Tightening up skin

I am now soon to be in the mid 30s... my skin does not have the elasticity that it used to. I am losing weight much faster than I expected and do not want to have surgery. Anyone have any tips and tricks to keep my skin tight??

Replies

  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    Get good nutrition, do strength exercises to fill up the skin with muscle, sleep well, moisturize, and pray, because most of it is up to genetics and you get what you get.

    I’m down 125 lbs and have a fair amount of loose skin on my lower belly and thighs, but it’s still not so bad that I can’t happily live with it, and is continuing to shrink. Best of luck to you.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,281 Member
    Lose slower...when you lose fast..it could happen. You are still young.. I bet it won't be a big problem unless you lose super fast.
  • aimeemarie150
    aimeemarie150 Posts: 354 Member
    I lost mine 5 years ago and my skin is still loose. It's something you'll just have to see what happens. 5 years in I am planning to have mine removed, bit others don't mind and live with it. It's different for everyone.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,724 Member
    There's a genetic component, too.

    After losing 50ish pounds back in 2015, my true loose skin** shrank back pretty well, but it just took time . . . it was still shrinking well into year 2 of maintenance. I was 60 years old when I reached goal weight. Now (age 63), I don't think I look that much different from any li'l ol' lady my size who's always been this size - better than some, because I'm pretty healthy/active.

    The best you can do is sound nutrition, and a good exercise program. I'd include some cardiovascular exercise as well as strength training, on the chance that excellent circulation might be a help in some way. Then add patience. ;)

    Be aware that a lot of us look worse part way through weight loss than we will at goal weight (because fat can deplete anywhere in our fat mass, and the mass gets kind of squishy/floppy, conspiring with gravity to keep skin stretched out until most of the excess subcutaneous fat in the area is gone). Then we look worse at goal for a while until glycogen replenishes, and true loose skin has time to shrink.

    ** True loose skin is thin wrinkles, like wrinkles in a medium weight fabric. That's likely to shrink with time and patience, for a lot of people. Rolls or flap that are 1/2" or thicker probably have some subcutaneous fat keeping them stretched, and are less likely to shrink. Continuing work on recomposition (gain muscle, slowly reduce fat) at maintenance weight can possibly help with that, slowly.

    There's no point, IMO, in getting ahead of yourself worrying about loose skin. It's nonessential stress. You'll have some loose skin, at some point; and it will likely be less, at some future point. There's not much you can doabout it that you wouldn't already want to do for all-round good health, i.e., good nutrition and exercise.

    Best wishes!