Rubber face!
 

i finally figured it out! What i'm dealing with is "rubber face" instead of gaunt face, LOL.

I've posted a few times about the dismay about how my face has reacted to the weight loss, the "smile lines" around the mouth are of course more obvious but that doesn't really bother me, it's the loose skin around them that does. No one would ever know that was loose skin except those who've lost a lot of weight and know the terminology but to me it kind of looks like the very lower half of my face, especially when i'm looking downward, looks...well...kind of rubbery in that area. I am hoping now that i'm in maintenance that at SOME point it'll tighten up? Or maybe i just need to steel myself and get used to it? :(

You can kind of see the "fold" on the side in this pic, and it's more obvious on a full on view with me looking down at my toes. Just wondering if anyone else deals with this or can identify with what i'm saying.

Before (about 15 lbs over what i weigh now)
http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/...hpBGd7spPM.jpg
Now
http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/...hp9iJTbMPM.jpg

Well, hmmmmm, I do see what you're talking about, but I have to say that you look really great. I bet that there will be some more tightening, since it seems like your face really changed just in the last 15 pounds. But, yk, even if it doesn't you look gorgeous. I swear!

ETA: In your earlier pic, you look kind of fresh faced, almost baby faced. But in the current one, more dramatic and sophisticated.

I agree u dont look bad at all but "Olay total effects 7n1" nightly moisturizeris awesome!! Its a bit pricey but it goes a long way and well worth it!

Omg! You are simply beautiful.......you look like an actress (cannot remember the name, she stared on the Ring)......!! Wish i looked like you!

PS: GOT IT....Naomi Watts!

Has anyone ever told you that you look like Amanda Seyfried? (In other words, you look great.) Stop worrying about real or imaginary lines and enjoy your new look! You deserve it.

Freelance

What they all said!

Originally Posted by dangerouscurvesahead:
I agree u dont look bad at all but "Olay total effects 7n1" nightly moisturizeris awesome!! Its a bit pricey but it goes a long way and well worth it!

i'm a skin care junkie and i have pretty darned good skin for almost 51 but i'm wondering if Olay has a tightening effect?

Thanks for the recommendation! Much appreciated!

Originally Posted by freelancemomma:
Has anyone ever told you that you look like Amanda Seyfried? (In other words, you look great.) Stop worrying about real or imaginary lines and enjoy your new look! You deserve it.

Freelance

Thank you, Freelance (and everyone giving these very nice compliments)

This truly TRULY wasn't a pity post but i just am really truly wondering if anyone else is dealing with this and if their facial skin/structure tightened up over time because i think it's loose folds i'm dealing with and it's not my imagination as my elderly neighbor kind of set things in motion when she told me don't loose too much weight then your face will start looking really bad and low and behold it really did change and it does look rubbery or weird when i look down or catch myself in the mirror.

It may be something i will just have to accept and just let it go but i finally figured out what to call it because it really isn't gaunt face but rubbery! :dizzy:

If I looked like you at 51, I'd be in heaven! Heck, you look younger than me...and I am 30!

You look fabulous. But...I can totally relate. I've lost 100 pounds and have been maintaining for nearly a year. I've been dealing with the same rubber face droop that you're describing. It has improved somewhat over time but not 100%. I think a lot of it is that my cheek bones are more prominent (for the first time in my life) and my weight loss has really changed the shape of my face...and I think most of the undesirable dramatic changes are inside my head to be really honest.

You look truly amazing. I can only dream of looking that good at your age. Congratulations on your success!

Originally Posted by dogdaysofdiets:
You look fabulous. But...I can totally relate. I've lost 100 pounds and have been maintaining for nearly a year. I've been dealing with the same rubber face droop that you're describing. It has improved somewhat over time but not 100%. I think a lot of it is that my cheek bones are more prominent (for the first time in my life) and my weight loss has really changed the shape of my face...and I think most of the undesirable dramatic changes are inside my head to be really honest.

You look truly amazing. I can only dream of looking that good at your age. Congratulations on your success!

Thank you SO much for weighing in, yes that's exactly it and my only hope is that my body fat will readjust if there is such a thing and it will improve, sounds like there is room for improvement.

I've lost 100 lbs also and i was surprised at HOW my body did it, like stripping just about every ounce of fat from my skull and keeping most of it on my tummy which i was really excited about losing! Oh well, i will keep on TRYING to not focus on it, it isn't easy though as it really doesn't look "normal" to me.

Hugs to you :)

re:
 

I'm 42, and I've got what you're describing too and it also makes me self conscious, although I'm sure no one really notices it.

My husband who also lost over 100 lbs had the same thing. He lost his about 2 years ago and his face has tightened up mostly.

