Excess skin

I've worried about it. But there is nothing much that you can do about it. The things I've found.....moisturize your skin as much as possible and lose the weight slowly! Other than that it's genetics and honestly how much damage your skin has received. At this point, after 115 pounds lost, I don't care about the skin....I"m just tickled because I'm soooo much healthier. (that said, I know that I'll have some skin...but not as much as I thought I would have).

I also suggest, if you do atleast 3 times a week someking of weight training, it will help tighten up your muscles and will help to also tighten up your skin in the process! good luck

And make sure you get enough water. Water is essential for healthy skin! :flowerforyou:

This is a great question because I've been worried about it too. Mostly, I'm worried about my arms. I'm hoping that by doing some weight training, the flapping skin will tighten up.

There is hope for excess skin! I had 4 babies and my tummy has snapped back into place with lots of work but non the less its back and even better than before kids! Im working on the inner thighs now. I hired a personal trainer and the focus is lower body work all the way!

Steph

LOL....Thats funny..Where are you from...

I am from Illinois, but my girlfriend lives in Virginia, where I was living until last year when I moved back to Illinois........

I am insane. I missed my family.

LOL....Thats funny..Where are you from...

I am from Illinois, but my girlfriend lives in Virginia, where I was living until last year when I moved back to Illinois........

I am insane. I missed my family.

Sorry, but even with time, if the skin is damaged, it won't snap back. Skin with stretch marks, for example, rarely snaps back all the way. Plus, people's skin elasticity gets worse as they age. There isn't anything you can do about that and time only does so much.

It also doesn't really matter how fast you lose the weight. If you lose it slowly, your skin is snapping back as you go and you might not go through the shar pei look as much. But if you lose it fast, it will still snap back as much as it's able to over time.

Think of your skin as a balloon. If you blow up a ballon and let the air out, it doesn't go back to its original size. It doesn't matter if you let the air out fast or slow either.

Also, there is no exercise that tightens your skin. What happens is that you build muscles which fill in some of the space that used to be taken up by fat and that can disguise some of the skin flapping. But the skin size doesn't change.

Personally, I'm not too worried about it. I look way better now than when I was fat, even with lose skin, and I'd rather spend my money on other things than PS. So I'm just going to live with whatever doesn't snap back and it's clear that not all of it is going to no matter how many years I wait.

There are many articles writtenon this subject...go ahead and google for them. Most say that if you have been significantly overweight for a long period of time, then your skin will not "snap" back into place. Think about a rubber band: if you stretch it past its intended point and leave it there for years, it will lose it's strecth and will no longer conform to a smaller object.

I have lost 75lbs and I had 4 kids over the course of 9 years. My weight has been off for over a year and I s/t 3-4 days a week. I'm 29 years old and I drink 8-10 glasses of water a day. I will need a tuck to correct the appearnace...and not for my own impatient gratification, I assure you. I can also say that no way is my belly button going to suddenly shrink and snap back into place.

Each person's body is different, but I would encourage you to look up reputable articles on the subject.

Some cities have major burn centers for fire victims, in some of them you can get Skin reduction surgery if you agree to donate the removed skin to the burn unit. I have a friend that got a free tummy tuck for the resulting skin flap, it only cost her the anesthesia fee!

Slow steady weight loss is important too, too rapid a loss and your skin does not have the chance to snap back with your body.

It DOES NOT "snap right back" in all cases. I lost weight, the old fashion way at a good pace, eating healthy, exercising, lots of water, balanced diet, ect....I have large amounts of excess skin around my stomach, arms, and a small amount on my back. I think it depends on how long you were overweight. I have been overweight for my whole life, so after about 20 years, it didn't snap back. I will require a tummy tuck & have a consultation in the Fall for it. Every case is different & the most important thing is that you are living a healthier lifestyle & feeling better about yourself! Best of luck!

Thank you for saying it. I'm not one to sugarcoat things, and there's really no sense in denying it, if you have a lot to lose, there is quite a large chance that you will have some lose skin to battle. How much will depend on your skin's elasticity. I have lost almost 70 lbs and definitely have some lose skin, though a managable amount. Many many many people do not "snap back", if that were the case, there would be no such thing as "mommy tummy" right? But there's really no sense in worrying about the fact that you might have loose skin once you've lost weight. Surgery is expensive, but it's always there as a last ditch effort.

It DOES NOT "snap right back" in all cases. I lost weight, the old fashion way at a good pace, eating healthy, exercising, lots of water, balanced diet, ect....I have large amounts of excess skin around my stomach, arms, and a small amount on my back. I think it depends on how long you were overweight. I have been overweight for my whole life, so after about 20 years, it didn't snap back. I will require a tummy tuck & have a consultation in the Fall for it. Every case is different & the most important thing is that you are living a healthier lifestyle & feeling better about yourself! Best of luck!

I totally agree with you, I didn't have excess skin from being overweight but from childbearing, tummy is rock hard, with some sagging skin there, I did the tummy tuck, best thing I ever did. My doc said to me, that once the skin is stretched to the limit you actually tear the skin, it doesn't necessarily ever go back to shape again, once the elasticity is "broken" it can never reshapen itself.