How to get rid of loose skin?

[Drucker]

I know that I dont have much fat left on me, but I have a ton of loose skin, so I can feel my abs and see the outlines, but I still look soft because of the skin. What can I do to tighten up for that "hard" look?

[gorilla]

i have that same problem, maybe you lost too much weight too fast, you probably also lost some of the muscle that keeps the skin firm. keep up with the good diet and lifting routine along with some moisturizing lotion and eventually it will come back. im no expert i still have some loose skin but gaing some of that weight back may not be a bad idea to try.

[jayz33055]

try and lose some of that water weight..that might help and just keep lifting.

[DaveCourter]

I lost 100 pounds real fast when I was 18 and got it in my head I was fat.

Best advice, replace that fat with muslce and give it time. I had alot of loose skin on my stomach and face. It will re-stretch.

The stomach is the worse though, that will take a while, at least it did for me, don't be discouraged

[uziel5000]

I know that I dont have much fat left on me, but I have a ton of loose skin, so I can feel my abs and see the outlines, but I still look soft because of the skin. What can I do to tighten up for that "hard" look?

You are not the only one. As I have lost the weight, that question has linguered in my mind for a while. Surgery is certainly NOT an option. Hopefully it works out but as some have said above, it takes time. At least I hope so.lol

[MAKUA NUI]

In for answer

[Vadjio]

well i don't actually believe there is such thing as loose skin, it's what some people call "stubborn" fat, if you can, get your body fat % measured, should be around 18-22 from what
you describe, that means you should be cutting down to ~12% and see if that helps, make sure you measure your body fat percentage in the most accurate method (BOD POD) or a caliper with someone who's very experienced at it, if you hit ~12% and still have that "loose skin" i suggest you try this: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/the...n-fat-solution

by the way, i have the same problem as you and i'm currently cutting to ~12% so good luck

[doitbigmike]

Huh, well it seems that everyone has the same freakin problem but how the heck is it fixed?
I have a step brother who went vegetarian for a year or two now and he went from being flaby to slim. I started a vegetarian diet and had good results at first like the face especially, but my stomech is still not there yet. I also do a 2 hour workout 4 times a week that is full body and dont eat many junk food. I used to run 4 miles 5 days a week for two weeks, hurt my leg, but didnt seem to do much. Though my friend said he knew a dude that was fat and did a buttload of cardio and got lean.
The only two ways i really know that might help are
1. vegetarian
2. Buttload of Cardio

Other than that im stumped.

[Vigilante_Inc]

Prepare for the bad news... you're skin is probably permanant the way it is now. I'll explain why before everyone jumps down my throat because i've done my homework and talked to numerous doctors and surgeons (which is probably the only option for most)

When most people think about "loose" skin they think of it as skin bein elastic (like a balloon) They believe if you stretch it out by being overweight then it will "shrink" back to how it was before if you lose weight (deflate the balloon) Unfortunately skin is not made of rubber but living cells. When you blow up a balloon the rubber stretches and the rubber actually thins out. The walls of a blown up balloon are thinner than when it's deflated (hence being able to see through it most of the time when it's blown up but not when it's deflated) When you stretch your skin though your body responds by rethickening this stretched out layer of skin. Slowly but surely as you ad weight your skin stretches thin and then fills back in. So after you lose the weight your skin will be just as thick as it was before the weight gain (sometimes thicker) This skin is as permanant as the skin on your forearms or face etc. It has a very small potential to shrink (if any shrinking occurs it will be from recent weight gain that hasn't had the skin rethickened yet)

People are going to say "What about pregnant women? Their skin shrinks back" This is true sometimes but not all the time, and is generally due to how long they carried the weight gain, how fast they gained, and how much they gained. A woman who didn't really start gaining until the last trimester and lost the weight immediately birth is likely to regain her skins taughtness. Someone who was showing from week 10 and bed ridden from the weight gain will more than likely have permanant loose skin.

Most people's loose skin is permanant because they gained it gradually and over a long period of time (some exceptions always out there)

No cream, lotion, gel, scrub brush, etc is going to rid you of the problem. Generally surgery is the viable option. I'm probably getting mine soon Not looking forward to my complete belt lipectamy (They're pretty much going to cut me in half lol that's what the scar will look like anyways)

[Blindboyx10]

Prepare for the bad news... you're skin is probably permanant the way it is now. I'll explain why before everyone jumps down my throat because i've done my homework and talked to numerous doctors and surgeons (which is probably the only option for most)

When most people think about "loose" skin they think of it as skin bein elastic (like a balloon) They believe if you stretch it out by being overweight then it will "shrink" back to how it was before if you lose weight (deflate the balloon) Unfortunately skin is not made of rubber but living cells. When you blow up a balloon the rubber stretches and the rubber actually thins out. The walls of a blown up balloon are thinner than when it's deflated (hence being able to see through it most of the time when it's blown up but not when it's deflated) When you stretch your skin though your body responds by rethickening this stretched out layer of skin. Slowly but surely as you ad weight your skin stretches thin and then fills back in. So after you lose the weight your skin will be just as thick as it was before the weight gain (sometimes thicker) This skin is as permanant as the skin on your forearms or face etc. It has a very small potential to shrink (if any shrinking occurs it will be from recent weight gain that hasn't had the skin rethickened yet)

People are going to say "What about pregnant women? Their skin shrinks back" This is true sometimes but not all the time, and is generally due to how long they carried the weight gain, how fast they gained, and how much they gained. A woman who didn't really start gaining until the last trimester and lost the weight immediately birth is likely to regain her skins taughtness. Someone who was showing from week 10 and bed ridden from the weight gain will more than likely have permanant loose skin.

