's really not worth fretting about -- focus that energy elsewhere.
  • JustRobby1
    JustRobby1 Posts: 674 Member
    Based upon what I have read and seen on the subject, the principle variables which seem to have an impact on loose skin are as follows (in no particular order of importance)

    1) Age

    2) Genetics

    3) How severely obese the person was previously.

    4) How rapid the weight was lost.

    5) Level of involvement in weight/strength training during the process.

    At the end of the day, loose skin is a relatively minor consideration when compared to the potentially severe health risks of being severely overweight, though some people do eventually opt for cosmetic surgery.
  • sexymamadraeger
    sexymamadraeger Posts: 239 Member
    I will say that it does get somewhat better with time. I lost most of my weight about 2 years ago and I can say my knees are much better than they were. My upper thighs are not but they were pretty heavy and still losing weight. So the skin does go away in some places but not all. Boobs, tummy, upper arms and thighs are a problem still.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    I'm 45 and lost 30lbs very sloooowly, i was overweight for 2-3 years. I *think i have some loose skin above my belly button and possibly a bit on my inner thighs, i can't tell for sure tho.

    I put on over 50lbs with my first pregnancy at age 20, and not quite as much with my 2nd at age 22.
    I went from teeny tiny to shamoo the killer whale, back down to tiny again very, very quickly, and my stomach bounced back both times with zero loose skin. So for me, age has been the biggest factor in regards to loose skin.
  • DietPrada
    DietPrada Posts: 1,171 Member
    It's taken me 4 years to lose 90lbs. At times I've had that line down the middle of my tummy from my belly button, but then it tightens up and goes away. I also had a bit of "mothers apron" sag at the bottom of my tummy but that's also gone away as I've lost more weight. I think losing slowly really helps, gives your skin time to adjust rather than losing a heap of weight in a short amount of time and looking like a deflated balloon (and likely gaining it all back when you go "off your diet".)
  • Geocitiesuser
    Geocitiesuser Posts: 1,429 Member
    pardisjasmin wrote: »
    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?)

    This might be all in my head, but I feel like mine is slowly getting better. I'm 36 and lost 130lbs. I think it depends on the day and how hydrated I am. In any case, it's a little unsightly, but still far better than fat.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Geocitiesuser wrote: »
    pardisjasmin wrote: »
    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 think it depends on the day and how hydrated I am. In any case

    The same thing happens with me, some days it's noticeable, other days i cant see any crepeyness. Which is why I'm unsure what it is I'm seeing...

  • Geocitiesuser
    Geocitiesuser Posts: 1,429 Member
    edited May 2017
    Christine_72 wrote: »
    Geocitiesuser wrote: »
    pardisjasmin wrote: »
    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 think it depends on the day and how hydrated I am. In any case

    The same thing happens with me, some days it's noticeable, other days i cant see any crepeyness. Which is why I'm unsure what it is I'm seeing...

    I think it must be loose skin. If I was body confident I'd post a pic, but I'm assuming you have what I have, it wrinkles up like wet newspaper kinda. When I'm really dried out it gets a lot worse, I think because the skin has more 'bounce' to it when there's more subcutaneous water. Otherwise it is super thin, almost like wrinkles on an old person but a little bigger.

    Someone wrote crepe-y. I'd say that's a good description. Being a little bloated makes mine go away a lot but not entirely, and I feel like it's getting better in general over time. I have this crazy idea that you have to be super lean for it to be 'provoked' into tightening up, otherwise the subcutaneous fat will still keep it stretched out from the gravity. Now just to get super lean :D:D

    I primarily have it where my love handles used to be. I always carried a lot of weight there. Now I pay the price.
  • Purplebunnysarah
    Purplebunnysarah Posts: 3,252 Member
    My second pregnancy was worse for my skin than weight gain and loss has been. I lost a ton before my first pregnancy (~50 lbs),gained it back plus extra, lost about half, got pregnant again, gained a more reasonable amount, and have since lost to just below my first pre-pregnancy weight. I have about 60 lbs more to go to get to a normal BMI. My skin now is a hell of a lot worse than it was 6 years ago, but mostly where my second son stretched it the most. Totally pregnancy & genetics for me.

    Still worth it.
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
    What works to reduce/eliminate lose skin - Vasoburn, Preparation H, Nerium skin firming.
    Do some research on what bikini/figure/body builders use to reduce/eliminate lose skin. There are a lot of great (expensive) products out there that work.
  • dale050467
    dale050467 Posts: 38 Member
    I'll take the loose skin over the 188 pounds of excess fat any day.
  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
    I am down 80 pounds and have lots of sagging skin. I'm also 60 years old and had two 9+ pound babies. I think genetics is a big factor. Some people seem to bounce back alot easier. Also it has taken me 1.5 years to lose this much so it wasn't a fast or unhealthy weight loss journey.
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