stomach and stretch marks after losing

When you lose a lot of weight, does your stomach still go down naturally? I've seen people with saggy excessive skin after losing weight so i'm just wondering how taht happens.

Now about stretch marks... I have a few on the front of my stomach from when I gained a lot of weight in a short period of time. Will they go away or fade when I lose weight, apply lotion and get more tan? or will they always be there?

I am wondering the same thing.  I have a few stretch marks on the side of my belly and as I lose weight they are fading, but still noticable.

Thanks for answer in advance

They're battle scars- they fade, but never truly go away. I'm young, so after losing a lot of weight, my skin was able to (mostly) shrink back to where it should be, but the silky, silver marks that cover my stomach, thighs, breasts and underarms will remain.

Sorry guys.

Original Post by vron082:

 the silky, silver marks that cover my stomach, thighs, breasts and underarms will remain.

For some reason I now picture that you are the Witchblade.

http://www.clarynovels.com/pics/1.jpg

It's completely fair to say that's accurate :P

I have lost 70 (so far) and what I have left is basically a pouch like belly that is mostly skin.  The bottom line is that some people have "good" skin and some have "bad" skin.  I unfortunately have "bad" skin (imo).  I have busted my **** to get to where I am and the unfortunate realism is that I'm still NOT going to take my shirt off at the beach.  I even have issues taking my shirt off in "intimate" situations...pathetic isn't it?  It really does suck and I know I should have the attitude of the "beer bellied hairy guy"...I just don't.  Call it pride or insecurity or whatever, but that's the way that I'm "wired".  This may sound depressing but the best I can do is to look good in clothes.  I can now tuck my shirt in and feel comfortable about it...I guess that's a positive.  I often wonder what "Jared" from Subway looks like with his shirt off.  I think that it would be so ridiculous for a guy to have a tummy tuck to get rid of that extra skin but to be totally honest, I would do it if I had the money.

Oh, and the stretch marks...yup, got them too!  I have them on my sides, on my belly and between my shoulders and "boobs".  Now that I've gained a bunch of muscle in the shoulder/boob area, at least I can blame them on the muscle gain. 

I'm sorry if this isn't the best of news for you but unfortunately it's all too real for me.  Everyone that's seen me without my shirt on (and there haven't been many) says that I look good...that's their opinion.

Stretch marks don't tan, sadly, not naturally or in tanning beds anyway - they just remain white as the skin around them gets darker, so they actually become more obvious. They do tan with tanning lotion and spray tanning, however. That's what culturists use to hide the ones they gained from the muscles developping.

You should use cocoa butter cream - it firms the skin and helps make stretch marks more subtle. Since I'm very pale, mine basically don't show - they just blend it with the skin, unless the light hits them straight on - and the cream really helped with that. I kind of can't wait to get pregnant so that I can blame them on that ;)

Original Post by emilie_f:

Stretch marks don't tan, sadly, not naturally or in tanning beds anyway - they just remain white as the skin around them gets darker, so they actually become more obvious. They do tan with tanning lotion and spray tanning, however. That's what culturists use to hide the ones they gained from the muscles developping.

You should use cocoa butter cream - it firms the skin and helps make stretch marks more subtle. Since I'm very pale, mine basically don't show - they just blend it with the skin, unless the light hits them straight on - and the cream really helped with that. I kind of can't wait to get pregnant so that I can blame them on that ;)

I'm really pale too and have 50lbs to lose, so hopefully that means I will have an advantage lol! I'll try the cocoa butter cream (I was wondering before if that stuff actually helps or if it was all gimmick) and a lot of praying probly won't hurt either ; )

I have lost 70 so far, and I have *very* visible stretch marks on my lower tummy and especially under my upper arms.  

The tummy actually doesn't bother me much, since it is usually covered!  I have some light ones on my hips, but I don't think they're that  noticeable.  I'm working on lifting and gaining some muscle, and I think that has really helped, especially with my arms.

