Hello Maintainers - I'm an occassional lurker of this board, but not yet officially a maintainer. I've lost 90 lbs. in the last year and a half and have another 25 to go (or somewhere near that amount). Lately I have found myself getting very emotionally upset about how my body looks, especially in the buff. I'm only 21 and my entire torso is covered with stretch marks and wrinkley loose skin. (BTW - I have read the Skin FAQS thread) My breasts are now very uneven (a whole cup size) when they were not before and the skin is very loose - I can't wear sleeveless or low-cut tops because the extra skin pours out of them. I never expected to have a perfect body after putting my body through this - but I did expect that, at my age, my skin would mostly snap back and the stretch marks would recede into just visible marks, not wavy pocks all over my stomach. I know I have a bad attitude about this - I know that I am 20x healthier now than I was before and that I have a lot to be thankful for, but it's hard to keep going when I find the visual so upsetting. Does anyone have any suggestions for dealing with the negative body image? Will my skin continue to snap back and smooth during the last part of this journey and after as well? For anyone that has gone through with a skin removal surgery, how was that experience? (I've considered eventually getting this, but was wondering whether it would be worth it now or if it is something I should/have to hold off on until after I've had children?) Thanks for any help/advice you can offer.

Hi Jenicra,

First of all I want to congratulate you on your tremendous weight loss. I can imagine that you are dissapointed with your skin condition right now. I think you are right that you being only 21 years is a big plus in your skins ability to snap back. However, I think it needs more time. Skin is actually a very complicated organ with different functional layers. Probabely your skin took more than a year to grow to this size, so it will need at least a year before you know if this condition is lasting.

I would suggest just pamper your skin once in a while, use a good body lotion, and try clothing styles that do not show a lot of bare you.

Good luck !
rabbit

Jenicra -

Let me second rabbit's answer above and (to make a bad pun) flesh it out with an example.

I have been at my current weight for just a little more than a year now. I lost 60 pounds in fits and starts over the course of three years. I am 43 years old now. Last February, I also had the "crepey" skin over my torso, inner thighs, above my knees, under my chin and the "batwing" upper arms. Along with the genetic liabilities I inherited from my parents (asthma, poor cartilage in my joints predisposing me to arthritis, etc.), I also inherited their "not yet wrinkled in their sixties" skin. I had hope that some of the "crepey" would go away.

And much of it has. Now, I have done a few things to help it along - cocoa butter for the stretch marks for one thing. Cocoa butter works for some people and I am one of them fortunately. You might also want to try some of the new stuff they are marketing for scars, like Mederma. Stretch marks are scars and, while I haven't heard any marketing pitches about the new stuff helping stretch marks, it's worth a shot.

The other thing I've done - I've filled up some of the loose skin with muscle. Building up my triceps just a little has done wonders for the "batwings". Building up the pectorals just a little has done some good for the sagging breasts. Pilates has helped with the torso. Running with the treadmill at sometimes steep grades helped fill up the loose skin on my thighs by building up the quadriceps a good bit.

Honestly, I've been quite pleasantly surprised at how well my poor abused skin has recovered. I don't look nineteen, of course, but I do look a whole lot better now than I did a year ago. And I have no reason to believe that the improvements will stop anytime soon.

The uneven breasts may even up if you have a couple of more pounds to go. Between 135 and 140, my breasts are also different sizes. At 130, they are no more different than the usual assymetry of the human body.

In short, you'd like to think the project (the diet, getting healthy) is through. And the hard part of it is done. But now you have to clean up the details and they can be tough. And the toughest part of the details is patience. Give it time. Then give it more time. Any plastic surgeon worth his salt will tell you to spend a year maintaining at goal weight before even thinking about plastic surgery.

One of our mottos here - Breathe. It's about patience and not being overwhelmed in the moment.

It'll get better. Give it time.

Catharus,

Thanks for sharing your story. It came at just the right time for me. I am in the same position you were in a year ago. I'm 48 years old and have just lost 44 lbs. I am now 108 lbs and wearing a sz. 0/1/2. But I have really been shocked at the appearance of my skin, which I was not expecting. As I was not terribly heavy before dieting (153 lbs), I did not expect to have skin issues. But I have noticed the "crepey" skin effect lately on the upper arms, stomach and inner thighs and was afraid that I was going to have to live with this look forever. It's very disturbing. Now I know to just be patient. I have joined a gym, which is not yet complete. As soon as they finish building it, I'm going to get one of the personal trainers at the gym to help me develop a program that will "fill in" these loose skin areas. Had I not read your story, I would not have known this was possible. Thanks again.

