loose skin after weight loss?

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RLDeShazo
RLDeShazo Posts: 356 Member
in Motivation and Support
I have a lot of weight to lose. I am wondering if anyone here who has lost 100 or more pounds would share about the loose skin issue; did you have to deal with it, and if so how.

I have over 200 pounds to lose and am concerned on the excess skin.
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Replies

  • SingerJennXXXX
    SingerJennXXXX Posts: 54
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    My last round of weight loss, I got lots of beautiful, loose skin on my belly and arms. I'd lost 95 lbs and had to face the reality that if I had reached my goal, I would have even MORE loose skin to tuck into my size 6 jeans. Exercise doesn't really make it "snap back" into place, but it does shape the muscles under the skin to make it look a little better. Unfortunately, there's really nothing you can do about loose skin if you've been over a certain amount of weight for a long time.

    I was always under the impression there were only two options open: either get used to it, or cut it off. I also have over 100 lbs to lose this time around, but you and I both have plenty of time to think about that while we are on our weight loss journeys...also, plenty of time to save up for surgery if that's the road you may choose to take.

    It's just skin! Don't be afraid of it!
  • montana_girl
    montana_girl Posts: 1,403 Member
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    I've lost 115 pounds and have lots of loose skin. It bothers me that I have it, but I must admit, I'd much rather have the loose skin than be obese.

    I've heard that if you start toning/strenght training early in your weight loss that you won't have as much loose skin. Not sure if that is true or not, but I know I didn't really start exercising until I had lost about 80 pounds and now I'm wishing I had done more toning/strength training early on....
  • beccahummel423
    beccahummel423 Posts: 72 Member
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    I'm with JennXXX. I previously lost over 100 pounds and I loved my loose skin! Now that I've filled it back up some - not so much. I will embrace any loose skin that comes my way this time!! :glasses:

    BTW - I exercised from day one of my weight loss and still had lots of loose skin. It's part of it!
  • maxonehiphop
    maxonehiphop Posts: 139 Member
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    I am not fat loss doctor of science but i'm pretty confident that if you include weight lifting as part of your weight loss/get healthy routine/process/new lifestyle it really helps with the extra skin.

    I'm not having too much problem with extra skin. I think it would have been even better if i'd start lifting weights earlier in my weight loss journey.

    Initially I was just doing tons of cardioish type stuff and eating a lot more food (i used to eat very little all week and then big on week ends) and the weight was coming off wonderfully.

    I started lifting and the weight loss really slowed down but I am really glad I did because I'm looking much better and still losing...just a bit slower now. Still doing the cardio... I just do it on the days I don't lift and in the evenings on the days I lifted in the morning.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    moisturize, every single day, twice a day, esp if you can with something like palmer's cocoa butter formula FOr After Weightloss and Pregnancy.

    Seriously, every day.

    Especially if youre going to be one of those people that would rather lose the first hundred pounds as fast as possible, instead of as smart as possible! good luck!
  • Sassy922
    Sassy922 Posts: 399 Member
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    Hi. I'm currently down 70 ish pounds for the second time in 4 years. I've always exercised, with the exception of the great re-fat of 2010, and I have loose skin.
    I'm a distance runner, and part of my training is to weight train, and I'll tell you this, my loose skin is far "worse" than it was the last time.
    I'm also an avid moisturizer. Working at Bath & Body Works for years in stilled the 3 step daily moisturizing technique. So moisturizing doesn't work.
    There is no magic trick, its all about genetics. Its about how the elasticity in your skin cells work.

    I wear my loose skin with pride. I gladly put my griddley-like spanx on each morning to hide my belly skin and I let my bat winged arms flap in the wind when I wear tank tops. I'd much much MUCH rather have loose skin than fat filled skin.

    And YES, my belly slaps when I run, and I LOVE IT.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    Its not JUST genetics, usually if you didnt have the extra weight for a really long time, and you take your time losing it, you can lose almost all the extra skin.
  • SingerJennXXXX
    SingerJennXXXX Posts: 54
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    Hi. I'm currently down 70 ish pounds for the second time in 4 years. I've always exercised, with the exception of the great re-fat of 2010, and I have loose skin.
    I'm a distance runner, and part of my training is to weight train, and I'll tell you this, my loose skin is far "worse" than it was the last time.
    I'm also an avid moisturizer. Working at Bath & Body Works for years in stilled the 3 step daily moisturizing technique. So moisturizing doesn't work.
    There is no magic trick, its all about genetics. Its about how the elasticity in your skin cells work.

    I wear my loose skin with pride. I gladly put my griddley-like spanx on each morning to hide my belly skin and I let my bat winged arms flap in the wind when I wear tank tops. I'd much much MUCH rather have loose skin than fat filled skin.

    And YES, my belly slaps when I run, and I LOVE IT.

