What Happens to Excess Skin After Losing Weight?
I can see it on my body the damage the extra weight has done to my skin. I have very large stretch marks on my upper arms and my abdomen. I began thinking about what will happen to my skin as I lose weight. I remember seeing a show that showed a woman who lost weight and her skin sagged horribly. Will that happen to me?
After doing some searching, I found some answers to what happens to your skin after losing weight. They aren’t the answers I was hoping to hear, but at least I feel better knowing what to expect.
It would be nice if your skin just snapped back to where it should be, but that doesn’t always happen. Your skin is like a balloon that you blow up and deflate. When you lose a huge amount of weight, your skin can look like that deflated balloon. [via Dummies.com]
It does make sense. I stretched out my skin and it may or may not shrink.
…the condition of your skin will depend on the method of weight loss (which can determine how quickly you lose weight), the amount of weight loss, and your skin’s elasticity. [via Go Ask Alice]
Since my goal is to lose about 2 lbs a week, I’m taking things a little slow. Most of what I found about loose skin is for those who have had weight loss surgery and lose a lot of weight in a short period of time. I am hoping that I have some good genes that give my skin good elasticity.
If I do end up having excess skin, it can be a problem with hygiene because of infections with the folds in the skin. An option in that case is to get a full body tuck, or at least a tuck for the real problem areas.
After a person loses massive amounts of weight – 100 to 300 pounds – stretched, baggy skin usually hangs on the person’s body like a suit of overlarge clothes. The operation to take that skin off – body contouring – is becoming increasingly more popular.. [via CosmeticSurgery.com]
The pricetag for a whole body lift? $20,000 to $30,000. Wow.
One thing a few articles I ran across mentioned is that while building muscle will not help your skin not stretch, it can help provide something to help fill up the space that is no longer filled with fat. I’ve always been a bit on the muscular side so hopefully getting some of that muscle back will help keep my skin not so loose.
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Comments
Being obese is no laughing matter. Don’t take things slowly just because you don’t want “extra” skin. Your risks of a heart attack are much higher for every pound you are over weight. Don’t worry about appearances, worry about what is healthy. This will lead to self-confidence, overcoming the skin issue you may think you will have.
There’s a very good chance your skin will be fine. First, the more obese you are, the more the skin stretches. The nightmare cases you tend too see on TV are of people who weighed 400 pounds (or some similar extremely obese weight). Luckily, you didn’t get that bad. Second, it’s a factor of how long you’ve been overweight. So, maybe your skin isn’t that stretched out if you were thin for much of your life. Finally, even if you do have problems, it’s likely to be in a few spots and you won’t need a whole body procedure! But, regardless, saggy skin hidden by clothing looks tons better than rolls of fat and it’s not as unhealthy!
Hey Tricia! I’ve been reading your debt reduction blog for a while, but I just wandered over here for the first time today. Kudos to you for tackling your health with the same tenacity as your debt!
I have read that in one year every cell in the human body is replaced. Depending on your genetics, I think that if you lose those 100 lbs at a gradual rate (your 2lbs/week is fine), you may not have to deal with the excess skin issues seen in people who undergo weight loss surgery and drop the pounds too quickly.
I look forward to following your progress here as well as on your first blog!
- Maggie
Hey, I’ve been wondering about loose skin after weight loss too, so thanks for posting this information. I’ve lost about 50 lbs. since August 2006, but I can’t tell yet if I have loose skin in certain areas, or I’m just not toned (I’ve been overweight for a long time, so I just can’t tell). I’ve had a hard time controlling my weight loss. Some weeks I’m down more than 2 lbs. I’ve averaged it out and on average, I’m down 1.667 lbs. per week. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but as my weight loss has sped up (1.2 per week on average to 1.667 per week on average), I fear the likelihood of loose skin will increase. I think it is a genuine concern. We don’t go through all this trouble to loose weight to then have to put ourselves through expensive surgery to get rid of extra skin. Do you have a doctor you trust, who understands you and your body? (I don’t.) If you do, maybe talk with him or her about what you’ve found on the internet. Good luck!
Hi Tricia! Thanks for the research on this! I’ve wondered the same thing, but was kinda afraid to ask. A friend of mine had gastric bypass, and just recently had the skin removal. But, she was really big before, and in her late 40s, and lost the weight very quickly. All those things factor in, as you found.
My husband says he thinks I’ll be happy as long as I look good in clothes. If I have some saggy spots (and who doesn’t over the age of 40), I’ll have to fret a little, ‘cuz that’s what women do, but I would be very happy to just shop anywhere, and look good in the clothes I like.
Tricia - I’ve been researching this myself, and I’m focusing on building muscle along with burning fat. I will probably have the same issues above but my goal is to be strong and fit rather than just thin. It’s my strategy and I’m stickin’ with it 
Wow. 275 in 4 years…that’s awesome! I’m not sure what to tell you about getting the skin off. I’ve read a bit about the body contouring (link above) and that is expensive and has risks. Have you discussed your concerns with your doctor?
Well, if the alternatives are being obese or having stretch marks, which would you choose?
By losing weight through diet and exercise, you will give your body a chance to heal itself as you go along. You may not have the smooth skin of a teenager, but you will still be better off than you were before you decided to lose the weight.
I have not done any research on this so I have no idea if it is the case or not, but can you help improve the elasticity of your skin through moisturizer or olive oil or anything like that?