Loose skin?

[Big_Jezebel]

Hi everyone,

I've waited to find out if I would definitely be accepted for WLS before making any posts - mainly because I didn't want to get my hopes up!

However, last week I went for my phsychiatric evaluation, and was told that I'm mentally sound (always nice to hear!) and should be having the final physical evaluations soon, with my Gastric Bypass operation possibly taking place before Christmas as my funding has already been accepted.

I'm enormously excited, and looking forward to the future. I'm currently 25st/350lb, and I've always been The Biggest Girl in the class/school/club/etc, and I just think it's time for a change.

I'm currently 27, and one of the reasons I'm glad I'm getting it done before I'm 30 is that I'm worried about loose skin.

So.. does anyone ahve any good tips of what I can do throughout my weight loss to keep my skin taught? What excersise/creams/anything would help?

[LalaCity]

I really think genes are the determining factor as to how much elasticity your skin has and whether it will sag dramatically after significant weight loss. I don't believe skin creams or any particular exercise can affect this -- at any rate, that is my understanding from what I have read.

[Miss Vickie]

Yeah it seems like a lot of it is genetics. And age. As we get older *cough cough I'm cough cough 43* it gets tougher to lose weight more gracefully. ;) But I will say this, as someone three years out from her WLS and the majority of her weight loss. Your skin will tighen up over time. So just because immediately after the loss you're saggy, it doesn't mean you'll stay saggy. I had people think I was continuing to lose for months and months after my weight stabilized because my skin was remodeling itself. Over time the skin on my legs and butt, in particular, tightened up and as a result I didn't need any work there at all. My back was pretty saggy at first too, and now it's great. The only places that are truly bad for me are my arms (I lost 9 inches off of each arm and even though I've worked out and they're nicely toned, you'd NEVER know it) and my tummy, where I had a gigundo pannus. I had a tummy tuck last year and it was awesome -- no more yeast, no more itchy, and it looks way better.

So yeah, we don't have a lot of control over how our skin responds but give it time and it may snap back.

[Orchid]

Loose skin is a problem with a drastic weight loss.
If you loose only 2 lbs a week the skin gets some chance to adjust itself.
Skin condition amount of stretching it had over the years your age genes all of these are part of regaining your skin tightness
I lost some 77 lbs due to severe heart failure and was left with loose skin.Doing mild exercises did not help much. Now that I do my exercises using handheld weights of 1 kg / 2.2 lbs I have tightened up the flesh in 2.5 months
I do 3 times a day and work out to smooth jazz.
Using bodybutters for the skin is also nice. Massages also help.:);):rolleyes::blush::)
Someone suggested birch e.o. but I have not tried that yet.