First let me start off by saying this - I was SO SO SO lucky to be in a position where I could have the excess skin on my abdomen removed. I absolutely know that and I thank my lucky stars EVERY SINGLE DAY that this was able to happen for me. It improved my life in so many ways. I am a very fortunate person.
I am prefacing this post with that, because this post is inevitably going to piss some people off and/or offend them. I'm about to go off about some things, and if you think you might be offended, you might as well stop reading now.
OK, don't say I didn't warn you!
I'm breaking this into 2 parts. I've been reading a lot lately on the weight loss site that I am on about loose skin. The first thing that people do is say that they are afraid of loose skin. This is met with an inevitable reply from someone telling them that 1) their skin will DEFINITELY firm up in 1 year and/or 2) they need to try this or that cream and it will firm their skin up.
THERE IS NO CREAM THAT WILL PERMANTENTLY FIRM UP MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF LOOSE SKIN - PERIOD. And while we're at it, it won't remove stretch marks, either!!
How much loose skin firms up is determined by many, many factors. That includes:
I'm breaking this into 2 parts. I've been reading a lot lately on the weight loss site that I am on about loose skin. The first thing that people do is say that they are afraid of loose skin. This is met with an inevitable reply from someone telling them that 1) their skin will DEFINITELY firm up in 1 year and/or 2) they need to try this or that cream and it will firm their skin up.
THERE IS NO CREAM THAT WILL PERMANTENTLY FIRM UP MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF LOOSE SKIN - PERIOD. And while we're at it, it won't remove stretch marks, either!!
How much loose skin firms up is determined by many, many factors. That includes:
- Simple genetics - some people are luckier then others
- How long you have been obese
- How obese you were/how much you have lost.
- Have you had any pregnancies.
Now if you are 24 years old and were always fit and then porked up a little during college and have now lost 30 pounds, loose skin is likely not going to be a big deal. But if you have been extremely overweight like I was and have lost a lot, you are going to have a lot of loose skin.
There are some things that can help with loose skin:
- Drinking water.
- Losing weight slowly
- Exercising and building muscle
- Not smoking
I did all of the above AND I had no pregnancies - but does anyone really think that THIS was going to "firm up" after 1 year??!!
I don't believe in lying/coddling people by pretending loose skin in not going to be an issue.
THEN, I see posts from people afraid to lose weight because they will have loose skin.
Are you effing kidding me??? Do you really think that you are better off in life with 100 pounds of FAT rather then some extra skin??!!
Health wise, that is RIDICULOUS! Getting the weight off will extend your life and make you feel so much better!
But let's forget about health for a minute - even with loose wobbly skin - which you see when you look at yourself naked - that skin is not all that noticable when you are clothed!!
Does anyone really think I looked better here:
Then here when I had all kinds of loose skin?
Trust me, having 100+ pounds of FAT on you looks WAY worse then some extra skin!!! Seriously, that is such a stupid thing to worry about.
LOSE THE WEIGHT, get fit, get healthy and then worry about some loose skin and what - if anything - you want to do about it.
Ok, rant off :)
Thank you so much for this! I have a total of 100 pounds to lose, and I know loose skin is in my future. It will hopefully be something I can have removed as well, later down the road. I "know" with clothes on it won't be noticeable, but I am not looking forward to seeing myself naked. That being said, I don't look forward to seeing myself naked when fat, either! Great blog!!!
ReplyDeleteWe all are so talented at picking up on our own perceived imperfections and faults. Even with loose skin, you will be so much happier and HEALTHIER when you lose your weight!
ReplyDeleteGood luck on your journey!
Jen
I have just over 100 lbs to go and am terrified of the loose skin too (although it's not going to stop me from losing the weight). I am just hopeful that I will be able to have the money to have it surgically removed when I get to goal. I am hoping that my insurance will pick up part of the tab as a necessary surgery, especially considering that I already get skin infections in my apron fold occasionally (with the fat, so the skin is not nearly as loose). Not that I want more skin infections due to skin folds, but if it means insurance pays part I will deal with it.
ReplyDeleteAt the PC today JEN want to comment eveyday LOVE YOU!!DANG I PAD.... Anyways SPOT on as usual..I am OLD almost 61 and have lost the elasticity to add to it so the recent 22 lbs is leaving batwings despite the popyee muscles I have;} I say oh well wearing those cute tanks and showing them off anyways.....I am proud! And as for stretch marks Battle scars!
ReplyDeleteGayle
I say we should all FLAUNT what we got! No body is perfect unless they have been airbrushed and appear in a magazine! Real women look like REAL women and that means not everything is wiggle free!
ReplyDeleteJen