Loose skin

Losing fast certainly will be worse than losing more slowly. Being older certainly will be worse than younger. But a lot of it will depend on your own genetics etc.

My skin is problematic at the best of times. So many stretch marks, even just from puberty and becoming obese certainly didn't help. Those stretch marks will never disappear (unless perhaps surgically, which is not an option for me).

But I lost weight quite slowly (from 208lbs to around 135lbs now in 2.5 years, most of it in the first year though) and even though I can see loose skin, it's not quite as bad as I anticipated. And I'm not even fully at goal, from what I've read skin can still tighten months and even years after losing weight.

I was extremely worried about loose skin when I started my weight-loss. Nearly to the point of not even starting my weight-loss journey. I'm so glad I lost weight anyway. I might not fully like the way I look naked, but I feel like a million bucks dressed now. And the people who see me undressed are a very small minority anyway.

Don't panic yet. Mine continued to improve well into my second year of maintenance, even at age 60+.

True loose skin is fairly fine wrinkles, like wrinkles in a medium weight fabric. Thicker wrinkles or rolls, like 1/2" and up, still have some subcutaneous fat conspiring with gravity to keep the skin stretched out.

Are you all the way to goal weight now, or not? If not, please know that some of us look worse part way to goal than we will at goal. The fat depletes anywhere within the fat mass, not neatly from the outer layer then inward, so part way through the fat mass gets squishy, and that gravity thing makes it floppy/droopy. (It sure did for me!) That effect can still improve with further weight loss, if you're not at goal yet. Only after most of the fat is gone from an area can the skin in that area begin to shrink, and the skin shrinkage itself is slow, too, unfortunately.

So, even if at goal weight, the true loose skin can keep shrinking, depending on genetics and other factors: Give it some time. Also, at goal weight, continuing to work on body composition (adding muscle, reducing fat) can further deplete some fat areas that are keeping skin stretched, while still staying at a healthy goal weight, and can fill out some of the loose areas (slowly) with tauter muscle. More about that here:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat

As far as suggestions to minimize loose skin, here's what I think: Genetics matter, and likely age does, too. That's the hand we're dealt, and it's unpredictable and pretty much unchangeable.

Beyond that, skin is an organ. The things that keep other organs healthy will also tend to keep skin healthy, which means elastic and more willing to adjust. These include:

* if still losing weight, avoiding fast loss (because it's a physical stress to lose fast),
* getting good well-rounded nutrition (macros and micros, especially but not exclusively protein),
* getting regular exercise (both cardiovascular and strength),
* managing all-source life stress,
* hydrating adequately (not crazy much, but enough),
* avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol,
* specific to skin, also avoiding tanning.

People will say all kinds of things about creams, dry-brushing, supplements, etc., but personally I'm inclined to think those are mainly ways to pass the time while skin does pretty much what it was going to do anyway. Help a little? Maybe. Big help? I doubt it. But it can feel good to feel like we're doing *something*. Just my opinions, though.

Best wishes for good long term results!