This is an issue I would like to talk about, with others who can understand.

As TDCers, loose skin after weight loss is an issue we all need to consider. What do you think about it? How are we dealing with the prospect? Emotionally, how are we taking it and how does it make us feel? What are our plans? For those who are at goal, how is your skin situation? If undesirable, are you planning on surgery sooner or later, or do you think you can live with it? If finances are an issue for you, have you put any thought into how you will manage it? Does anyone find it a little annoying when people who have to lose like 50 pounds fret about having "so much loose skin" when they're done? That was always a pet peeve of mine, since I knew it would be impossible for anyone with that little weight to lose to have the kind of skin issues I was most likely going to (and do) have.

I'd like to discuss vitually anything at all about loose skin, to see what others think about it.

For me, I have 10# to goal and more loose skin than I care to think about. I've tried all the "cheap" remedies - skin brushing, lotion, exercise.... none worked very well. I have resigned myself to having to live with the skin on my stomach because at $10K for a tummy tuck, it's waaaaaaay out of my league short of a lottery win.

I console myself with knowing my SO doesn't care and I look just fine when dressed.

I think the whole loose skin issue is very personal and I wouldn't be offended by someone with "only" 50# to lose having it be an issue for them. To them, it IS an issue. It doesn't negate the fact that someone with more to lose will have an issue too. I find it more annoying when people complain that the last 1-2# is "ruining their lives" - never mind that they have lost 20, 30, 50, 200#...... It's the last 1-2# and the fact that they don't have a 6 pack that they obsess about.


Julie

I am not at my goal yet but have alot of loose skin, particularly on my upper arms (FORGET about tank tops!) AND my thighs (Let's put it this way, I would fit into at least one smaller size if not for the skin on my thighs). I have never particularly cared for shorts but would like to feel comfortable in pants and tank tops. I was just trying on clothes today and noticed how much skin actually HANGS when I raise my arms.

I am not sure there is any way to get rid of the skin, short of surgery. I certainly cannot afford that now (plus I graduate with my master's in a year and will have loans to pay off then in addition my current bills).

Hey Woo, what you bring up, is the one thing in the back on my mind that won't go away, when I do get all this weight off, what the hec am I gonna do about all this skin? I think, for me at least, when I get to goal, (notice I didn't say "if" but when) I will have lost 180lbs, and I believe the only way to get rid of it is going to be surgery. Not to mention the loose skin on my upper arms, thats bad too. And on a more personal note, I am a 44DD right now, and can u imagine how that is going to look when I get to goal

So, I know that it is going to cost some money, but if I am going to dedicate myself to this lifestyle, and enjoy a thin life I am not going to want to lug around 25-35lbs of skin around my middle. I know some people say that after a year or so alot of the skin kinda went away, and they became more toned, but I want to be able to wear a bikkini, tank top, ect and feel truely fabulous. Kinda like if I am doing all this to have the body I really want, then I really ultimatly want to have that body. I don't care how much it costs, I will save it, I don't care how much it hurts, it has really hurt me to be fat too. I am willing to do it.

I have to say looking thru your pics, you give me some hope. You look great, and I am assuming u didn't have any surgery.

The thought of loose skin has been lurking in the back of my mind. I was wondering does everyone that looses a significant amount of weight have loose skin? Is the length of time you've been over-weight a factor? Is your age a factor? Will weight training help? Do you know of anyone that has lost 100+ pounds and doesn't have loose skin? All of these questions have been lurking in the back of my mind.

Such a good question. I am a young single girl, who is very worried about the loose skin issue. I am/was a yo-yo dieter, which makes things even worse for the elasticity of my skin. I always say that I will get my arms 'done' when I am thin, but I think pain and cost are two main deterrents. I will try to bulk up the biceps and triceps first for awhile and see if that helps. I kinda think that my pooch will need a tuck too. You know that *lovely* area under the bellybutton??

It sucks to think about all the work we've done and then not be able to have that perfect body that we strived for. I will still have stretch marks or surgery scars if I chose to go for it.

I too would like to wear tank tops. I just hope that the skin will adjust and not look so wing-ish.

I just looked at your picture, and I don't see any loose skin! Your arms look great! Your thighs don't look loose or thick! Wow! I wish I could look as good as you when I am "done". How tall are you?

I was fortunate in that at my heaviest I was a large C only. So, my breast is not overstretched like that and won't need any reconstruction. Unfortunately I have almost no breast tissue left, and I jneed a small implant to fill out the deflated skin (honestly it is like a flap, I wouldn't get an augmentation unless it were REALLY necessary ). If I were thin my whole life I probably would have been an A cup. But because I was fat, I stretched the skin out so my natural small cup size is now "spread out" into a C cup that doesn't exist anymore. It looks like empty skin.

OTOH, you might be lucky and end up with a littlesag, but still have plenty of breast tissue (I have virtually none). You won't need an implant, just a lift, which looks more natural because it's real fat tissue.

I know exactly how you feel. I didn't come this far to hide under shrugs and to always feel paranoid if I lift my arms, that they might see my stomach and ask what happened to me. I hate buying my clothes around my skin. That's out, sleeveless. So's that... too sheer, you can see my "double belly" too clearly. That? Forget it! Shorts? with these thighs?

I am only comfortable in fall and winter because it's traditional to cover up
Unfortunately it's so damn cold where I live, so even then I've got something to whine about .

Thanks... but I really do have skin issues. They aren't extreme as some thank god but they are not small enough to the point where I can ignore them and be comfortable with my apperance. It's really bad in my opinion.
It's hard to see with my clothes on. I recently consulted with my PS, and he too saw me with clothes on and said it's likely my weight wouldn't be a problem. Then when he saw me undressed, he realized how lax my skin was and how much tissue he would have to remove. He changed his mind and recommended I gain 5 lbs for the procedure (because, he would obviously have to remove about 5 lbs of excess tissue which would leave me looking undesirably thin).

