I know this is probably asked a lot, but I am just wondering if everyone who loses a large amount of weight will always have loose skin? I'm talking needing to lose well over 200lbs? I'm 23 years old and weigh close to 360lbs I'm terrified of having loose skin but I know being healthy is more important. I'm just wondering if there is anyone out there who had to lose such a large amount and didnt have loose skin. I'm not expecting to look like a super model or anything but is there ways to get toned after losing so much weight is it even possible?

At 5'7, 350, you'll probably have at least some loose skin somewhere. It depends how you carry the weight.

I've lost almost 110 lbs and have it on my stomach the worst, breasts (saggy), and arms. There's also a little on my inner thighs, too.

But I can tell you I would lost the weight again in a heartbeat. I look much better now than I did 100 lbs ago, loose skin and all. In clothing, you can't even tell.

I worry about this too. I have 130 pounds left to lose, but hopefully it will be ok. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

J, the positive thing for you is that you're young! You still have lots of active collagen in your skin that will help it snap back into shape over time. Even at my age, 52, I'm on approach with menopause and if I take the weight loss slowly, my skin seems to keep up. Except for under my chin. I'm starting to look like a turkey there!

There's stuff you can do too, short of surgery. Do a search in the "Looking Good" section loose skin. All sorts of advice.

The amount of loose skin varies on every body, depending on certain factors including: smoking, age and race. It is important to remember to be realistic about your outcomes so expectations can be met and you won't be disappointed. There are ways to remove the excess skin, as it can cause back pain, rashes and infections such as post-bariatric surgery. These types of cosmetic surgery removes excess skin from your abdomen, thighs, and buttocks.

I lost 167 pounds and at age 43, I do have loose skin, particularly on my arms (wing flaps) and thighs. My stomach doesn't look as bad as I expected, probably because I have a bit of a lower abdomen pudge still there due to all that subcutaneous fat. I'm actually most self-conscious about my turkey waddle under my chin because it is the one visible area of flab I can't hide.

Some days, I get a bit down when I look in the mirror because I look like a deflated balloon. But you know what? I'd rather look like a deflated balloon than an inflated one like I did two years ago!

I'm going to wait two years to (a) make sure the weight stays off and (b) see whether the fat redistributes itself. If I'm still not in love with what I see, I might get it taken care of with plastic surgery.

Kitty - You are such an inspiration to me!!! I have faith you can keep it off. I think you have a great plan to wait and see if it redistributes itself. Keep us posted.

Was just reading about the research on white tea, which apparently has some pretty good evidence for helping to maintain collagen and elastin--even at relatively low quantities, like one serving! I'm going to add a cup or two a day to my efforts to help my skin keep up with my weight loss.

I have read that drinking enough water (try for close to half your body weight each day) and keeping weight loss at a slow and steady pace really helps the skin shrink with you

Also, exfoliating at least twice a week helps to stimulate collagen production and good cell turnover.

Lastly, they say lifting weights or doing good resistance training using your own body weight throughout the process will increase muscle in the areas where you are losing fat so the skin doesn't appear to be as loose....

You have a much better chance of having your skin recover if you lose weight now instead of waiting until you are in your 50s as I did. The longer your skin is stretched out, the harder it will be for it to shrink. Your age is really on your side. It is wonderful that you are thinking about your health. I really want to encourage you to work on your weight now. You can do this!

I would recommend working out as well as toning to minimize this. In my non-scientific observations lol, it seems that those people i know who worked out with a focus on strength training /toning had smaller amounts of loose skin than those that lost weight with just diet and light exercises. It didn't seem to matter much if the process of weight loss was through WLS or not.

Of course, your results will vary!