Excess Skin

[nurse7263 0]

Hello! I am 23 and am working on losing 90-100 lbs. I work out 4-5 days a week doing cardio/toning/weights, and would like to know if anyone has lost this amount and NOT had the extra skin. All I hear about are those with it - as I'm said, I'm in my early 20s and want to enjoy the rest of my twenties wearing cute clothes and swimsuits!

I also take Vitamins and drink lots of Water - any thoughts?

[JoanieP 2]

Hello! I am 23 and am working on losing 90-100 lbs. I work out 4-5 days a week doing cardio/toning/weights, and would like to know if anyone has lost this amount and NOT had the extra skin. All I hear about are those with it - as I'm said, I'm in my early 20s and want to enjoy the rest of my twenties wearing cute clothes and swimsuits!

I also take Vitamins and drink lots of Water - any thoughts?

I would think that at you're age you should have any problems with loose skin, especially working out as you are, but everybody has different bodies so each case is different. How's your skin looking so far...Does it look like it's loose yet? How tall are you, by the way? My daughter is 5'7" and had gotten up to 190#s in HS. When she was in college she lost 60#s and didn't like the way her tummy looked around her belly button. It wasn't bad but she

was self concious about it and wanted to wear the cute little tops...anyway, even though she went to the gym and had a trainer it didn't do any good, so she had a Tummy Tuck. aside from the scar around her lower body her stomach looks great.

She was only 19 then. She's 22 now and has never regretted having it done, but she has put on about 15-20#s and is mad at herself.

I've started to ramble so I'm gonna let you go and wish you luck on the weight loss.

later, Joanie )

I won't even go into how my body looks, but I'll take the sagging skin instead of the fat anyday. But I'm 54 yrs old and happily married to a wonderful man who loved me at 240#s. :eek: In fact he married me while I was at my heaviest. A little saggy skin doesn't bother him. Thank God, since I can't afford plastic surgery. haha!

[luluc 6]

i don't think there is anyway to tell till your start losing a good chunk of what you need to . age/skin/genes/how long were you overweight - lots of variables.

i have lost 75lbs and don't have any loose skin issues.

[nurse7263 0]

Hopefully all my working out will have some good results. I don't see any trace of sagging skin yet, but I'm still a good 70-80 higher than my goal of 150-160. I carry a lot of weight in my hips and butt though, so I'd like to lose THAT.

For the person who asked - I'm 5'5, and my highest was 254. I got down to 219 last year and didn't see any extra skin then, either.

Well, I'll just cross my fingers!

[HeatherO 7]

I have lost most of my weight and work out like crazy with a focus on toning. I am looking pretty good but my belly is going to be a little saggy and no amount of abdominal work has helped it much. So no bikini or belly button piercings for me, but I look good in a one piece. I really think I am going to get to avoid plastics altogether.

It really is impossible to say how things will go. Youth is indeed on your side, but skin is different for different people. You can choose ten random women who got pregnant around the same age and same weight, and I bet you some of them may get away with almost no stretch marks and some will look like a road map.

If I had to venture a guess, you will most likely be ok in most areas but may not be completely satisfied with your mid region at the end of the road. However, you are on the right track with exercise,water, Vitamins. If you are not exceeding 1-2 pounds a week in weight loss it helps as well.

[aubrie 6]

At age 49 I'm a bit surprised about the loose skin issue. I thought I would have loads of loose skin on my tummy. I don't. Just a little. I thought my arms would look normal. They don't. They are HORRIBLE. It's not at all what I expected. I figured that I could wear a one piece or cover up my tummy, and wouldn't have to worry about arms. In south Texas, it's HOT, so sleeveless tops are almost year round. I'm fretting over this, and I've only lost 65 pounds with 45 to go, so I know it's going to get even worse. I look like I have mud flaps from the underside of a semi truck!! Not pretty. I think I will have no choice but to fix them surgically. The two people that I've seen have it, did not have good results, so I'm scared.

[NanaRenan 0]

Youth is indeed on your side, but skin is different for different people. You can choose ten random women who got pregnant around the same age and same weight, and I bet you some of them may get away with almost no stretch marks and some will look like a road map.

That is SO true. I always thought skin type (color) was a big factor. But my daughter and I are exactly the same tone....she's had two pregnancies with nary a stretch mark in sight and I looked like I'd battled with Freddy Kruger all four times I had a baby!!!

[Chickie 15]

i don't think there is anyway to tell till your start losing a good chunk of what you need to . age/skin/genes/how long were you overweight - lots of variables.

This.

Only when you get to your goal weight will your know if you will have issues with your skin. Sorry.

[TulipStar 2]

Its honestly so different for everyone. I lost 100 + pounds when I was 24 and was working out 6 days a week and had some excess skin, especially the apron of fat around my stomach. So I went and had my stomach skin aka "pannus" removed.

Sometimes, it takes a while for the skin to suck back up, so if you stick with the tonig and exercise, once all the fat is gone from under the skin, it might pull back up.

Also, you should moisturize moisturize moisturize!!

[*slim* 2]

I have always heard that if you wear some type of girdle while losing the weight, it helps bring the skin in line. Of course, since I haven't lost any yet, I can't say whether it works but it can't hurt.

[luluc 6]

This.

Only when you get to your goal weight will your know if you will have issues with your skin. Sorry.

i think many can determine before goal weight that they'll have skin issues that will need corrected. in fact, i've read many having PS before reaching their goal weight.

[Jachut 487]

I had a weight loss of about that size and I dont *really* have loose skin. Oh, its there, but I'm 41, I do believe had I been 20 when I lost this weight (not that I had weight to lose at 20!) I wouldnt have had even what I have.

I'm just a little saggy in the backside, lol, but nothing major, certainly not surgery worthy. I can put on a bathing suit no problem and wear whatever I want to without worrying about rolls, lumps and bumps.

I lost weight slowly, did a lot of running, and was just lucky - no stretchmarks after having babies either.

[DesertRose 0]

I too, fear the Really Saggy Belly Syndrome, but my surgeon advised me to avoid any plastic surgery for at least a year AFTER meeting my goal. He said our skin needs time to conform to our new bodies. If it hasn't after about a year, then we can think about other options. Has anyone else heard this? Hang in there!! :tongue:

[Chickie 15]

i think many can determine before goal weight that they'll have skin issues that will need corrected. in fact, i've read many having PS before reaching their goal weight.

There was *no* way I could have known what my skin would look like at 107 lbs when I was 297. No way at all. Yeah I knew I would need something, but not exactly what and where.

And there was no way to know just how bad it was till I was there.

Personally, I didn't want to have PS till I was at goal. There way no way I was going to have surgery, then lose a heap more weight, then end up back where I was before surgery (and pain, time off work, and expense)

That idea didn't apeal to me, so I waitied till I was at goal weight. As it was, I still lost some weight. While it didn't ruin my surgery, any more weight lost would have.

Add to that that most Aussie reconstructive surgeons will ask to to at least get to a healthy BMI or goal weight before they will touch you. (Plastic surgeons are different though, they will do anything, and are not covered under health funds and medicare)

I know that the surgeon I went to would have turned me away if I had been 20 or 30 lbs overweight when I went in for my consult.

[Chickie 15]

On having PS befoer goal weight... I'd like to add that the difference in my body within the last 20lbs was unreal.

That last little bit of weight I lost prior to having my PS made such a huge difference in me. When I had my surgery, all I needed was a TT. There wasn't anything to Lipo. There was just a nice apron to cut off and throw away. I was smooth and flat.

I ended up with a fab result because I waited.