I just got back from a few days in FL, and I didn't let my marked up arms keep me from wearing tank tops every day.  I guess I've gotten to the point where I don't care, especially after all the hard work I've done.  

Though, if I had the money, I'd have the surgery...in a heartbeat!

So, my advice...use cocoa butter, possibly try to tan them, and lift, lift, lift.  

i was reading an article..i don't know how well it actually works or anything but it talks about making sure you eat enough protein in your diet while losing weight wil help prevent you from having the loose skin all over you... they say to aim for approximatly half your body weight in grams and the best forms of protein come in the forms of soy, cheese, and eggs...each of these does it's own thing to help promote and maitain weight loss...i have just begin to do this in the last week or so, so i can't really say it's worked for me but it did sound ligitimate so i'm going to run with it...the important thing to keeping from the loose, skin is maintaining your muscle i think...i don't know if this helps any if at all haha but it's something interesting to look into.

Regarding stretch marks they never fully go away, its wierd because some days my stretch marks are more visible than usual. Not entirely sure why that is but your skin will go back to usual unless you are at a larger weight and u drastically lose it all.

Well it depends on the skin type or the age, you see when you gain weight in your mid-section or anywhere else older people attend to lose elasticity in there skin like my mom for instinct therefore when you lose weight dramaticaly like my mom who loss 147lbs your skin don't shrink back. So you may get down to your goal weigh but still have lots of acess skinn.  Now if you have really good skin type usually younger people maybe some older people it will shrink back to normal.

Now as for stretch marks as you gain weight your strecting the skin sooo stretch marks appear, which are really scars if you loose weight the stretch marks will fade a little bit but will still be notciable...

I guess it depends on how big you are, how much weight you lose and how quickly you lose it.  I dated a guy once who had lost about 80lbs in 6 months and he had a lot of "loose skin".  He could literally pull this flesh away from his stomach about 6" out like Elastic Man.  To my knowledge, not much can be done about this type of skin except for plastic surgery.

yes over time stretch marks fade ive had them on my hips since high school and then after going 60lbs when prego and yes get a tan it does help them to be less noticeable..i have ugly stretch marks on the frot of my thighs and tanning before swimsuit season its an absolute must for me every year so there less noticeable.

Original Post by vron082:

They're battle scars- they fade, but never truly go away. I'm young, so after losing a lot of weight, my skin was able to (mostly) shrink back to where it should be, but the silky, silver marks that cover my stomach, thighs, breasts and underarms will remain.

Sorry guys.

 

Well, at least we now know we aren't the only ones!  I feel like my entire body is covered in stretch marks...my legs, hips, thighs, stomach, breasts, and underarms...It makes me feel like I should just get a new body.  But that's what I get for losing & gainging weight so drastically.  I want to try Mederma (SP), but I would need to buy a tube a day to cover my body daily!!

If you lose weight the right way, slowly, you will not get too much excess skin or stress marks. When you crash diet, and lose like 10 lbs a week, then you will.  Also, eating more protein can help a little, but you'd actually need to eat one gram per pound of body weight, to help build muscle as well.

The first time I lost 60 pounds, I did it over the span of a year and plateau-ed quite a bit. This was a blessing in disguise for me since it meant my skin had time to firm up before each amount of weight I lost. With that said, I was younger when I lost, so my skin could have been more elastic then, AND I also didn't get to my goal weight, so I never had the chance to see how much my skin really had potential to bounce back.

The answer to this question will differ from person to person. In the same way that one woman will have a beautiful stretch mark free baby-belly, while the next will have large red stretch marks that stick for life. It differs depending on skin elasticity, age, amount you have to lose, speed of loss, amount of weight training you do, and any lotions you might be using. I hear vitamin E is good for it, but then I also hear that simply moisturizing is good enough.

loose skin stays unfortunately, very ugly and stretchy, the only way to get rid of it is surgery, and weight gain- like extra muscle. stretch marks- they become whiter and whiter, so in a way they become more noticable, it sucks doesnt it?!

