Does anyone have any advice on firming up your skin. I talked to the trainer at my gym and he said the loose skin will disappear in time but only if I do enough sit-ups, but I don't know....

Patti

Some skin will shrink in time, but not all of it. I ended up having PS (tummy, breast and butt) I still have sagging and I would love to exercise it off, but I'm an avid and consistent with working out and have been for a solid 4 years. The skin is still sagging on the arms and inner thighs. It shrank a little over time, but will never go away on its own.

If it is minor issue for you, then wait a bit longer and workout. If it is a big issue, consider plastics.

Patti,


The truth of the matter is than more than likely exercise will more than likely not completely shrink the excess skin. There are a lot of facotrs that come in to play such as your age, the elasticity of the area skin and how it responds to the exercise. I think I would check with another trainer as sit ups do little for the skin on your sides. There are also topical ointments available but I am not sure about them.

I know a lot of people want to avoid skin removal but it is the only proven way way to get rid of the skin effectively.

Ugh, I kno I'm not a vet yet but am really getting scared by all my saggy skin. I find myself looking at it and stretching it out and wondering if it actually looked better when it was nice and taut (sp?) and full of fat....then I come to my senses and laugh at the idiotic thoughts!

I avoid looking at it in the mirror when I'm naked but I'll tell ya....I can wrap it all up pretty in clothes and really...who but me and my hubby are gonna unwrap it??? I'd rather have this at this point than the 172 lbs of fat!

I will need the TT eventually but plan to wait till after I have kids. Why tighten it all up just to stretch it out again? I might be able to get the theighs under control with exercise and the arms to some extent but will probably need PS on those too. And the boobs...I won't go there!

The only help I can offer is moisturize! Keep your skin soft and supple. Try the firming lotions...if nothing else they'll keep you moisturized and might even help. At least you'll feel like you're doing something to help it...

Hi Patti!

I agree that exercise WILL NOT shrink the excess skin. Exercise DOES help tighten a bit and build muscle but there are alot of variables there...like how much overweight were you, for how long etc....

Plastics is generally the answer. But KEEP WORKING HARD!

I'm actually kinda shocked that a personal trainer would tell you to DO MORE SIT-UPS! Not that it wont tighten your abs....but it won't make excess skin go away.

Julie

Jules, dont forget age and natural elasticity of the skin as a factor too. You're right though, there are a LOT of variables.
As for the sit-ups, do em! It may help and even if you need to do the TT at least you'll have good muscle tone under there that will show after the skin is removed. :)

I've got great skin, but man-oh-man...it has suffered some great trauma. I've had an entire body lift and still have sagging skin. I gained 20 pounds and now that it is coming off, I'm left with some sag. Sigh. I am sure that I'll be ready for another tummy tuck in 10 years.

My skin is soft, but it gives very easily. I need to toughen up my cellular structure!

For what it's worth...my trainer at the gym didn't know either. She was getting frustrated that my backside was not getting firmer with all of the lunges and leg work that we were doing. I explained to her that the puddle of skin that I like to call my butt will be like that forever. It will tighten underneath, but will not go away. I educated her!

LOL Puddle of skin my butt too funny, I was thinking same thing. But yea my skin really bothers me. I workout all the time and when i lay down you can see what a great body I would have then u look and the skin is on the floor to my sides LOL! My doctor was like if you got a tummy tuck u woul dhave great abs your muscles are in great shape lol they should I am avid when it comes to my weights. But I will someday just with time. My kids priorities have to come first. But this is something we all have to deal with to some degree. I was lucky to have my surger at 26 and only 264 pds. That helps!! Good Luck!

Ok, here's my input for what it's worth...I was 35 when I had wls and weighed in @493lbs...VERY LARGE WOMAN...I STILL am "overweight" according to charts etc...but I have successfully lost 225lbs....and honey let me tell you there's a LOT of skin under 225lbs....

About 2 years after my wls I had a peniculectomy(Sp??, skin removed from my tummy area, what I like to call "my apron"...hung down to my knees...weighed in @ 10 lbs, btw)... absolutely NO AMOUNT of sit-ups were gonna decrease my apron....they may have INCREASED it's size but def not decreased! Also, I had my upper arms done @ the same time...I had bat wings....weighing 1 lb each!!! That's a lot of skin! And now, OMG don't get me started on my inner thighs....looks like I have an extra "private" if you know what I mean...a bathing suit MUST have a skirt if I wear it out in public!!! OMG, so embarrassing!!!!!! Want to have them done as well as my "handlebars" where my hips used to be! And don't even get me started on my "cankles"...(calves/ankles)....even with exercise these have not disappeared...(I have some non-weight related health issues so I tend to swim for my exercise, but have been unable to do so for about 1 1/2 yrs b/c of my other health issues...but getting back to pool VERY SOON!!!! WOOHOO!!!...)