I think we just need to give it some time to see where we end up. Like you said, I'm sure the only people who would give it thought are those who have lost weight.

How long have you been maintaining your current weight? Often times people's faces will "normalize" after a while.

When you're losing weight the body takes the fat from wherever it can and since there is a lot of blood flow through the head most people's faces will be one of the first places to be affected as fat cells are emptied.

re:
 

BTW, I'd still pick thin face over my old chubby face, even though lines were non existent on it.

Originally Posted by JohnP:
How long have you been maintaining your current weight? Often times people's faces will "normalize" after a while.

When you're losing weight the body takes the fat from wherever it can and since there is a lot of blood flow through the head most people's faces will be one of the first places to be affected as fat cells are emptied.

Hi John

Well...i've lost the last 12 lbs gradually over probably after November to about idk, February? (i JUST got a scale) so i was probably at 172 for some of the Summer and late Fall to Winter and then went and got my neighbors scale (where i found out i weighed 172) and i weighed in at 160 so gee, idk. Not long but i was at 172 for quite a while so i really don't know how to answer that question except wow the last 12 lbs really manifested itself especially in my "rubber" face because people WERE commenting.

Hopefully things will soften up and redistribute or i will just have to learn to deal with the blow to my vanity :p

re:
 

Originally Posted by :
Not long but i was at 172 for quite a while...because people WERE commenting

Someone said here recently that sometimes it's that people (including ourselves) aren't used to the new face yet and make comments about it. If you were at 172 for awhile, people were starting to get used to your 1st new face, and now they're maybe getting used to your 2nd new face..

if that even made sense...

Skin brushing and time. I'd recommend a soft facial brush and twice daily routine of it - do that for six months and I'd be shocked if some of the rubbery issues didn't clear up :)

Thanks, Taryl!

i have a body brush and doggonit i need to use that (on my body) and i'll try the soft facial brush!

BTW, you are so beautiful in your Avatar, i'm assuming that's you. You look like an old fashioned movie star :D

Originally Posted by Vex:
Someone said here recently that sometimes it's that people (including ourselves) aren't used to the new face yet and make comments about it. If you were at 172 for awhile, people were starting to get used to your 1st new face, and now they're maybe getting used to your 2nd new face..

if that even made sense...

Thanks, Vex

and i know you've posted about your husband in a couple threads to me and i've never forgotten it and i try to keep reminding myself!

BTW. Salad? YES!! ha!

Originally Posted by :
BTW, you are so beautiful in your Avatar, i'm assuming that's you. You look like an old fashioned movie star

Old fashioned?

Just a movie star!

Originally Posted by ReillyJ:
Thanks, Taryl!

i have a body brush and doggonit i need to use that (on my body) and i'll try the soft facial brush!

BTW, you are so beautiful in your Avatar, i'm assuming that's you. You look like an old fashioned movie star :D

Awe, thanks :o

Black and white filters are fun :carrot:

Now that you pointed out my avatar - I was having 'rubber face' issues when that was taken! My smile lines were quite deep and resistant, as was my jawline. Now a year later, with fairly little real fat fluctuation my face looks much more 'natural' than it did when I first lost to this level. I don't look like I'm in skin two sizes too big anymore (I've got about ten pounds of real weight gain left over from pregnancy that I'm going to have to work off the old fashioned way, to get back to ticker/avatar weight).

Originally Posted by IanG:
Old fashioned?

Just a movie star!

Thank you! It's not a compliment I'd have gotten one hundred pounds ago, so you two have made my night :hug:

Originally Posted by Arctic Mama:
Awe, thanks :o

Black and white filters are fun :carrot:

Now that you pointed out my avatar - I was having 'rubber face' issues when that was taken! My smile lines were quite deep and resistant, as was my jawline. Now a year later, with fairly little real fat fluctuation my face looks much more 'natural' than it did when I first lost to this level. I don't look like I'm in skin two sizes too big anymore (I've got about ten pounds of real weight gain left over from pregnancy that I'm going to have to work off the old fashioned way, to get back to ticker/avatar weight).

Yea the black and white filter is where the "old fashioned" comes in, LOL. Seriously whenever i see you post i stare at your pic!

Well, you give me great hope, maybe my face in awhile after i've maintained, will start to look like me rather than a fat suit! I'll try the skin brushing, just have to find a very very soft facial brush, i'm prone to broken capillaries!

You could use a soft cotton washcloth for your face, just fold it into a triangle and use a corner with two fingers in it - that should give you a small, controllable surface that should still effectively stimulate collagen building and light exfoliation without damage. Just watch the pressure and I bet you'd have no issues.

