Skin Advice

[mandyflatt]

I wondered if there is any creams etc that would help my skin as I lose weight, I have 100lb to lose so I know I will have some saggy skin but jut wondered if there is any way I can minimise this problem please

[Ruby8]

Good question mandyflatt. Unfortunately I'm not sure of the answer. I guess exercise would be the main help, especially if you exercise right from the start to help with muscle tone as the weight comes off. You could try moisturising or maybe some kind of oil, the act of massaging it in might help a tiny bit, but I'm not sure that it would have any magical toning effects...I reckon exercise is the answer. Personally, I am a fan of swimming...

[Hidden]

Hi! I'm also in the 100lb club. I have no clue as to any products that will help with the skin but I'm exercising with DDP Yoga. I don't know how well that will help with excess skin but with it being stretching and toning I'm hoping for the best. Good luck to you

[Hidden]

Hi mandyflatt.

I am a member of the over 150lb weight loss club and yes I suffer with the problem of excess skin but no one would know. I wear jeans and tight shirts but because you can push and pull here and there, no one notices. It is just something you have to live with. I am running a half marathon this coming Sunday and I will be wearing shorts, a T shirt but you won't be able to tell that I have this problem. It's well hidden. I have never heard of any potions or creams that would help and would be sceptical about any that came on the market.

I do the odd video about exercise and other things but at the beginning you can see me as I was and me as I am wearing clothes and you really can't tell about the skin. Feel free to watch the video. It's about attitude and positivity.

Good luck mandyflatt.

youtube.com/watch?v=OotM6uI...(Not working as expected?)

[Jellymummy]

I had/have this problem after pregnancy.

In terms of product, creams don't do much, but vitamin E oil and Bio oil are very good at minimksing loose skin and stretch marks. You can get Bio oil cheap on groupon.com, well, cheaper than in pharmacies at least.

Otherwise be sure to drink lots and lots of water and eat plenty of healthy fats (as they are full of collagen which helps you skin stay elastic) such as salmon, avocado, nuts, olive oil etc.

best of luck!

[radioactiveblue]

I've lost about 95 lbs this year (my goal is 100 lbs, so not far to go now), but I have little to no saggy skin. I also worried about loose skin when I started out, but did some research and followed the following three principles.

First, keep hydrated on the inside. Drink plenty of water, tea, coffee, fruit teas ... anything you like so long as it's not full of sugar or sweeteners, but keep thoroughly hydrated.

Secondly, make sure you get plenty of fat in your diet -- in particular, eat plenty of healthy fats. Fatty fish, nuts, avocado, egg yolks ... there are all kinds of foods that contain healthy fats. Don't fear the fat ... amongst other things, it helps to keep your skin healthy.

And thirdly, moisturise anything you don't want to get loose and saggy. I didn't buy any magic expensive creams, just plain old cocoa butter from Boots or Home Bargains. I also find vaseline is quite useful after moisturising, as a barrier to keep the moisture in.

People will sometimes tell you to lose weight slowly. I won't say that, but I will say that if you lose weight quickly, sometimes your skin won't keep up. Don't panic! You might have loose skin temporarily (sometimes in really odd places) but it does seem to catch up. If you get a lot of loose skin and it makes you uncomfortable, switch to maintenance for a while to give your skin a chance to catch up.

Also, try to maintain or even increase your muscle through exercise. That will help to fill your skin better when the fat disappears. Doing strength or weightlifting exercises while losing weight is great for a lot of people, though I mostly just walked. But I walked a lot.

Good luck!

[Osiris275]

When I started I was told a good moisturizer helps but to be honest I think it depends on several factors. The speed you lose it makes a difference, along with your age. Also some people just naturally have stretcher skin than others. My skin isn't too bad compared to some I have seen but at the same time I certainly wouldn't be letting anyone else see it. Its not great :/

But, they say it can take up to 2 years for your skin to get back to normal so don't worry too much 👍

[Hidden]

Hello,

I think exercise is the best thing to do to help your skin along. Both aerobic and toning exercises will be good.

I think it is also worth moisturising your skin regularly - not necessarily those "toning" creams (don;t think they do anything special), but just a regular moistruiser to keep everything as supple as possible.

I think the amount of loose skin does vary from person to person - some people are definitely luckier than others, and you might be one of those, fingers crossed.

Otherwise, there are treatments like thermage which are said to be helpful for tightening skin - or an op to have any loose skin removed, if you are rich enough and brave enough for it!

It's certainly worth losing the weight even if you do have some loose skin, as it will benefit your overall health tremendously.

Best of luck.