Young vs Older

Hey All,

I am waiting for Aug 12th to submit everything to insurance for approval. I really hope I get approved. My bmi is 54 . I am almost 25 years old and I was curious if EVERYONE has issues with lose skin or is it more for the 'older crowd'(no offence!!!!). I have seen before/after pics of all ages so I am just curious. I have never been skinny so Im really anxious about what I will look like if I get approved and lose all my extra weight. Should I be worried about a lot of excess skin??? All my weight is mainly in my tummy .Is there a way of preventing it??

Thanks in Advance.

I expect you will have loose skin. My BMI was 40 and now I am at about 25.  I'm 32 years old and have loose skin.  It isn't horrible, but it bothers me.  I'm getting full on plastics. 

Loose skin is better than all of the negatives that come with being obese.  

Please do not take any offense to this.....and remember.... I'm telling myself this also.....

Sure, I/we all understand about loose skin after massive WL and it does become a major concern for some.....

But here is the reality...... we should have been thinking about skin issues while "we" were getting fat ?????

You do have age on your side and some young ones have done well (brownblonde, sonia29, but skin can only come back so far and is not very forgiving.....think blown out elastic on used up underwear.....

Hope this does not bum you out..... I can assure you that the WL is worth the trade off and there is always corrective plastics. 

frisco

I think it just varies a ton and age isn't the only thing that effects it. I think we will probably all deal with some loose skin at some point, but that is a fair trade for a healthier life! I am 25 as well and have loose skin on my stomach. Maybe I will go the plastic surgery route when I am done losing, maybe not. I think one of the best things you can do is strength training so that you don't lose your muscles along with the fat. Good luck!

Thanks everyone for a response...it is somthing that has been on my mind, but it is not a deal breaker! I think I am going to take it one step at a time, first worry is getting approved :) Good Luck to everyone on their WL journey!

Genetics play a huge part as well as stretch marks and overall skin health.  If you have been overweight your whole life and mostly in the midsection - chances are you will have loose skin.  It may tighten up a little over time, but chances are it won't all go away.  It may be a nuisance that you can hide in clothes, or it could end up a real problem that you'd want to address with surgery.

I'm 32, my BMI was 53, and my stomach is a sad mess right now as I am losing (kind of like a sharpei dog look going on).  I've also had stretch marks since puberty, plus 2 pregnancies worth of stretching too.  I will be looking into a tuck or skin removal type surgery down the road.

Get the weight off, treat your skin nicely (vitamins, water, and moisturizer) and take things as they come.  Better to be young and fit with extra skin hanging around than young and morbidly obese wishing you could lose the weight.

Yes, you will have loose skin. If you carry most of your weight in your stomach, you will most likely have a lot of loose skin there. It's also probably going to bother you tremendously - start saving for plastics now!

With a BMI of 54, you can probably count on loose skin.  The only way you'll have that rock-hard beach body you dream of is by way of plastic surgery, so don't waste your time/money on any magical creams, potions or exercises.  Exercise is good for the body and soul, but go into this realistically.  On the up-side, there are fabulous lycra shapers on the market that create the perfect illusion.

Honey - imagine me saying this with all the love that a parent would use with a beloved child:  At a BMI of 54 you need to be worried about living long enough to even have loose skin.  I worked out with a guy at the gym who just didn't wake up one morning...he was 32 years old and morbidly obese and was trying desperately to lose weight the "right way".  Died of a massive heart attack in his sleep on Father's Day of all days.  He was married with two kids...tragic 

Honestly...loose skin should be the LEAST of your worries.  Perhaps you're focusing on it so you don't have to think about all the dozens of other things that will need to be dealt with.  But the skin will take care of itself.  There is absolutely no way of preventing it.  You can loofah and moisturize and exercise your ass off to make it look better...but there it will hang until it is cut off.

Like Frisco said, there are some "youngsters" on here who've had pretty good "snap back" on their skin.  However, they didn't have BMI's of 54 to start with and one in particular was blessed with good genetics and darker skin so she had a lot more elasticity to start with.  

Any place you have stretch marks is permanently damaged and will not come back - no way, no how.  You are young enough that you will be able to figure out a way to eventually pay for any plastics that you'll need to take care of the skin.  Focus now on what you need to do to be successful as a pre-opper and then how you can be successful post-op in obtaining as close to 100% EWL as you can get.  Your HEALTH is what is important now.  

I'm 28 and have lots of loose skin...arms, neck, tummy, thighs.  I have also had 4 children though so I'm sure my stomach is even worse with 4 pregnancies.  There's really no way to prevent it...it depends on genetics mostly.