In my opinion, loose skin is determined by genes, age, and degree of obesity. Mainly genes and degree of obesity. Length of time over weight is not as significant as how fast you gained.

Loose skin happens when the dermis layer of the skin is ripped too fast to accommodate growth. It doesn't heal well, leaving scars called stretch marks. Even if an overt stretch mark is not left, the collagen fibers are broken, destroying skin elasticity. But generally speaking where there's a lot of striae stretch marks there's likely a loss of elasticity. End result, a lot of scars and a lot of lax skin all over your old high fat areas. If you have lots of stretch marks and the skin is not very elastic (doesn't bounce back well when pulled) odds are loose skin will be a problem in that area.

I think it is impossible to lose that much weight and not have some skin issues... but some people claim that they don't have that much. Also, perception is important. A major flaw to one person is barely a problem to another. It would help to have realistic expectations for your body, and to not think your skin is going to be like a perfect 20 y/o model when you're done. I did that from the outset so I wasn't as disappointed in my loose skin.

If you look at the rest of my gallery I have a pic of my arms. Considerable amount of bat wing, at least in my opinion. Short sleeves are definitely out.

Hey ladies, I'm actually suprised that there are so few threads about 'FLOB' (my term for loose skin) on this board

Let me add my two cents. Problem for most of us in this forum is also our age. People who are in their teens & twenty's can often lose 100 lbs & have their skin snap right back into place.

I think the younger you are the easier this problem is to overcome. If you're like me the fact that we're 50 plus cannot be changed

This issue is why I think slow but steady is a good way to lose. I lost around 40 lbs on the 1st six monthes of this WOL the flob problem was pretty bad, I spent the next six monthes exercising & reshaping & only lost an additional 3-4 lbs pretty much on purpose as I tried to tighten up overall before losing more. Losing slowly and drinking LOTS of water helps our skin be able to keep up with the changes

More importantly exercise is the key & not just a specific area but trying to bring down the bodyfat percentage overall via a regular exercise program. My biggest problem area was under my neck where I used to have multiple chins & then after losing 40lbs looked like a turkey, but that too slowly improved & has eventually gone away especially after practicing the following exercise regularly over the past 1&1/2 years

Tilt your head back nose pointed up.
Open your mouth as far (as widely) as possible & slowly
close it while still looking upward
Do 10 repetitions twice a day. You could start out with 5 and build up. You will tone those muscles. The first time you do it will make your face and neck sore. But if you continue, it will go away like any exercise & eventually its starts to tighten your neck

So I say lose slow & steady, & dont forget the KEY component to a healthy low carb lifestyle, regular exercise, not only to get rid of that flob but to be sucessfull over the long term.

I have found people that incorporate regular exercise into their low carb program are usually the ones that are sucessfull at reaching their goals.

I am really very worried about this, I have lost 70lbs and will have lost ovwer 100lbs once I hit goal. Already the skin on my tummy is appauling. I should mention that I have had twins, so my tummy was always going to be flabby anyway, but my goodness, it was a heck of a lot better even once I'd had the twins and I was 300lbs than it is now!!
I am really considering a tummy tuck to get rid of the excess skin, but it costs a fortune. I am already loathing myself in the mirror - at least when i was 300lbs I was padded out, but now it's loose and hanging and I hate it.
I am interested to read up on this subject too so thanks to the woo for starting the thread.

I also have an issue with my chest. I always thought that I was an anomoly among the women in my family, destined to have a big chest. It turns out I am not. I am down to a 36B and shrinking (From around a 42 C/D). The problem is that it is mostly skin, so like Woo spoke of, which is really noticible if I am naked and bend over (I'm talking SCARY). So my breasts just sort of hang against my chest. They don't have any real shape. I am hoping it will get better when I lose what I call my water wings (Skin around the sides of my chest that appears to be a continuation of each breast). If not, I may have to have a breast lift. I am ok with having small breasts, but would like them to at least be breast-shaped!

It hangs over my head all of the time, the though of “ok well what am I going to do about the loose skin this time?” Last time I lost a lot of weight and got down to 110 and the skin was BAD- I looked great dressed, but I wore 1 size bigger than I really would have if the skin on my thighs and on my stomach would have been gone. I did situps, I worked out like crazy, but it only helped a little. It drove me CRAZY… I can already see where my skin is starting to loosen and I’ve only lost about 33ish pounds with 90-something more to go… I try to tell myself, “You still look miles better than you did and you KNOW you’ll look even better when you get to goal, so live with the skin” but I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t bother me… It does. I don’t have an answer as to what I’m going to do when I get to goal, other than probably look at the extra skin and cry… Even if I won the lottery, I need the money for a downpay on a house or to go back to school more than I need it for the skin… I already checked with my insurance company and they don’t cover it…

Unfortunately I’m a broke 23 year old trying to save to buy a house and so the money I could use for a TT won’t happen…

All I can say is I feel your pain (I really do, I got down to the same weight as you and I could PULL the skin from my thighs and stretch it like an extra 2.5 inches, nevermind the 3.5-4 inches I could get off of my belly )…

Bottom line is being slender and in shape and not morbidly obese is worth it to me, skin and all, so I guess I truly WILL just deal with it, because what’s my alternative? Go back to being so fat I get mooed at walking to my car? No, thanks.

I wear a DD/DDD and when I got down to 110, the smallest they ever went down to was a small D… Big enough to still have some shape, right? Nope, they looked like big pancakes… *sigh* With a bra on I looked GREAT but take them off and I looked like I was 70…