argh bat wings

OK - soo i'm loving the weight loss and how my body is feeling and how MOST of it is looking.  But the darned "bat wings" are driving me nuts.  Nothing i do seems to shrink them and they're "flapping in the breeze."

i know that the only "real" fix is eventually plastic surgery, but i don't know that i'll ever be able to afford that.  SO...

Anyone have any good tips on at least shrinking them to a more manageable size?  For example, does massage help break up the fat cells so they get flushed out?  I've been doing "tricep kickbacks" and every tricep and bicep exercise I can think of, with and without weights, cardio boxing,etc., to try and target that area.  

Sigh.  I feel so picky and vain even asking. 

Karen

 no advice.. but i can totally feel u.... i reached across the table for something the other day and when i moved my arm back it grabbed a few things along the way... straight to the floor... u just dont relise how low the flaps actually hang.. or at least i didnt..  ive been doing same excercises... losing fat.. sorta gaining muscle but also gaining more n more excess skin.. well not gaining but it does look to be getting lower..  not being vain... i dont care how it looks.. personally it looked way worse when it was filled with FAT! but when my arms try to eat and feed my breasts, belly, lap and floor... can we say problem? 

Unfortunately Karen, it sounds like you are doing everything you can do to help combat the problem!  My only advice is to keep doing the arm exercises to help maintain what muscle is there.

Dr. P once told me that anywhere you have stretch marks, the skin has "broken" and the stretch marks are the bodies way of "healing" itself so you don't have open wounds anywhere as your skin is stretching.  She mentioned to me that, in those areas, exercise etc would have very little effect on tightening the skin.

The good news...if they get so bad that you end up getting rashes or something like that from where the extra skin is folding over on itself, you might be able to get plastics done under insurance!  Although I haven't heard to many cases of arms being covered....

You're not being vain asking - we have body image dismorphia to begin with, and the extra skin certainly doesn't help that process!

I bought a compression garmet that includes arms ---- actually got it at Kohl's on sale for something like $14.  It'll be great in fall/winter/early spring when I can wear long sleeves.  Right now I wear it if going out at night when I'll be in air conditioning.  It really helps the look.  It's not permanent like PS would be, but in the meantime, you may want to invest in one of these.

I have the same issue... right now I am sporting about 6 inches of hanging skin there... and before I was pregnant I couldn't go down a shirt size because of the skin... it was just sooo tight and well looked strange under a shirt lol... think stuffed sausage look lol...

In talking to my trainer at the time he said the skin was just too damanged and there was nothing I could do other than get an under amour shirt and wear it like a compression shirt...  which I think I will end up having to do this fall/winter after the baby comes... 

Not sure if you will have to get your boobs done or not... I know I will have to get them reduced... and most plastic docs will do your arms at the same time... while I haven't had any rashes there the skin gets really really itchy... and well I have a heck of a time shaving my pits now because of that loose skin... I have cut myself a few times... oh the pain when you don't know that and put on deorderant on lol... ya see stars lol...

there are some "creams" that can help... but it depends on how damaged the skin is... good luck!

Ugh Karen I so feel your pain as the rest of us. I wear short sleeved shirts and that makes me feel a little better. I was told once skin stretched it doesn't go back ugh! And you are not being picky or vain. I am guessing those hand weights may help a little.

tri and bi... tri and bi.... 

i've been doin it since 2 weeks post op and we're goin on 2 years now.

also- call me crazy...but I swear by firming lotion...I have been SLATHERING since Day 1.

Be patient...it takes time...

sorry... I had to....

 u look fabulous! what lotion?  i use gold bond restoring skin therapy with q10 but doesnt seem to be helping.. i have severe dry skin since surgery..

I was using Dove firming, but I think they stopped making it.  Last year I found them on clearance somewhere and bought a ton of them so I'm still living off them. ...but I'd say go for any firming lotion.