Question: Excess Skin

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Goal_Seeker_1988
Goal_Seeker_1988 Posts: 1,619 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
After keeping 85lbs off for the past 3 years is it a loss cause to tighten up my skin or should I keep tryin? I have loose skin around my waist and inner thighs. It's not like stretchy skin more like damaged skin and it's not like loose lookin unless I am layin flat. When standin it just looks like fat. The loose skin is mostly around my belly button. People have told me I have chubby legs, but it looks like skin. All of my friends are against me gettin a tummy tuck done.

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  • crzyone
    crzyone Posts: 872 Member
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    Some people have to have the excess skin removed. I"ve known several people who were extremely overweight who lost a log and that extra skin was just too much to carry around and control. You don't sound like you have that much...I doubt it will go away though.

    Good luck..hope you find some answers.......
  • bethvandenberg
    bethvandenberg Posts: 1,496 Member
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    have you tried a natural collegen builder? maybe try taking some lysine... What's wrong with a tummy tuck? It's not like you're doing it instead of the workout. :)
  • chrissym78
    chrissym78 Posts: 628 Member
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    bump, I got it too girly!
  • shannonichole
    shannonichole Posts: 126
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    I personally would have a tummy tuck. Most people might think that's bad, but if you put in all the effort to lose the weight, then why not be able to show it off? Other people have those Gastric Bypass surgeries and no one says a thing.
  • kdelost630
    kdelost630 Posts: 199
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    Most people will say that drinking lots of water helps get the skin tight...especially if you don't have a TON of it hanging around. I think it just takes a long time so keep toning and drinking water. Maybe even find a skin tightening cream to rub on it? I have a flabby skin kangaroo pouch and it has been getting smaller. Otherwise, there is nothing wrong with getting it surgically removed--you did the hard work the right way.
  • 2Bgoddess
    2Bgoddess Posts: 1,096 Member
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    I worry about the skin that hangs from the belly area, (sometimes refered to as an apron) because it is damaged. does anyone know, can this loose skin be a health risk? you know, with the folds, danger of infection? similar to someone who gets bed sores?
  • fallenangelloves
    fallenangelloves Posts: 601 Member
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    I'm 41 with 4 kids from 3 pregnancies... 6lb 2oz twin girls (20) 11 lb boy (12) and an 8 lb girl (22 months). Talk about damaged skin! But a plastic surgeon friend of mine refused to do a tummy tuck on me. He said the risks are just too great and that I should be proud of my body. It's been thru a lot but it was worth it!
  • Timeforme714
    Timeforme714 Posts: 189 Member
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    I worry about the skin that hangs from the belly area, (sometimes refered to as an apron) because it is damaged. does anyone know, can this loose skin be a health risk? you know, with the folds, danger of infection? similar to someone who gets bed sores?

    It can be a health risk. Some insurances will pay for the removal for that reason :)
  • khk2010
    khk2010 Posts: 451 Member
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    If you feel bad about your body get a tummy tuck.

    But get it after you are done having kids!

    As for now, keep building muscle. That is what I hear is the best thing for loose skin. The look of my skin has improved a lot from lifting weights but I am still 10-15 lbs. from goal. I may have more loose skin when I lose a bit more.
  • JulieSD
    JulieSD Posts: 567
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    I don't have these folds of skin but I know a few people that do (from weight loss), and one has had a tummy tuck along with the excess skin removed from her upper arms. She looks amazing and she was 60 years old at the time. That skin can get yucky and infected no matter if you wash 3 times a days. Your skin needs to breath. I'm sure your friends/family are just concerned about a scary surgery, but if you've done everything you can do to tighten up and you've kept the weight off for 3 years...I think its time that you enjoy your body, show it off and ditch the old skin from your past, you deserve it! :)
  • DafphineSpencer
    DafphineSpencer Posts: 13
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    i have had gastric banding and noone who is educated about bariatric surgery says anything because they know how much work it still is. it is hardly a cure. try eating the way we have to and then talk about it. exercise is a given no matter what tool you use, but i can assure you, it is no fun or in anyway easy to be a bariatric patient. anyway, that isn't the point of this thread. tippi, i was given a couple bits of advice and i don't know if they will help you, but i'm willing to pass them on. lather in lotion after every bath. once a week, soak in a sea salt bath. use a lotion high in vitamin e or apply vitamin e directly to the skin. do weight training to help tone skin. if all else fails, look into getting a tuck if you can afford it. you have worked so hard and deserve to feel good about your body. i know that some insurances will cover tucks if there are other medical conditions...something to look into if feasible. i wish you the best of luck and congrats on all your hard work to get to this point.
  • Frances_C17
    Frances_C17 Posts: 64 Member
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    I would think carefully about a tummy tuck as it is surgery so carries a risk of infection as well as risks with the anesthetic. Just because lots of people get it doesn't mean there is no risk.
    Weigh up the risks with how much it really means to you, try tightening creams first but if you really want the surgery research it properly so you can minimise any risks.
  • Goal_Seeker_1988
    Goal_Seeker_1988 Posts: 1,619 Member
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    Thanx everyone for the feedback.
  • crzyone
    crzyone Posts: 872 Member
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    I guess it depends upon how big your "apron" is, but a friend of mine with a big apron had health reasons because of it. She had to wear girdles and such to keep it up. The folds would get infected and cause an odor. It finally was so heavy that it began pulling some of her internal organs down...the solution..have it all cut off......It wasn't called a tummy tuck..it was skin being removed!!! I hope that if we all lose it slowly the healthier way that ours will shrink slowly and this won't happen, but it is a worry of mine. My brother had the same kind of surgery after a huge weight loss.......they cut off something like 10 lbs of skin. :(
  • heidiscool
    heidiscool Posts: 36
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    Keeping the weight off for 3 years is a huge accomplishment. I would try strength training first. I say this as I have lost 100 pounds with very little jiggly skin due to strength training three times a week as I lost weight. Make sure you have a nice tight muscle base before considering surgery though. Creams don't really work at helping damaged skin. Once it's damaged you can't go back. Drink lots of water with your workouts to maintain your skin. After you have built up your muscle base, if everything is still jiggly at that point go to a reputable plastic surgeon and see what he/she would recommend. Whether you have plastic surgery or not is your business though. Don't worry about what anyone else says, it is your body and you have the right to make the decisions.
  • Timeforme714
    Timeforme714 Posts: 189 Member
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    Keeping the weight off for 3 years is a huge accomplishment. I would try strength training first. I say this as I have lost 100 pounds with very little jiggly skin due to strength training three times a week as I lost weight. Make sure you have a nice tight muscle base before considering surgery though. Creams don't really work at helping damaged skin. Once it's damaged you can't go back. Drink lots of water with your workouts to maintain your skin. After you have built up your muscle base, if everything is still jiggly at that point go to a reputable plastic surgeon and see what he/she would recommend. Whether you have plastic surgery or not is your business though. Don't worry about what anyone else says, it is your body and you have the right to make the decisions.


    Couldn't have said it better!!

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