Excess Skin!?

I have one question...
I was just watching Extreme Edition: Weight loss ( with Chris Powell - yum! :D ) and all those people had surgery at the end because of all excess skin.
So, i was just wondering... How can you prevent all this excess skin?
Does anyone here have any problems with that?
Thanks :)

Replies

  • I have excess skin and i haven't even lost a lot of weight yet, i am DREADING it. I have been told if you eat well and exercise in a regular healthy way your skin can slowly is the word tone up? and get back to how it used too..

    When i am happy with my weight and if can pull my excess skin over me like a sugar puff i will cry and cry at my doctor for help and hopefully be considered for surgery to sort the excess skin out :) xx
  • min_lyn
    min_lyn Posts: 68 Member
    Being as young as you are and, by the look of your pic, not being obese, you may not have any problems with hanging skin. You most often see excessive skin when people lose quite a bit of weight and over a short a of time. Also, I think that age plays a part in that as you are older your skin is not as elastic as it once was. But I am not an expert. Let's see what others say... I'm curious myself in that I have excessive skin in some areas.
  • zaithyr
    zaithyr Posts: 482 Member
    I would think if you lost weight at a reasonable rate your skin would have a chance to adjust with your body. People I know who have excess skin have it because they had weight loss surgery and dropped weight rapidly (you see it on shows like the Biggest Loser too)
  • Being as young as you are and, by the look of your pic, not being obese, you may not have any problems with hanging skin. You most often see excessive skin when people lose quite a bit of weight and over a short a of time. Also, I think that age plays a part in that as you are older your skin is not as elastic as it once was. But I am not an expert. Let's see what others say... I'm curious myself in that I have excessive skin in some areas.

    Haha thanks, but that's not me in this pic..I am overweight! I want to lose about 30 kg... I have this pic to keep it as motivation to myself :)
  • manitoba2ct
    manitoba2ct Posts: 2 Member
    If you lose the weight at a healthy weight you won't have much to speak of if you are working out as well.
    I have had gastric bypass and lost a lot of weight in the beginning, now I am losing at a reasonable rate.
    I have gross excess skin from the quick weight loss of the first couple of months. I am glad to be healthy though. The skin
    is something to think about at a later date.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Don't lose too fast and keep your skin moisturized.
  • min_lyn
    min_lyn Posts: 68 Member
    Being as young as you are and, by the look of your pic, not being obese, you may not have any problems with hanging skin. You most often see excessive skin when people lose quite a bit of weight and over a short a of time. Also, I think that age plays a part in that as you are older your skin is not as elastic as it once was. But I am not an expert. Let's see what others say... I'm curious myself in that I have excessive skin in some areas.

    Haha thanks, but that's not me in this pic..I am overweight! I want to lose about 30 kg... I have this pic to keep it as motivation to myself :)

    Got ya! That makes more sense:smile:
  • MommaRou56
    MommaRou56 Posts: 68 Member
    I, too, am worried about this problem. I am 55 years old and an 18-year cancer survivor, having undergone removal of a breast and reconstruction with my tummy fat, along with a tummy tuck, at the same time. I am worried that the large scar across my abdomen and the removal of one of my stomach muscles may make me more prone to excess skin. I have lost about 30 lbs. from my all-time high weight last year, and 27 since I really started working at this in January. I have changed my lifestyle and diet -- eat a healthy diet and work out at the gym, including cardio and strength training, 3-4 times a week. Does anyone know whether taking it slow and easy -- 1-1.5 lbs a week -- will help me tone up the skin. I want to eventually lose 80-100 lbs.
  • chantal626
    chantal626 Posts: 33 Member
    I am also very worried about this, but I'm pretty young and losing at a healthy rate, at least I think so. I do have about 100 lbs to lose in order to be healthy though....very curious as to what other answers will come in here!
  • bm99
    bm99 Posts: 597 Member
    1. Be young. The younger the better. The older you get the less likely your skin is to "snap back".

    2. Moisturize. All the time.

    3. Lost slowly. A lot of the time on those shows the people lose weight so fast that their skin doesn't have time to catch up.

    Even if you end up with a little extra, time will make it better. It might not fix the problem completely, depending on your age and how much you lost, but it will definitely improve it!
  • jilliew
    jilliew Posts: 255 Member
    Loose weight at a healthy rate (1-2 lbs a week), eat lean protein, and excersize. If all else fails, move to Canada. Our health care will cover surgery to remove excess skin if it's there because you lost weight. :D
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
    This is becoming an issue for me...I know that at my age (almost 59) my skin just isn't going to spring back like if I was younger. But...I can live with it, its covered by my clothes...no one can tell theres a little poochy flap there instead of a perfectly flat abdomen, and thats ok.