    Bricey, I love you.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
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    Got my second consult second for the 13th... First one he wanted me under 260 lbs. (was at 293 lbs. when I seen him) I lost 70-100 lbs. twice in my lifetime before this round and this one was the end all be all... lol.... There is no amount of exercise, lotions, etc... That are going to fix the problems I am dealing with now... Alot will have to do with age, amount of weight lost, how long you lived overweight, etc. etc.... I knew going in surgery was in my future (I could tell just by looking in the mirror, you don't stretch your skin out to 560 lbs. and expect it to go back....) Best of Luck.....
  • rwperez
    rwperez Posts: 13
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    I am concerned about loose skin as well. I read that skin cells only live a few months and that your entire skin (organ) is replaced every year or so assuming a healthy lifestyle is followed. Skin is a maintenance draw for your body so it will not maintain more skin than it needs (to a point). From what I have read it may take up to two years after the weight loss for the excess skin to subside. You may not purge 100% of it but most will go away I bet. Things you can do to help...lose weight at about 2lbs per week to give your skin time to adjust...weight train to put some muscle underneath...and live healthy.
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
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    Well, I've got another 45'ish lbs. to go. Currently, I have a little loose skin in my underarm area, but not much anywhere else. I'm hoping it stays that way, but I'll be honest...I would consider surgery later if need be.
  • beccahummel423
    beccahummel423 Posts: 72 Member
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    I lost my weight very slowly (took me 3 years). And I can promise you, all the moisturizing in the world wasn't helping my loose skin. It will keep it moist, but it isn't going to shrink your skin. No way, no how.

    And weight training will tighten the muscles beneath the skin, but it's not going to shrink the skin either.

    Age & genetics are the biggest factors. Well, pretty much the only factors.
  • rwperez
    rwperez Posts: 13
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    Wow, those are two things we really can't do much about. Well...I guess we could stop aging but that would be much worse than loose skin!
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    I lost my weight very slowly (took me 3 years). And I can promise you, all the moisturizing in the world wasn't helping my loose skin. It will keep it moist, but it isn't going to shrink your skin. No way, no how.

    And weight training will tighten the muscles beneath the skin, but it's not going to shrink the skin either.

    Age & genetics are the biggest factors. Well, pretty much the only factors.

    but still, this is just you though. For some, it does work. There is another factor, how much time you spent at that overweight mark is definitely going to effect how it bounces back.

    I gained 100 pounds in 10 months after lsoing my ability to walk in a car accident - and lost it in 3 years and I have very little extra skin left and its still slowly going away. Whereas my brother got up to 400+ pounds slowly over several years due to overeating and he's lost about 75 pounds so far and he has a sort of apron. We have the same parents, and we are only 4 years apart- but he wore that weight for a significant amount of time.

    I think that taking the time to nourish your skin from day one is something that everyone that is changing their body can benefit from. It may not help everyone the same way. Some people may just end up with very healthy skin even if its loose. Some may end up like me and have skin that bounces back better, simply because you take time outs during weight loss so the elasticity can keep up and because you use something that helps. Some people may not ever have the loose skin.

    Its ok that we are not all the same, but sayind something isnt going to help me, no way, no how, when Im already trying very nicely to explain that it has, is just going to rub me the wrong way. I cant understand why your opinion matters more than mine, just because you didnt have results from doing what i did.

    Is that what makes opinions valid now? If you can prove something wrong with your own experiences, its cool. If you can prove something right, you're wrong?
  • ChelleDJM
    ChelleDJM Posts: 161
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    My experience/opinion based on lots of research - Age and how long you had the weight are the biggest factors. If your skin has been stretched 100+ pounds overweight for 15-20+ years, you are not going to lose and have it snap back. If you are in your 20's and gained weight over the last couple years and you lose it now, then you probably have a good chance of losing the flappy skin. That seems to be what everyone is saying here too :-)
  • beccahummel423
    beccahummel423 Posts: 72 Member
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    I lost my weight very slowly (took me 3 years). And I can promise you, all the moisturizing in the world wasn't helping my loose skin. It will keep it moist, but it isn't going to shrink your skin. No way, no how.

    And weight training will tighten the muscles beneath the skin, but it's not going to shrink the skin either.

    Age & genetics are the biggest factors. Well, pretty much the only factors.

    but still, this is just you though. For some, it does work. There is another factor, how much time you spent at that overweight mark is definitely going to effect how it bounces back.

    I gained 100 pounds in 10 months after lsoing my ability to walk in a car accident - and lost it in 3 years and I have very little extra skin left and its still slowly going away. Whereas my brother got up to 400+ pounds slowly over several years due to overeating and he's lost about 75 pounds so far and he has a sort of apron. We have the same parents, and we are only 4 years apart- but he wore that weight for a significant amount of time.

    I think that taking the time to nourish your skin from day one is something that everyone that is changing their body can benefit from. It may not help everyone the same way. Some people may just end up with very healthy skin even if its loose. Some may end up like me and have skin that bounces back better, simply because you take time outs during weight loss so the elasticity can keep up and because you use something that helps. Some people may not ever have the loose skin.