If it doesn't tighten up, you can have lazer on your face that will tighten it up. Thermage is one of them.

I actually think that skin there looks good. Seriously. I think some always been thin people have it too. Let me see if I can find some pics of hot people with that crease.

That said, I agree that after some time, things will probably smooth out a little and tighten up.

ReillyJ--I thought of you, and this thread, today. When you first posted, my number one thought was that you look absolutely stunning!!! But I have gotten those lines, too, as I've lost weight. (Although a friend who's a little older has been warning me about them for years.) Today I saw a plastic surgeon about a brow lift, and he showed me how he can pull them right out with a little incision behind the hair line at each temple. I think I'm going to go for it, as long as I am doing the other thing, anyway, and I'll let you know how it goes!

Originally Posted by HungryHungryHippo:
ReillyJ--I thought of you, and this thread, today. When you first posted, my number one thought was that you look absolutely stunning!!! But I have gotten those lines, too, as I've lost weight. (Although a friend who's a little older has been warning me about them for years.) Today I saw a plastic surgeon about a brow lift, and he showed me how he can pull them right out with a little incision behind the hair line at each temple. I think I'm going to go for it, as long as I am doing the other thing, anyway, and I'll let you know how it goes!

Awww thank you so much!!

i'm sloooooooowly accepting my face although i don't know if i'll EVER get used to how "chiseled" it has become in comparison to even 15 lbs ago, you'd think i'd have gotten used to it BY NOW good grief!!!! i just don't know why i'm so shocked at how i look!

Did you inquire about "fillers"? Because i guess they can really do the trick also but yes, please keep us all posted, i'm all ears!! :D

My God!! You're almost 51????

That can't be true! You look AMAZING!

I saw an interview of Elle McPherson (who's 48) and your skin is better looking than hers!!

I don't know what to do about your crease (which seems to be part of your natural face actually), but I would LOOOVe for you to tell me how you remained so fresh-faced??

Please share your tips??

I am prone to broken capillaries too :-(( In fact since I stopped smoking 4 years ago, my skin has turned progressivly reddish and I HATE it :-((

Any way, Congrazts on your weight loss!

Originally Posted by Lumia:
My God!! You're almost 51????

That can't be true! You look AMAZING!

I saw an interview of Elle McPherson (who's 48) and your skin is better looking than hers!!

I don't know what to do about your crease (which seems to be part of your natural face actually), but I would LOOOVe for you to tell me how you remained so fresh-faced??

Please share your tips??

I am prone to broken capillaries too :-(( In fact since I stopped smoking 4 years ago, my skin has turned progressivly reddish and I HATE it :-((

Any way, Congrazts on your weight loss!

Hi, thanks for the compliment :) i don't know actually why i look younger than my age, i always have.

I just exfoliate regularly with chemical exfoliants such as Glycolic Acid (Mandelic acid is fabulous, too, you just have to experiment with what your skin will like). Walgreens makes a good inexpensive AHA Alpha Hydroxy Acid (can't remember the name but it's their brand) and i'll do chemical peels a lot ( makeupartistschoice.com ) and of course USE SUNSCREEN every day and a good one. Also topical C is great for the skin and i also use Retin A or a generic, actually and since i've done all of that i have no rosacea anymore but yes because i'm of English descent and was semi-redhead when i was born, i'm very prone to broken caps, etc.

Thanks for the kudos on the weight loss, this is my first (and hopefully ONLY) effort at it and even though my face turned out different than i'd hoped, it is still worth it to have a body that's no longer heavy :D
Here's a pic that's more indicative of what i look like, i think i look older since the weight loss :P Sorry this mirror is pretty dirty. was out on our front porch for years and just brought it in and for some reason this photo just does not show how chiseled and hollow my face looks especially in dept store lighting ugh
http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/...hpUaUONTAM.jpg

Hey--you're right, I think fillers can be a good option. I have some friends who use them, to great success!

Yup....I noticed more smile lines as well after 80 pounds lost over 1.5 years. I just feel older.

To me, you've got sharp, strong features.. I don't think that's a bad thing...you're hot! Your face IS changing but I think in a good way! I hope you learn to love it :)

Just an update on this thread (i've posted a few others lamenting at gaunt rubber face and how different i think i look) that i am now at peace with the new me and it took awhile and i THINK..think that maybe things have softened up a little bit and i look a bit better so hopefully (i didn't jinx myself!) this is encouragement for some

ALSO... i started taking Hyaluronic Acid capsules over a month ago, mainly for my horrendous joints but i was also aware of the great things it does for your skin and maybe that also has helped my rubber face somewhat....