Most people's loose skin is permanant because they gained it gradually and over a long period of time (some exceptions always out there)

No cream, lotion, gel, scrub brush, etc is going to rid you of the problem. Generally surgery is the viable option. I'm probably getting mine soon Not looking forward to my complete belt lipectamy (They're pretty much going to cut me in half lol that's what the scar will look like anyways)

How true is this? Where did you get this information from? Thanks

[CrossArmant]

Chances are it's just stubborn fat, as was said earlier. A lot of people will say there's excess skin lingering but mostly it's just a little bit of belly pudge. Best thing to do is just keep active with cardio, keep weightlifting, and eat right. Eventually it should fix itself.

Now that's not to say if you've dropped like 100lbs really quickly, that it's not skin. That's a different story. One you may want to see a dermatologist about.

[JonnyDarko]

Chances are it's just stubborn fat, as was said earlier. A lot of people will say there's excess skin lingering but mostly it's just a little bit of belly pudge. Best thing to do is just keep active with cardio, keep weightlifting, and eat right. Eventually it should fix itself.

Now that's not to say if you've dropped like 100lbs really quickly, that it's not skin. That's a different story. One you may want to see a dermatologist about.

I agree with this guy.
I've seen a variety of people on this site and others that have lost 100+ pounds and their skin is as tight as you could ever hope for. How did they do it?
Dropped down to 10% body fat or under and had a very intense exercise regimen. Unfortunately for most of us, we aren't in a gym surrounded by workout buddies or affording the cost of a personal trainer and these people generally did.

Most of us with that stomach and ass flab are dealing with stubborn fat that is hard to absorb, particularly when it doesn't have any tension on the muscles which help break it down. I've looked over a lot of pics and generally you can see in this loose skin a large pocket with fat in it. Get rid of that fat, the skin will firm back up.

Clinching exercises are the ultimate tell rather than flexing motions or compound exercises.
Clinching such as planks or intense flexes and holding them for as long as you can. My stomach is still not quite to my goal but planks then inverted planks made a major improvement. The drooping canopy effect my stomach had is half what it once was after my last regimen of planks.
Just be prepared to hit a brick wall, take 1-2 weeks off then go back to these clinch/flex and hold exercises and of course, they are most effective after cardio.

Also be prepared to go from looking pretty decent to gelatinous mess at points as well. Had my glutes looking great then lost, gained, lost and ended up with a disastrous puddle in merely a few days time!

[IntensityBB]

I've lost a large percentage of my BF and have what some label as "loose skin". However as I have maintained my work out program (weights and cardio) plus eating lean, I have seen shrinkage in both my chest and stomach. I've still got a ways to go but I'm getting there. I didn't put all that weight on overnight however it seemed that way.
I also believe a lot of my loose skin is made up of fat that just doesn't want to give up the ghost. For my own peace of mind that is how I am going to address the issue. I really no longer think about how much I weigh but what is my BF and especially the specific measurements.

[dylanbohn95]

I agree with this guy.
I've seen a variety of people on this site and others that have lost 100+ pounds and their skin is as tight as you could ever hope for. How did they do it?
Dropped down to 10% body fat or under and had a very intense exercise regimen. Unfortunately for most of us, we aren't in a gym surrounded by workout buddies or affording the cost of a personal trainer and these people generally did.

Most of us with that stomach and ass flab are dealing with stubborn fat that is hard to absorb, particularly when it doesn't have any tension on the muscles which help break it down. I've looked over a lot of pics and generally you can see in this loose skin a large pocket with fat in it. Get rid of that fat, the skin will firm back up.

Clinching exercises are the ultimate tell rather than flexing motions or compound exercises.
Clinching such as planks or intense flexes and holding them for as long as you can. My stomach is still not quite to my goal but planks then inverted planks made a major improvement. The drooping canopy effect my stomach had is half what it once was after my last regimen of planks.
Just be prepared to hit a brick wall, take 1-2 weeks off then go back to these clinch/flex and hold exercises and of course, they are most effective after cardio.

Also be prepared to go from looking pretty decent to gelatinous mess at points as well. Had my glutes looking great then lost, gained, lost and ended up with a disastrous puddle in merely a few days time!

I disagree in that people think loose skin doesn't exist, It's pretty obvious that fat doesnt keep the shape you move it in... loose skin will. If you bend over and you literally have a flap of skin hanging whilst still having visible abs... thats loose skin. I speak from personal observation and multiple testimonies from other people who have lost weight drastically. Don't believe me? go to leangains.com and go to the testimonials and scroll down until you see a dude with awesome abs yet a crease of skin is cleary visible under his navel.