# When does skin return to it's "Normal" state/elasticity after losing weight? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 3, 2008, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-does-skin-return-to-its-normal-state-elasticity-after-losing-weight/461867 "2008-09-03T14:19:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2008, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-does-skin-return-to-its-normal-state-elasticity-after-losing-weight/461867/1 "2008-09-03T14:19:01Z")
I have a question about skins elasticity. I have recently lost close to 30 pounds, I was not obese before losing the weight, but I definitely had “love handles”. With healthy organic eating and moderate exercise I have lost 30 pounds…but my skin is sagging slightly…will this return to where it was? Do I need to do more crunches or leg lifts? What do women do after pregnancy? I’m far from looking like Adam Sandler in ‘Click’ but I do have a little excess sag that I want to be rid of. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2008, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-does-skin-return-to-its-normal-state-elasticity-after-losing-weight/461867/2 "2008-09-03T15:54:48Z")
You can either wait it out, or get surgery. Nothing else works, despite all the advertising claims you’ll see. And seriously…leg lifts or crunches? To reduce skin sag? You might want to spend the time you’re waiting learning a little bit about exercise physiology, starting [here](http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Myths.html). ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2008, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-does-skin-return-to-its-normal-state-elasticity-after-losing-weight/461867/3 "2008-09-03T16:04:33Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > You can either wait it out, or get surgery. Nothing else works, despite all the advertising claims you’ll see. > > And seriously…leg lifts or crunches? To reduce skin sag? You might want to spend the time you’re waiting learning a little bit about exercise physiology, starting [here](http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Myths.html). Thank you! I not trying to lose more weight in those areas, I’m trying to tighten the skin. I suppose I should look into it a little more. I’m not a gimmick kind of guy…O’Naturale is what’s best for me. ---
**Author:** ![KRSOradio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/0ea827/32.png) [@KRSOradio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRSOradio)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-does-skin-return-to-its-normal-state-elasticity-after-losing-weight/461867/4 "2008-09-04T01:30:25Z")
A formerly pregnant woman could probably answer this. Some women the skin goes right back into place, but I’ve seen some where it never quites goes back and sags. If you have true excess skin, it’ won’t go back. Skin is very elastic, but it like a rubber band, if you stretch it enough it’ll lose it’s taughtness. If that happens you need to have surgery to have the excess removed. I have heard some people who were formerly obese have donated their skin for things like skin grafts. Usually a doctor won’t remove the skin till you’ve gotten down to the weight you want and have kept it off for awhile. That way they can do it all at once. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-does-skin-return-to-its-normal-state-elasticity-after-losing-weight/461867/5 "2008-09-04T02:07:33Z")
A general rule of thumb is that it takes **at least** as long to ‘shrink’ back down as it took for it to ‘stretch’ while you were gaining all that weight. So how long has it been since you were last at this weight? Ten years or so? Then it will take about that long for your skin to get back to that size. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-does-skin-return-to-its-normal-state-elasticity-after-losing-weight/461867/6 "2008-09-04T06:31:14Z")
After pregnancy. Hmm, it did take awhile, maybe six months, during which time the skin on my tummy was not just saggy, but kind of spongy. But it’s okay now. The gym I go to has special exercise classes for people who are losing a lot of weight fast (usuallly via band surgery, whatever that’s called). Apparently having toned muscles does help. Their one-paragraph ad for it in the program book is what you might call cautiously optimistic. Oh, PS, I don’t think exercise can tighten the skin, just the muscles under the skin. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-does-skin-return-to-its-normal-state-elasticity-after-losing-weight/461867/7 "2008-09-04T07:29:41Z")
> [@Phlosphr](#): > > O’Naturale is what’s best for me. I think you mean “Au Naturale”. It’s French, not Irish. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-does-skin-return-to-its-normal-state-elasticity-after-losing-weight/461867/8 "2008-09-04T11:07:51Z")
Sagging skin will likely require surgery. Your skin becomes less elastic as you age, so unless you’re a young adult don’t count on it tightening back up to taut. The alternative is gain weight to reduce the loose skin. What a surprise hey. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-does-skin-return-to-its-normal-state-elasticity-after-losing-weight/461867/9 "2008-09-04T14:20:43Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I think you mean “Au Naturale”. It’s French, not Irish. Or _au naturel_. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-does-skin-return-to-its-normal-state-elasticity-after-losing-weight/461867/10 "2008-09-04T14:23:55Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Or _au naturel_. D’oh! I did wonder, so I googled it and got enough responses on my spelling so I assumed it was right. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2008, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-does-skin-return-to-its-normal-state-elasticity-after-losing-weight/461867/11 "2008-09-04T20:34:36Z")
Another thing is that it’s not all about elasticity. Your skin actually grew to cover the extra volume of your body. [Tissue expansion](http://www.plasticsurgery.org/patients_consumers/procedures/TissueExpansion.cfm) is a surgical procedure that makes use of the same effect. Your skin will eventually shrink down to your current size but it can take a while.