From time to time I get asked the question about loose skin. What can be done about it? Does it get better over time? Do I have loose skin myself?
Well, consider this. I have weighed 310 lbs. I now weigh about 80 pounds less than that. When the body changes in size that much, there are going to be “left over” consequences. One of those consequences is loose skin. I notice it most on myself in the lower ab area. Now that my body fat is low, I have extra skin below my belly button. That’s just the result of having a whole lot bigger tummy in my past that forced my skin to stretch out to accommodate it. Now that I’m not that big anymore, the skin isn’t filled up, so it’s loose.
Many of you may experience the same thing, to various degrees, depending on how big you were before and how much weight you’ve lost now. The way I think of it is like the teens these days who put those crazy loops in their ears to stretch out their ear lobes. The body will adapt and stretch out. But if they stretch their ear lobes too far with those goofy rings, the only way to get their ear back to normal is surgery. Sure, once they remove the ring, the ear hole will shrink back some, but it can’t totally revert to it’s original form. There is too much skin now. And the same goes for us. Sure, our skin will contract back some, but it can’t go back to the perfect, tight skin we had as kids. That’s just a fact of life. And unfortunately, unless we want to have surgery to remove the excess skin, it’s something we have to live with.
But consider this = which would you rather have:
–some loose skin
or
–a whole bunch of body fat to fill up that skin so that it’s not loose?
I’ll take the loose skin any day of the week! It’s far better to be healthy, fit, and have some loose skin than to be overweight, unhealthy, and ready to burst at the seams! Don’t let some loose skin make you self-conscious. Let it be a reminder of what you used to be, so that you never want to go back again.
The Long Game with Loose Skin
So other than surgery, what are your options to improve loose skin? First, give it time. When you lose a lot of weight fast, the skin is loosest. Over time, it tightens up some. It won’t go away, but it will get better. I noticed that myself. At the end of round 1, I had a good amount of loose skin on my lower abs. Now, many years later, it’s a lot tighter. But when I bend over, or when I’m doing a plank or pushups, that loose skin below my belly button can still pooch down. But it’s better than it was last year!
So get a long term mindset about loose skin. So what if it takes a while to tighten up. You aren’t hoping to get fat again, are you? This is a lifestyle change! Truly, a few years in the grand scheme of things is not long. You got this new fitness FOR LIFE!
Another option is various creams that are available to treat loose skin. I haven’t tried any, and I really have no interest in it, so I haven’t done any research on this option. If you would like to look into this type of treatment, visiting with a dermatologist would be a good idea.
But my take home message about loose skin, from my perspective, is ….. So what? Big deal! I can live with that! I’m not fat anymore!! That matters more to me.
And I’m sure the other guys who have dropped a lot of weight will tell you the same thing! A little loose skin is no big deal compared to the alternative!
Keep bringing it! Wear the battle-scars with pride! We have overcome!
Besides, some loose skin might make you look as cute as these little puppies! Okay, probably not LOL!
Need a coach?
My email: coachwayne@teamripped.com
IG: @wayne_wyatt
