Question:
How soon does loose skin appear?

I have lost 50 pounds so far (280 to 230) and so far no loose skin. How soon does the loose skin develop or will I have to wait until I reach goal weight to know if I have dodged that bullet?    — Mickey M. (posted on July 6, 2004)

July 5, 2004
I doubt you are going to "dodge that bullet"! That is VERY wishful thinking. Those that are young, and havent carried the weight to many years might have less loose skin. But most of us are'nt that lucky. I can take flight like a flying squirel. :(
   — Danmark

July 5, 2004
You'll have to wait. It's those last pounds that make the biggest difference.
   — mom2jtx3

July 5, 2004
Yes, that is the one thing we all worry about! I have been pretty lucky! I am 49, have been mo all my life, until now! It has been 11 months today since my surgery with a loss of 141 pounds, 12 pounds until goal reached. Well, I saw two different ps last week and they both commented on how little loose skin I have. The reason for the visit was a breast reduction which I have wanted since the age of 16. They both said they probably would not feel comfortable doing ps on anything except my breast because of the minimal loose skin. This is one time I am very proud of my hard work! Yes, exercise has been part of my program since the day of my surgery, six days a week! It really does work, not only for weight lose, loose skin, but also for mental health! The last 11 months have been hard but awesome! Good luck!!!!
   — sunkissed kid

July 5, 2004
I am 56 and have been overweight since 11. My weight has gone up and down like an elevator all my life but I have surprisingly little loose skin. I've never had many stretch marks so I guess I'm more elastic than I thought. Arms are the worst but tummy and upper thighs aren't bad at all. The thighs got pretty bad for awhile but with exercise, they are getting much better. You might be one of the lucky ones but everyone is right.........you won't know until you get closer to goal.
   — scbabe

July 6, 2004
The bigger you are before WLS the sooner the hanging skin starts to show up. My gut and other areas hung before surgery, so there wasn't much chance it was going to improve after to the point of not needing PS. My whole abdominal area was majorly stretchmarked and had been for many many years. So there was no chance that was going to change. Even with all the PS I have had already I still have major stretch marks as that's the skin I gave him to work with. He cut off tons of skin but basically ended up pulling the stretchmarked skin around from the back etc. At first it itches like crazy because it is pulled so tight, but over time that goes away.
   — zoedogcbr

July 6, 2004
I thought I dodged the bullet until I hit -70lbs. I noticed it a little at that point but nothing bad. Now at 106lbs gone, 2 lbs to goal, my arms are swinging, my butt has fallen and won't get up and my neck has a gobbler. :-) Good luck !!
   — M B.

July 6, 2004
Aloha! Congrats on your wonderful loss!!! As for me, I didn't really notice any significant skin issues till I had lost over 100 pounds. Then all the sudden, I had it hanging EVERYWHERE!! To be honest, the first 80-100 pounds, everything seemed to hold up well.. then after my body resembled a cupcake whose frosting had slid off.. Not a pretty Kodak moment to say the very least! lol Granted, the loose skin is much more preferable than the extra 187 pounds I was carrying before surgery! In case you want to see what abdominal skin looks like after about 180 pounds lost, you can check out my Picturetrail. I have posted my pre- and post tummy tuck pictures (see the tummy tuck album). I was always anxious to see what folks looked like before and after surgery so I figured when it came time for me to have my surgeries, I would post the pictures for those who wanted to see em! The link is http://www.picturetrail.com/kathleendjones Good luck with the rest of your journey! Be the BEST LOSER YOU CAN BE!! Hugs, Kathie (in Hawaii) Open RNY 08/07/2002... down 189 pounds
   — KathieInHawaii

July 6, 2004
I got it around -100
   — mrsmyranow