I just noticed that when I raise my arm and look at it, up where the flab is you know, where I have stretch marks they are now wrinkles. And if I stretch the skin you can see the stretch marks. It's almost as if they are trying to close but it's wrinkly now. Is this a good or bad thing and why? Will they improve?

Anyone else experience this?

Thanks!

I have the same exact thing! on my upper arms and on my breasts and tummy :-( Even a little on my legs, but my skin is much tighter there.

I just figure its what my loose skin is turning into. I am young, so its probably just going to stay wrinkly. Skin brushing, cocoa butter, vitamin E etc may help, but in the end loose skin is loose skin and its wrinkly because your skin still has some elasticity so it isnt hangy bad.

The only way to get rid of it totally and have tight skin again is surgery or give it time and lots of care and it may get a bit firmer on its own. Exercise should help too.

Thanks! I am exercising and just started doing some weights, not alot just 5 pounds each but it's a start. I'm hoping this will help.

I will if necessary get my belly done if after reaching goal belly's skin is too loose or wrinkly.

Thanks again.

One of my girlfriends lost over 100 lbs before I met her...going from 207 down to 105...which at 5'5" is teeny! She says she has stretch marks that make her cry still, but I've seen her in her bikini, etc...she has a body to die for...six pack abs, etc....you would never ever know she was even 1 lb overweight...so have faith that in time you skin will adapt. Though I do have to add, she was 21 when she lost the weight...so I don't know if age is a huge factor? She also worked out 2 hours a days back then. On the other end, my sister's good friend had gastric bypass and ended up having surgery to have extra skin removed...but I think she lost well over a 100 lbs? Sorry, guess I argued both sides...but I guess my point is, only time will tell...and all the exercise you are doing is sure to help!

--Cindy

Age is a factor. I lost 80 lbs of "baby weight" in a short time and snapped right back... I was 19. Child #2 a few years later..

It will improve, maybe not to PERFECTION, but it will get better with time. For now, I call it my own special version of a "washboard stomach"...

I am taking losts of omega-3 supplements and starting to use a body brush regularly. I'm hoping that anything that nourishes skin and collagen and stimulates circulation will help.

I've read that when people undergo liposuction and have a lot of loose skin their doctor's make them wear supportive garments for a period of time - I wonder if doing that would help skin recover faster?

I hear you about the big arms.

Callogen, Retinyl Palmitate, Vitamin E etc are all supposed to help skin elasticity and supposedly can regenerate prematurealy aged skin. I even considered laser for the stretch marks but that wont work. Many of my stretch marks are old, deep and faded. The laser only works when they are new from what I understand.

I will learn to live with them I suppose, exercise and try and tighten as much as I can and make sure my skin stays moisturized. Also scratching is really bad and can cause stretch marks. At least it does on me.

The supportive garments are to help the outer layer of flesh adhere to the inner... where the fat was is basically a pocket. It has to be held in place firmly to "stick together" and heal.

Nasty, huh?

couldnt you just pull real tight and tuck it away somewhere using some crazy glue? ;-)

I agree...age is definitly a factor.....back in the late 80's when I lost over 125 lbs my skin snapped back into place with little effort.....now after only a 60 lbs loss my skin is hanging everywhere! I keep joking that once I lose the whole 213 lbs I needed to lose I'm gonna send a letter to Oprah and ask her to help me get the surgery to take all the lose skin off....LOL God knows that I would never be able to afford it on my own!

ooohh, that is nasty. I guess that "pocket" is where people can get into trouble with infections and such later?

MyJourney, do you use the Collogen, Retinyl Palmitate, Vitamin E topically or orally or both? I am thinking a two-pronged approach here might be most effective: the Omega-3's and Vit E (anything else??) as supplements, combined with good topical creams (which?) to maximize healing (also rubbing them in would provide a beneficial massage).

Lily when I originally went from 207 to 130-134. I had the wrinkle stretch mark thing going on. After about a year of maintaining I didn't notice much of it except a bit on my lower tummy right above my c section scar. I still had stretchmarks but it was firm skin. Not lose wrinkly skin.

Thank you all for your reply's. Let me tell you the exciting news.


I have a lotion I got from AVON called TOTALLY EVEN. I had not used it till now. I had it put away for past 2 months now. I remembered I had it and went upstairs to put it on my arms. I swear if I had not seen it with my own eyes I would have not believed it. I put the lotion on my arms and instantly the wrinkles went away. I looked at my other arm all wrinkly and then looked back at the one I just had applied lotion to and I was in awe. I put some on the other arm and again, instant smoothness. This cream is for Firming Skin. It says on the brochure I have cause I'm buying more:


Totally Even Firming Skin Lotion, with AHA's to banish bumps, fade uneven skin tone and smooth your skin.

Anyone know what AHA is?

It truly did smooth out my skin. I'm gonna use it daily as suggested and keep using my dumb-bells in my exercise routine and hope those nasty wrinkles never come back.

By the way I also use AVON's Re-Fine, which re-texturises skin to minimise the look of stretch marks. The stretch marks on my belly from popping 2 kids are practically invisible and they are not bumpy anymore either.

I love AVON.

The problem is that no lotion can really change stretch marks, but they can reduce the appearance by hydrating the skin.... there has been some good results even with old stretch marks with lasers recently though and I plan to look into all of that once I reach goal.

As for the surgery on the arms.... some people are lucky and only have a fine line for a scar once all the healing takes place, but quite a few other have a wide unsightly scar.... this also tends to happen when the thighs are done as well.... I would opt for the surgery even knowing this if my flab was as bad as this persons I know who had the gastric bypass surgery and lost over 100 pounds in about 7 months.... hers just hangs like you wouldn't believe....you just have to choose the lesser of 2 evils with things like this.