Original Post by bigbearjoe: i think one of your goals should be to save that money and get that tummy tuck. like you said you worked your ass off to get there you should be proud and its not vain to get a tummy tuck you earned it. so do one more nice thing for yourself . save and reward 

I have lost 70 (so far) and what I have left is basically a pouch like belly that is mostly skin.  The bottom line is that some people have "good" skin and some have "bad" skin.  I unfortunately have "bad" skin (imo).  I have busted my **** to get to where I am and the unfortunate realism is that I'm still NOT going to take my shirt off at the beach.  I even have issues taking my shirt off in "intimate" situations...pathetic isn't it?  It really does suck and I know I should have the attitude of the "beer bellied hairy guy"...I just don't.  Call it pride or insecurity or whatever, but that's the way that I'm "wired".  This may sound depressing but the best I can do is to look good in clothes.  I can now tuck my shirt in and feel comfortable about it...I guess that's a positive.  I often wonder what "Jared" from Subway looks like with his shirt off.  I think that it would be so ridiculous for a guy to have a tummy tuck to get rid of that extra skin but to be totally honest, I would do it if I had the money.

Oh, and the stretch marks...yup, got them too!  I have them on my sides, on my belly and between my shoulders and "boobs".  Now that I've gained a bunch of muscle in the shoulder/boob area, at least I can blame them on the muscle gain. 

I'm sorry if this isn't the best of news for you but unfortunately it's all too real for me.  Everyone that's seen me without my shirt on (and there haven't been many) says that I look good...that's their opinion.

I see a lot of people saying that the loose skin stays. Well, I'm not sure I really agree with that. I've found that there is a lot you can do to help your skin recover:

1. Massage the area of concern to increase blood flow to the skin - daily. Your body wants to repair itself also, but needs a little help with circulation. It's very important to do this WHILE you're losing the weight. If you can convince your significant other into giving you a massage for a 'weight loss job-well-done' then that makes it even better.

2. Use cocoa butter. I don't mean Palmers! Have you checked the ingredients on that stuff lately?? Cocoa butter is a byproduct of making chocolate, so it IS available in pure form. I believe Aura Cacia is a company that sells small tubs of the stuff. Don't be sucked into the advertising of companies that "include cocoa butter" in their products. It's such a minuscule amount that you'll just waste your time and money.

Cocoa butter is well known for making your skin more supple. I'm down more than 50lbs and I have ZERO loose skin. None. Nada.

3. Stretch. Yea, its more of the improving circulation thing. Hey, we're all here to be more healthy, right?

4. Be sure you are not excluding the healthy fats and oils from your diet. Our skin is an oily organ that needs lube. Without lube, it's prone to a myriad of problems like cracking.

5. Try to think of weight loss as reconstruction rather than deconstruction. We're reshaping ourselves (instead of just 'losing') and in order to do so we have to give our bodies premium nutrition - the full complex of vitamins, minerals, fats, oils, proteins, carbs, and water. Water is essential in carrying all these components to the various parts of the body in need of reconstruction.

What I've done to get in my full array of minerals is to make sure I'm eating my fruits/veggies/lean proteins. I do not eat '100 calorie packs' or the equivalent pre-packaged snack. They're a waste of calories if you ask me. Instead, carrots & hummus, 2/3 cup edamame beans, an apple, a banana, grapes, or a small pile of almonds are all around 100 calories and give you more useful nutrition than an entire box of 100 calorie packs ever will.

As for the stretch marks, like a previous poster said: battlescars. They are permenantly damaged skin. I've heard there is laser surgery that helps to remove/fade them but I'd rather keep mine as a sobering reminder to lay off the hamburgers.

Good luck to you all! ^_^

I use Bio oil twice a day and it has helped a lot with my stretch marks which were on my stomach, hips, thighs. It's not outrageously expensive either, like some products out there, about 12 dollars a bottle. Hope this is useful to someone else as well. :)