Thread: loose skin

How would you know the difference between loose skin and just plain chunk?

I'm working on losing weight and toning but I got to thinking about this since even at 15 lbs lighter, my abs hardly looked different.

I gain weight very unevenly around my abdomen (think weird chunks) and haven't had smooth abs since I went through a really bad emotional period when I was a kid. Now that I'm losing weight I'm noticing that there's an area where the skin feels "empty" underneath and I don't know how to tell if that which is depressing me so much is fat or loose skin. I thought that maybe I just had to keep losing weight but since that part feels so different, I'm starting to wonder if the reason I'm not seeing any changes there despite seeing changes in other areas is because of skin.

If it is loose skin, what options do I have to tone/get rid of it? I do currently incorporate toning and strength training into my fitness routine..

Loose skin usually occurs after a large drop in weight, although some folks are blessed with skin that rebounds better than others. Generally a bad case of loose skin would look like the sharpei dogs - wrinkly....you would have folds of it and it would be very noticeable. I have a moderate amount of loose skin on my lower belly, like you say, it feels like a small empty pouch. I lost about 60 pounds 8 years ago, and no amount of exercise, toning, vitamin intake, water intake has helped. The only time the skin fills out is if I gain weight back. From what my doctor told me, the only way to correct it, that is if you want to go through the pain and expense or if it gets bothersome physically to the point that it needs to be done - is through body contouring or body lift surgery for severe cases, or a maybe a tummy tuck or modified tummy tuck for a case like mine.
Since I'm not interested in surgery anytime soon, I wear a tummy cover when dancing.......

Did you lose the weight too fast?

Congratulations on the weight loss!!!

Yes, congrats Miriam on the weight loss...forgot to add that! 15 lbs is great. Don't know how quickly you lost that 15 lbs......for myself, I lost my weight in about 10 months, so it was very gradual.....but I guess once the skin was stretched out, it wasn't going back. Then again, I have other friends who continually go up and down in weight (20-30 pounds) who swear they have no loose skin.... so that's why I think genetics plays a role.

I have loose skin from my pregnancy and that was 2 years ago! There are a few things that I have read about loose skin that may help.

1 - keep the skin moisturized. The more moisturized it is, the better the elasticity.
2 - Drink lots of water. Again moisture = elasticity
3 - There is some spa heat thing that can help tighten up the skin. I can't remember what it was called.

Age can have a factor in "bounce back" ability. The older you get, the thinner your skin gets. The thinner it gets, the less elasticity it has which causes the skin to hang (wrinkle).

Now - I have not really tried any of this so I cannot say it works. My mother had a tough time with loose skin after having me. She said it took 2-3 years to bounce back. I am hoping the same works for me.

Surgery is always an option though wait until you are at your ideal weight.

Thanks for the input... I'm not at my ideal weight yet (still about 15-20 to go), but I'm hoping to get there in the next 5-6 months and I guess I'll just judge when the time comes as to what steps I'll take next. I just turned 25, so I hop it's not age already! lol

I too have loose skin issues on my lower stomach. I hate it when I bend forward because it just hangs there and you can tell its just skin...grosses me out but my hubby couldn't care less. The thing with surgery is its a hip to hip scar...what is worse? the scar or the skin? I have done a lot of research through the internet, medical journals, consulting doctors and plastic surgeons and the only thing that I found universal is that there is no sure fire way to fix loose skin except surgery. I had one trainer tell me if I could get my ab fat down to practically zero the skin would tighten up and then I could eat again...lol I think not. There are a lot of quick fix cellulite/toning creams out there because so many of us, after having children or weight loss, don't like the excess skin and it bothers us. I am trying to convince myself that it is a battle scar from having 3 children and that I should be proud to be in the shape I am and not care what anyone else thinks....it works most of the time:)

Whether or not it is loose skin or chunk, depends on your current weight, and your body fat percentage. As of right now, it could be either one.

Most people who lose 10 or 20 or even 30 pounds don't have a problem with loose skin, once they are down to their goal weight-even if they lose it fast. Loose skin is usually more of a problem in people who lose 50 pounds or more...or folks who have the lower belly area of loose skin that is from being stretched out during pregnancy. Once again, woman who has a 5 or 6 pound babies and not a huge weight gain during pregnancy might not have much of a problem there...but in my case, I had three kids, and my SMALLEST was a preemie over 9 pounds-I had 2 9+ pounders, and 1 10+ baby. I have loose skin in my lower belly area.

Creams, lotions, and all that do not do anything for loose skin to "tighten" it. It really doesn't. The only solution is to make the muscles more toned UNDER the skin, to improve the appearance (it sounds like you are already trying to do this) and this is something that will give results over time, as you get fitter. The second is surgery-a tummy tuck-but like someone else said, you will have a scar that runs from hip to hip.

So, given that I don't know your body fat %, current weight, and all of the stats, it's hard to tell if it is skin or that you still have some body fat to lose.

I got so freaked out by the loose skin on my belly that I gained back about 14 of the 25 pounds I'd lost. In some ways, I look better fatter.

But... I read something once that was interesting. Wasn't from a reliable source, just some guy's website (he may have even been selling something), so I don't necessarily buy into it -- but he made compelling arguments.

This guy said that skin is very thin -- pinch the skin on the back of your hand to see how thin it can be. Some skin is thicker than other, of course -- but this guy said none of it is as thick as what we CALL loose skin on our bellies.

He said that's residual fat tissue, clinging to the skin and preventing it from shrinking. He said if you push through that phase and lose more weight, you'll lose that residual subcutaneous fat and the skin itself will shrink back (though I'd imagine stretch marks could be possible).

He makes a plausible case, but I'm not sure what I think of that. Anyone have an opinion?

I have the same problem, maybe even worse than yours. I had three C-Sections, which includes a 10lb baby boy, needless to say, he MESSED my BELLY UP!; However, after doing much research I found out about non-surgical tummy tucks which is less expensive than surgical tucks and safer. Check out this website:
Body Thermage - American Health and Beauty GOOD LUCK!

I've heard of thermage! Hmm... something to look into if need be after I reach my goal weight if I get more of that thin loose skin.

Lauren - I think that could be a possibility for sure. I know that especially when people are getting really close to their goal weights they end up with a loose looking phase while the skin adjusts and once they lose a bit more, everything comes together.

Also remember that stimulating collagen will help to stimulate skin growth and tightness. This can be done several different ways: massage, lasers, microderm are a few.

{{{HUGS}}}

This zombie thread seems to have attracted a disproportionate share of new ESL Bhuzzers who post only on health/beauty topics and never on dance. Interesting.

Ah! And here I was, in my confusion trying to visualize someone riding a bicycle wearing sunglasses on her belly.

Originally Posted by Lauren_

This zombie thread seems to have attracted a disproportionate share of new ESL Bhuzzers who post only on health/beauty topics and never on dance. Interesting.

It could also be diastasis recti (abdominal seperation). It usually happens after pregnancy, but everyone, including men, can get it. It causes a tummy that doesn't ever seem to flatten despite exercise and diet. It can be treated with strengthening the transverse abdominus and avoiding movements that cause the abdomen to forcefully push forward.