Ok, so my input is this...if you have lost all your weight and you have done all you can to tighten up...go for the plastics if it is so much skin that it affects how you feel about yourself. I hate my "new" body naked but just like Buffy, I sure can wrap it up all nice and pretty...but my hubby loves me and my new body, so who am I to complain, right????

Just in response to Buffy! YES! Age does play a factor and i'm OLD! lol.. Well, 49 isnt old really but OLDER than say someone like Buffy or Marla but then that pretty much means that I have carried that weight around longer too! LOL..

And KIm....I hear ya! I havent had a butt lift yet and Dr. P says I dont need one but I believe I do or will at some point...but not sure if I will even go there....from all the walking and stuff that i've done the past few years...lemme tell you when I say I have BUNS OF STEEL under that skin!

So the PROOF is in the PUDDING!! lol... You can tighten up all those MUSCLES but the skin just plain hangs out!

Plastics WILL help you to recreate a better figure and get rid of some loose skin...but unless you were on the small side prior to wls....your body wont ever be the same! I gave up that dream but i'm working on looking the best that I can!

If you'd like to see a before/after pic of what a tummy tuck and some lipo to hips/flanks can do for you....click on the link near my signature for obesity help.com and scroll to the bottom.

For ME, that DID A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE!! Then I had my breasts and arms done too...LOVE IT! Thighs are next but i'm working hard to be in the best shape possible before that because I want OPTIMUM results as I carry alot of weight there!

GOOD LUCK again! Julie

Amelia, I adore the fact that your hubby loves you! Now, I've had the thigh lift and STILL must wear a bathing suit with a skirt. As a matter of fact, I move PDQ getting from point A to point B, making sure that the backs of my thighs aren't seen by many. It is better, but not great. Big huge scars that run from my knee to my crotch too. If only it were okay to swim in capri pants!

Oh well...it is what it is and some day, I hope to have a husband that will love me no matter what the backs of my thighs look like!

Kim, he does and for some unknown reason to me has ALWAYS thought I was beautiful...EVEN @ 493 LBS!!!! They say love is blind and well.....hmmmm I'm inclined to believe this is true....

I hate the sight of my sagging skin and my body naked/half naked! I think I can get over the scars...I had to have a lymphedema growth removed from my left upper thigh (the size of a football) in 2004 and it left a fairly large scar, but I'll take a scar over saggy/droopy skin ANY DAY!!! I just wanna have thighs that are no longer puddles of extra skin...I have resigned myself to the fact that I will never be a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model...but to just not be embarrassed @ the beach would be great! I think sometimes I would like to wear a sign that says "yeh, I'm still overweight according to the AMA but I've lost 225lbs!!!!!! ....so give me a break!!!" Oh well, no matter what I look like in a swim suit I am still glad I had the surgery and I wouldn't change or go back for anything...at the very least I have a life now and I can walk more than 5 steps without huffing and puffing and being worn out!!!

I hope you are as blessed as I am and find a wonderful man to love and cherish you extra saggy akin and all!!!

I hear ya...when I got prego with DD my skin came in so handy...full term prego and STILL had skin to go. I can't wait to get rid of it though...it's such a hang up of mine...I still feel soooo fat with it. But...one more baby...then it's all about the snip snip!

Kristy

Yeah, I hear you about sagging skin, but like the others I wouldn't trade weight loss for anything in the world ---- although it is a little annoying when my nephews make my butterfly wings swing!!

Michelle, I'm so glad that you call the loose skin under your biceps "butterfly wings" instead of chicken arms or bat wings! So much nicer sounding...

I can't believe I never saw this post until tonight in my insomniac parade of hits...

Even though I have posted on this many, many times, I can't help but throw my 2 cents in here too: Of all the things that I've heard (read) post wls people say about regretting the surgery, this topic of loose skin seems to be the only thing that people really have regrets about. Now I'm talking about people who have NOT had major complications, of course.

Having a lot of loose skin can be very demoralizing for people, and I think that anyone who is considering the surgery needs to be aware of this. We all SAY that we want the surgery for health reasons, but then when we see our wrinkly sack of formerly stretched out skin...It can be a very disappointing shock!

Now, I'm not saying I wouldn't have had the surgery. I am thrilled with my results and have no regrets. I feel like I finally have a life! But I have heard others say that if they would have known...and I am throwing this out there every time I get the chance because I think pre-op people need to consider this when weighing their options...

Ok, stepping off of soap box now...Thank you...

I think, if you can't afford surgery, you have to realize that loose skin vs. dying from morbid obesity...loose skin wins out every time! Do I like it...NO! But I'm going to enjoy life.
We are taking a whimsical approach to the sagging skin at our house. Sometimes humor is the only approach that puts it in perspective. So, I'll just roll up the girls & stuff them in my smaller-sized bra and go about life. LOL