Anyone have problems with loose skin?

I was just wondering if anyone here who has lost a lot has had a problem with loose skin?? I have lost 44lbs. so far, and I don't have loose skin yet, but I do have flab hanging from my arms, and I am afraid that it will turn in to loose skin once I get to my goal weight.

I gained a bunch of weight quickly when I was pregnant with my first daughter, so I have stretch marks on the underside of my arms (which aren't too noticeable, but they are there). I can't remember if I read it here, or somewhere else, but I think someone said that skin with stretch marks will not shrink back. Is that true??? I am so excited to get my body back, but am a little worried about the loose skin. I am doing strength training at home, so I am toning, but does anyone know how to avoid loose skin??

Thanks! :-)

I hate to be the bearer of bad new but yes what you have heard is true. I myself gain 100 pounds with the first one and then lost 80 of it after a course of 4 years, my stomach was a pouch of loose skin, or I should say stretch marks, the stretch marks never go back they may shrink a little and go from red to white and shrink about 20% but the skin is still left stretched. but good news for you, if you only have a few, the skin some times will shrink even more to compensate, if you loose the weight slowly! make sure you loose the weight slowly and keep it off, the more times your weight fluxuates the harder it is for it to bounce back. I will have to get corrective derma masectomy( skin removal surgery) to get rid of the pouch on my abdomen. errrrr. but hang in there! And congratulations on how faryou have come! -  like I said best way to avoid loose skin is loose the weight slowly and keep it off!

I think the above response is dependent on a number of factors.... including how long the skin was stretched out, age and skin elasticity, etc.

In the event you are relatively young and not dehydrated, the skin WILL shrink back, albeit slowly. 

Hello there!

Great job losing the weight so far!

I myself lost 110 lbs and had some HORRIBLE loose skin problems.  Upon doing research, I found some very interesting information that most (but not all) loose skin is actually dislocated fat folds due t weight loss.   What this means is, if you drop your weight lower (be very careful not to cross into "too low" territory) these skin folds will actually shrink and/or disappear.

I didn't 100% believe it myself when I found out, but I continued to lose weight after learning this and most certainly can tell that my loose skin is down to about 1/4 of what it was.  Of course, I am trying to get really skinny, and this only works if that is your goal or if you plan to lose the weight (and skin) and then (slowly and safely) gain a touch of it back to get to the size you want.

Unfortunately, the stretch marks, although fading and shrinking, are for life.  However, I have heard using a scrub brush on them when you shower does help reduce their appearance, for what it is worth.