I'm 40 yrs. old, What can I do for loose skin!!

[fruitlady]

I'm 41 yrs. old and recently lost 66 lbs. I have lost this much weight twice before, after my children were born. I was 20 and 28 yrs. old then and had no problems with loose skin even though i never walked a lot or worked out. This time is totally different! I started at 173 lbs and am now 107lbs. and I have loose skin everywhere, just hanging and sagging. Especially under my upper arms, upper thighs and stomach. My butt cheeks even sag! I've been power walking and doing some jogging 6 days a week for the last 10 months, and am very active. Once in a while I do 40 min. of fast dancing to my favorite music, especially when it rains or it is too cold to walk outside. I'm on my feet all day and don't get to sit til 8pm. The only change i see from the walking is my hips got flatter and my muscles in my legs are firmer. It did not help the loose skin on my upper thighs. Can anyone tell me if this is because of my age? Can the loose skin be tightened by any other exercise? or is it hopeless because of my age? Thanks everyone!

[yoyoma]

Age is clearly a factor. I'm 48 and my skin isn't as tight as I'd like it to be, but it has gotten better since I lost the majority of my weight.

Maybe it's just the passage of time, but I make sure I eat enough healthy fats, and fish oil in particular (easiest way to get enough is to take supplements), which has been shown to improve skin elasticity. Dark chocolate and green tea (which I also eat/drink every day) are also supposed to be good for the skin.

Topically, I use a copper peptide cream on my trouble spots. I think it helps.

Exercise is good for your skin (and lots of other body parts!) because it increases blood flow which helps insure adequate skin nutrition (assuming you eat the nutrients your skin needs). Some folks also swear by "dry brushing," which I have not tried.

If you don't see much improvement and your skin laxity continues to bother you, you might look into options that a plastic surgeon can offer. Short of actual surgery, there are lasers and other treatments that might improve skin tone, but please research any options carefully because all interventions have possible side effects.

Good luck!

[Gretchenpdx]

I'd add strength training (at least your bum will have more muscle if you do wieghted lunges and squats and stuff).

Good luck!

ps
all of our bodies including skin are different but I am nearly 41 and think that weight lifting helps a lot and it feels good as far as functional fitness/shaping the body (I wish I'd have done it when I was young)!

Edit:
Obviously I am not at goal yet though!