    Its ok that we are not all the same, but sayind something isnt going to help me, no way, no how, when Im already trying very nicely to explain that it has, is just going to rub me the wrong way. I cant understand why your opinion matters more than mine, just because you didnt have results from doing what i did.

    Is that what makes opinions valid now? If you can prove something wrong with your own experiences, its cool. If you can prove something right, you're wrong?

    And this is just you. If you read above, several people had the same experience I did. So what makes your opinion any more valid than mine?
  • SingerJennXXXX
    SingerJennXXXX Posts: 54
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    but still, this is just you though. For some, it does work. There is another factor, how much time you spent at that overweight mark is definitely going to effect how it bounces back.

    I gained 100 pounds in 10 months after lsoing my ability to walk in a car accident - and lost it in 3 years and I have very little extra skin left and its still slowly going away. Whereas my brother got up to 400+ pounds slowly over several years due to overeating and he's lost about 75 pounds so far and he has a sort of apron. We have the same parents, and we are only 4 years apart- but he wore that weight for a significant amount of time.

    I think that taking the time to nourish your skin from day one is something that everyone that is changing their body can benefit from. It may not help everyone the same way. Some people may just end up with very healthy skin even if its loose. Some may end up like me and have skin that bounces back better, simply because you take time outs during weight loss so the elasticity can keep up and because you use something that helps. Some people may not ever have the loose skin.

    Its ok that we are not all the same, but sayind something isnt going to help me, no way, no how, when Im already trying very nicely to explain that it has, is just going to rub me the wrong way. I cant understand why your opinion matters more than mine, just because you didnt have results from doing what i did.

    Is that what makes opinions valid now? If you can prove something wrong with your own experiences, its cool. If you can prove something right, you're wrong?

    No one said you were wrong, the general consensus of many in this thread is that the amount of loose skin someone is left with after they achieve their goal depends on several factors. Age, genetics and how long you carry around the 100+ lbs before you actually lose it has a lot to do with that.

    Looking at your picture, you look very young and I am guessing you didn't carry around that extra 100 lbs for 10+ years before you lost your weight. Personally, I think you have great genes and your being young and staying on top of your fitness goals helped you get there with minimal excess skin. Great job, BTW.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    I lost my weight very slowly (took me 3 years). And I can promise you, all the moisturizing in the world wasn't helping my loose skin. It will keep it moist, but it isn't going to shrink your skin. No way, no how.

    And weight training will tighten the muscles beneath the skin, but it's not going to shrink the skin either.

    Age & genetics are the biggest factors. Well, pretty much the only factors.

    but still, this is just you though. For some, it does work. There is another factor, how much time you spent at that overweight mark is definitely going to effect how it bounces back.

    I gained 100 pounds in 10 months after lsoing my ability to walk in a car accident - and lost it in 3 years and I have very little extra skin left and its still slowly going away. Whereas my brother got up to 400+ pounds slowly over several years due to overeating and he's lost about 75 pounds so far and he has a sort of apron. We have the same parents, and we are only 4 years apart- but he wore that weight for a significant amount of time.

    I think that taking the time to nourish your skin from day one is something that everyone that is changing their body can benefit from. It may not help everyone the same way. Some people may just end up with very healthy skin even if its loose. Some may end up like me and have skin that bounces back better, simply because you take time outs during weight loss so the elasticity can keep up and because you use something that helps. Some people may not ever have the loose skin.

    Its ok that we are not all the same, but sayind something isnt going to help me, no way, no how, when Im already trying very nicely to explain that it has, is just going to rub me the wrong way. I cant understand why your opinion matters more than mine, just because you didnt have results from doing what i did.

    Is that what makes opinions valid now? If you can prove something wrong with your own experiences, its cool. If you can prove something right, you're wrong?

    And this is just you. If you read above, several people had the same experience I did. So what makes your opinion any more valid than mine?

    the fact that I didnt say iit will or it wont. I said it depends, I would never tell someone that just because something didnt work for me, it would not, no way, no how work for them.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    I've heard that if you start toning/strenght training early in your weight loss that you won't have as much loose skin. Not sure if that is true or not, but I know I didn't really start exercising until I had lost about 80 pounds and now I'm wishing I had done more toning/strength training early on....

    It's worked for me and several others I know. The more vigorous you are, the more the skin tends to tighten up.

    The other key is to lose the weight slowly so your body can adapt, and feed it well during the process so the skin can heal and tighten up.
  • beccahummel423
    beccahummel423 Posts: 72 Member
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    Here is what I said: "And I can promise you, all the moisturizing in the world wasn't helping my loose skin. It will keep it moist, but it isn't going to shrink your skin. No way, no how."

    And I stand by that. Lotion is not going to shrink your skin. It may keep it moist, which may make it look better. But it will not shrink it.

    I didn't come here to make enemies and yet I get attacked. Great.

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