10 pounds left-- how do I keep my skin from sagging

Options
lillyblack1982
lillyblack1982 Posts: 61 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am 5'4", 133 pounds, 41 years old. I started at 147 (I've never been heavier than this) and my goal is around 125. I'm noticing the skin on my mid-section is saggier than it used to be (especially noticeable around my belly button) and I'm not sure if it's something I'm doing, or if it's just that I'm hitting middle age and my skin isn't as elastic as it used to be.

Does anyone have any tips for keeping your skin firm as you're losing weight? I'm mostly looking for habits rather than products, but if there's something someone has used that really made a difference by all means I'd love to hear it.

Right now all I can think of is slow weight loss (no problem there, my current rate of loss is about 1/4 pound per week), hydration (I struggle with this, any tips are welcome), and maybe weight training? (I started weight training back in September and have been pretty consistent 3-4 times per week).

Answers

  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,194 Member
    Options
    The most important bit, I think, is being patient: skin can still tighten up months or even more than a year after losing weight. A lot of it is genetics too, from personal experience.
    Something to also take into consideration: sometimes we look worse part way to goal because there is still some body fat 'weighing down' the looser skin (is the loose skin very thin/wrinkly, or is it still thicker where you can feel fat underneath the skin?).
    Moisturizing certainly can't hurt either (although I'm not sure it actually does much).
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,502 Member
    Options
    Lietchi's right: It takes time for skin to shrink, and most of the fat needs to be depleted from an area before it can even get a good start on shrinking. That's the "thin wrinkles" idea.

    The implication is that a lot of us will look worse part way to goal than at goal, and worse at goal than a few weeks to months later. It's a process, and I think skin shrinkage is even slower than weight loss. My loose skin kept shrinking at least into year 2 of maintenance, maybe longer (but it was hard to tell because the shrinking got gradually slower as time went on). That was when reaching goal weight at age 60.

    Now, I'm quite certain the average person meeting me - even when I'm dressed in a swimsuit or shorts/tank - doesn't notice anything unusual compared to other women my age (68) the same size (5'5", low 130s right now). If my former obesity comes up in conversation, most people look very surprised, and some have literally said "I don't believe you".

    As far as how 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:

    * 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,
    * adequate sleep
    * specific to skin, also avoiding tanning.

    People will say all kinds of things about creams, dry-brushing, etc., but personally I'm inclined to thing 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*.

    Some people recommend collagen creams or supplements, and that sort of thing. I have no opinion: I'm vegetarian, collagen generally is not, so I haven't tried it.

    Some of my friends who've had babies think that wearing compression garments afterward (close to 24 x 7) helped their skin shrink back into place post-partum by countering gravitational sag. I have no idea whether that works.

    Hydration tips? I increased water intake by carrying a water bottle (on a strap) with me nearly everywhere and sipping all day. I also used cues in my day to trigger me to drink water. (Example: Drink a glass of water while making dinner. Drink a glass of water after morning weigh in. Habits FTW!) When I joined MFP, I logged water for a while to make sure I hit my personal goal.

    Note that there's a lot of mythology that we need vast amounts of water, X quarts daily minimum. If urine is pale yellow (or fluorescent but light yellow if a person gets excess B vitamins!), not dark, hydration is likely fine. Fluid volume needs very individually. Even coffee, tea, fluids in food (soup, fruit, etc.) count. Thirst is a decent guide for most people.

    Best wishes!



  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,291 Member
    Options
    go onto youtube and search "derma rolling for saggy skin or lose skin". There are a couple of impressive videos ...one woman derma rolled her stomach.. just once a month. It was a surface derma roller.. meaning she didn't draw blood.. just rolled it over her skin surface .. she did it once a month for six months and it tightened up significantly. There are afew other showing how arms and legs improved greatly too. I have one...bought it off amazon. I use it once a month too.. and im using it as i lose weight.
  • wmoore7821
    wmoore7821 Posts: 3 Member
    Options
    I didn't think it was possible to have excess skin with such a small weight loss. I've only ever known people with around 100 lb losses and more to have that issue
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,180 Member
    Options
    Patience. As has been stated, it takes time for skin to tighten. It is only after two years maintaining the same weight that you can pretty much say that is as tight as your skin will get. It might even improve after that, but everything I have read gives that two years as the time frame.
  • EliseTK1
    EliseTK1 Posts: 483 Member
    Options
    wmoore7821 wrote: »
    I didn't think it was possible to have excess skin with such a small weight loss. I've only ever known people with around 100 lb losses and more to have that issue

    This was something I didn’t realize either until I lost ~30 pounds at 36/37 years old. The skin on my abdomen and outer thighs had some crepey wrinkling when I bent over or sat cross legged. This has mostly resolved 1 1/2 years into maintenance. Not that it really matters- even in a bikini, it was not obvious/excessive. I have done nothing to actively improve it other than keeping up those habits that have been mentioned including weight training, drinking water, getting enough sleep, using sunscreen, and continuing a healthy diet.

    I also had lipo of the chin, and I developed some loose skin there. It has slowly been improving over the last seven months since the procedure, and I am happy to say it is very unnoticeable at this point. I followed the recommendations the MD gave including massaging the area twice daily for the first few months. I haven’t done anything special since then, and it still seems to be tightening.

Categories