My wife has lost 8 dress sizes and is continuing to lose. (No surgery, just better health and a beneficial side effect from a couple of drugs).
She, however, is showing some poochiness around her arms and stomach that’s suggesting that all is not going to shrink back neatly.
I don’t expect young nubile skin to re-emerge but we’d like to avoid hanging flaps, too.
Can anything be done to encourange the skin to shrink?
If you find something, let me know. I’ve got the same happy problem.
The truth is, it’s very hard to say over the net without knowing a whole lot of facts and/or being experienced in such things. The skin will continue to shrink somewhat, slowly, over time, sometimes even taking years. But depending upon her age, genetics, etc. she ultimately may end up needed some surgery to get rid of it completely.
Keep us posted.
Loose skin and how fast it bounces back from weight loss might be genetically directed, like so many other things. Losing weight in a slow and steady rate is supposed to help, as is being fairly young, so that one’s skin retains the elasticity.
If I ever get to the weight I’d like to be at, I suspect a tummy tuck would be in order.
Well, drat.
I was hoping there’d be some home cure that causes tissue shrinkage or something. Cocoa butter, sticking a tea bag in your ear, or similar.
Guess we’ll just have to wait & see.
She’s 34 so I guess age is on her side. She’s also had three children, one of them a whopper, so some stretchiness might be gone already.
-B
Proper balanced nutrition and training can help.
First, if underlying muscle tone is developed via toning (not necessarily building big muscles), that will do wonders for the appearance of the skin.
Second, a good diet, rich in fruits and veggies, should provide the skin and tissues whatever they need to maintain elasticity and such.
In other words, sitting around sippigng vodka and eating 500 cals/day while putting back two packs of smokes is gonna make the skin like wrinkled leather. Losing weight properly minimizes the effects and can actually help it.
The other thing to consider: Was she overweight before adult hood? Is so, she has a significant number of fat cells that, while being emptied now, are gonna be part of her forever and that can limit how tight and toned the skin can get. Anecdotal evidence suggests that when adult-onset weight comes off, it doesn’t seem as bad on the skin.
Ditto on that. It depends on genetics and amount of weight lost. I sawa thing on it.
Gastric bypass patient here. I’m 45 & have loose skin.
I am not aware of any way to “shrink” it. I’ve never had children, never smoked, never tanned & it’s still there. Age may play into it, but it’s hard to tell. I would say many factors play into it.
I will say that my body “settles” every few months; the skin seems to adapt a bit, but nowhere near enough to make me not consider reconstructive surgery.
All in all - a better problem to have than the health problems I faced before losing 152 pounds.
Good luck to her.
VCNJ~
If I may ask, what are the medicines that are giving the happy side effect of losing weight? Are you able to share?
The skin should shrink slowly, as a previous poster has said, underlying muscle tone will help. Wait a couple of years and see what happens.
Beyond a certain point surgery is the only answer. If the skin is still wattled & lose after a year of being smalller you can get a tuck or get more muscular to take up the slack.
Even fitness gods have this problem.
Arnold Schwarzenegger: Then and Now - Arnold Schwarzenegger’s age is catching up with him.
Adult ADD is being treated with Aderall XR - time-release ampthetimines.
Chronic Migrane is being treated with Topomax - dont’ know what it is but weight loss is common. My Doc says the FDA gigged the manufactuer for trying to get Docs to prescribe it as an off-label use.