Ugh.
I’m finally admitting it to myself.
I’ve got hanging skin. Not much.
But who wants any?
Initially I was pleased with the reshaping of my body. The cellulite disappeared quickly. There wasn’t much evidence of loose skin as I keep doing all the right things: LOTS of water. Lose weight at a reasonable rate. Good nutrition. Exercise.
These healthy habits contributed to my skin keeping up with my new size for the MOST PART.
But I could still use a little tightening in my lower tummy. Which sent me searching. There is a lot of advice out there. The two factors coming against me are that it can take up to 2 years for the skin to shrink completely, and the fact that I’m aging means my skin is already less elastic.
Most of the information I found, like this link, focused on what I already did. Good nutrition. Activity. Water. Water. Water. (EVERY site emphasized water intake!)
But I did find a few tips that were new.
It’s funny that I’ve been craving lavender. I love the fragrance. I love how it makes me feel peaceful. One of the sites I found said that rubbing lavender oil into the tummy every night can actually help the skin tighten. This particular site said it was even more effective with combined with castor oil! I purchased the lavender right away. . . I’m considering the other. This particular resource offered 25 different ideas to support tightening of the skin. Another idea I may explore is using almond oil.
Another site recommended adding vitamin C and zinc to my daily supplements. I routinely take extra C and used to take zinc, but haven’t recently, so I plan to pick up a bottle. Why not? It’s an easy and inexpensive addition to the care of my skin–AND good to keep me healthy with cold season upon me!
Since the area I’m most concerned about is my abdomen, I am getting serious about the video my daughter shared with me which targets this area. Turning soft places into lean muscle helps everything–including the skin. I’ve avoided weight training in this weight loss process. Just not a big lifting gal, but much of what I read suggested adding weights. Thinking about it . . .
There are also things most sources agreed I should avoid: tanning, chlorine, and, and junk food. Each of these things steal from the what the skin needs to become more elastic.
Of course there are all kinds of creams I could purchase to put collagen, retinol, and Vitamins A, C, and E directly into my skin. I have a tightening gel I’m using right now, but it’s almost gone. Before I spend a lot of money on creams I think I’ll focus on the other ideas I’ve found.
If you want more information, I thought this video was fairly comprehensive, balanced, and helpful.
The great thing about most of what I learned is that the strategies aren’t just about tightening loose skin, they are reasonable choices that make me stronger and healthier, too.
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Tighten excess skin after weight loss.
Tagged: benew, excess skin, excess skin after weight loss, hanging skin, Paula Moldenhauer, skin, tighten skin after weight loss, tips for tightening skin, weight loss
Paula's Blog 
Have you tried the Herbal body wrap?
Good reminder, Diana. I haven’t used that product in 10 years or so, but this might be the right fit for it!
My friend Mr Bumble lost over thirteen stone and has terrible problems with her upper arms. I’ve read some people complain about their loose skin and say they wish they’d never lost the weight but Mr Bumble, although unhappy with her arms, is more than happy to be mobile and healthy again. In fact she has completed thirty plus marathons in her sixtieth year, something she’d never have been able to do when she couldn’t even get out of a chair! Hanging arm skin is a small price to pay.
I’m a great one for body butters and I do believe they help make the skin softer and more elastic. I make my own and use different combinations of essential oils depending on my mood. I’ve had great success with my own home made vitamin c serum too and it’s cheap to make, although you have to make it about once a week because it doesn’t keep. I wonder if that would help along with a vitamin A gel capsule mixed in. These things don’t have to be expensive if you’re prepared to experiment and make your own. 🙂
I’m cheering for Mr Bumble!!! This is such a wonderful story–how different life can be on the other side of weight loss!
Do you have the recipe for this body butter on your site? I’d be interested in learning from you! I did pick up the castor oil and lavender. It seemed easy enough, but the body butter sounds wonderful and I’d love to know how. Or maybe you could guest blog here and teach all of us. Interested?
That that sounds like a great idea. I did reply to you on my blog too and I’ll get to work on it on Monday. Mr B is a total inspiration. I’ve written quite a few posts about her in the past but the one that probably explains her best is http://www.fatgirlslimblog.co.uk/?p=226. I may have to write another soon to update on all her other walks. Maybe I can get her to write me a guest blog!
I’ll check that out. Can’t wait for the teaching on making your own body butter!
[…] Marie commented on my Stretchy Skin post about making her own body butter, I asked her to teach us how. This post is the result. I’m […]