And Jenicra, thanks for asking the question. As young as you are, I bet that you'll have no problem overcoming this issue as well. Keep us posted.

Thanks for the replies - it's always good to hear stories about other's experiences, and I really appreciate it!

Hi Jenicra, again congratulations on your outstanding weight loss, that's fantastic! I really struggle with this issue as well. But let me offer up a little bit of hope. I've been maintaining for about 1 1/2 years now and lately I've had to admit to myself that I do see an improvement in upper arms. The skin definitely does not hang as much as it used to. I would really like to be able to go sleeveless but haven't been comfortable enough to do so as of yet. But I do see it as a possibility in the near future, perhaps even this summer! So, my advise is to give yourself time. I think your age is definitely going to make a difference here. Good luck, I know it's frustrating and depressing, but these are our bodies now and we have to make the best with what we've got.

Beverly

Jenicra, reading your post was like hearing my own voice! I started about where you started (I was 266 pounds) and ended about where you're going to be ending (I ended at 135 but maintain at 140-145). I was 29 when I started losing the weight and 31 when I finished. Now I'm 35.

After losing the weight, I had the same feelings of panic, anxiety and disappointment whenever I looked at my newly-thin body. Skin was hanging on my upper arms, abdomen and thighs; stretch marks were making "pleats" everywhere; I even even a little webby thing on my neck where the skin used to be filled out with double chins. I was very happy to have lost the weight, as you are, and thrilled to have become a healthier person, a runner, and a weight lifter. Everyone said I looked great, but I felt like I was carrying around a terrible secret - under those slim-fitting new clothes, I felt like my skin was a suit of rags that was all shredded up. I wanted to just slip out of it and be reborn as a smooth new person - after all, I had worked so hard. It didn't seem fair that I had to live with the damage.

As others noted, you are very young, and I'll bet you will experience some big improvements as time goes on. Building muscle will help you feel shapely and strong regardless of the skin. Mederma, which someone mentioned above, has been shown to help fade stretch marks and scars.

But in the end, you'll probably want to consider plastic surgery after you've lived with your new body for awhile. I had it - both on my upper arms and abdomen. I am glad I did, though it has been challenging. Even after the surgery, I don't have that smooth, perfect body that I had hoped would emerge. The excess skin is gone and what remains has been pulled tight, but the stretch marks are still visible as faint lines. It IS much better, but not perfect. And the scars will never go away, though they will fade, and you might even find that you like them - sort of like a badge of courage. The plastic surgery experience, in itself, can be fraught with emotional ups and downs, at least it was for me.

Regarding waiting to have surgery until you have kids, my doctor didn't think it was a big deal to have the tummy tuck before being pregnant. I recall him mentioning that it might have to be redone after a pregnancy. I guess it depends on how soon you plan to have children.

The bigger challenge is to learn to be thrilled, excited, and proud of how you look regardless of the skin issues. This part may take much longer. I'm still working on it myself. Therapy might be helpful too. I'll bet everyone around you is telling you that you look like a million bucks, and you do! Your accomplishment is immense. If you never wear a sleeveless shirt again, you've done something great for yourself by losing this weight, early in life.

One extra bonus: the older you get, the more your peer group starts to age, get fat, get wrinkly, become out-of-shape, etc. You'll soon find that you become MORE attractive than a lot of the non-formerly-obese people in your peer group, because you're still working out every day and staying lean and fit, while they're letting themselves go. Age is a great equalizer. Something to keep in mind for the future!

Best of luck!

..

"You'll soon find that you become MORE attractive than a lot of the non-formerly-obese people in your peer group, because you're still working out every day and staying lean and fit, while they're letting themselves go. Age is a great equalizer."

Diamonde,

Yup, yup, what you said. It is really fun to get together with friends where they are "aging gracefully" while I'm looking "better then ever". It feels so good to have people surprised because you are looking younger instead of older.

Evangeline

PS

Of course that mean's I've looked much older then my years for a long time but it is finally my turn to shine.