Hi, it's Petrina Hamm, your go to girl for learning how to make fit work in a crazy busy
world and today I'm doing something a little bit different and I'm gonna give you some
straight talk on the touchy subject of loose skin.
Buckle up folks!
As someone who has lost 100 pounds and has gone certified as a personal trainer, I get
questions in both respects from people wanting to know if I've had loose skin and how I dealt
with it.
As a personal trainer, people ask me if there is exercises they can do or a certain diet
that's better than others as far as handling loose skin so I figured it was time to make
a video addressing these issues, but before I do, I did want to speak to those of you
out there who may be haven't yet begun your weight loss journey and maybe the issue of
loose skin is kind of scaring you off from even taking the first step.
I kind of want to put on my stern mommy hat and tell you just don't, don't.
Making the issue of your weight about appearance alone, which I think is what you're doing
if you're letting your fear of loose skin hold you back from making certain positive
changes in your lifestyle when it comes to hwat you're eating and how active you are
is really, it's not good.
Don't let your fear of having loose saggy skin keep you from actually starting to make
a change in your life.
So there.
There's me with my nagging hats.
Okay so getting to the topic on hand about skin, it basically all comes down to the elastin
and collagen.
You can help boost the elastin and collagen by properly hydrating yourself, drinking enough
water each day.
By caring for your skin with lotion.
Make sure you are moisturizing your skin.
There's certain evidence out there that might suggest dry brushing can help prevent loose
skin during weight loss.
I'm not gonna advocate for or against.
I think if you are spending like $5 on a dry brush, that's a good idea.
It's just a little bit of money.
What I don't think is a good idea is spending a load of money on potentially snake oils
or you know different purported cures.
Your genetics play a part in the elastin and collagens.
Some folks are really blessed with really great genetics where they can bounce back
after pregnancy or after extreme weight loss.
Loss skin can come into play any time you're losing a significant amount of weight and/or
you're doing it in a rapid pace, like more than 1-2 pounds per week.
You're not giving your body and your skin enough time to really slowly bounce back.
Of course people carry fat differently on their bodies.
Some people are gonna have it more on their tummy, some will have it more on their legs.
Even when I was 240 pounds, I still had what was my first boyfriend called it chicken legs.
I didn't have to really worry about that.
I still, I mean, hello.
Ugh!
I get really perturbed when I hear someone, whether or not they're a certified professional,
someone who has never had a weight problem in their life trying to tell another person
who does that all they need to do is eat cleaner.
They need to work out more.
They need to work out harder and then if they ate cleaner and worked out harder, that loose
skin wouldn't be an issue and that is complete and total buck as someone who has known people
who have lost an extreme amount of weight, as someone who has lost 100 pounds, that is
not true.
There are times where you cannot eat clean enough or exercise hard enough in order to
get rid of loose skin.
It is what it is.
Some people will get loos skin, some people won't.
There are a number of ways to deal with it.
Some are less expensive than others.
You'll find a number of different methods touted out there for dealing with the unsightly
issue of loose skin.
The lease expensive of course being just dealing with it, which I admire and applaud those
who do so.
I have friends who have lost you know way more weight than I ever have and they will
proudly wear two piece bathing suits even though there is loose skin and I think that
is awesome.
If you're someone out there who does not want to have to deal with loose skin, there are
different ways you can handle it, ranging from the really less expensive options of
exfoliating and seeing if that works.
Doing what is called decompression massages.
Some people have claimed luck with those professional herbal wraps.
The most expensive route is usually the more effective and that can be non-invasive contouring
techniques, which have become more popular and more effective and then there's also plastic
surgery.
You know you can get a tummy tuck and other sort of skin tightening procedures.
In some cases you'll find that your insurance company would even potentially cover it.
What you would do is contact your insurance company, ask them if they cover cosmetic surgery
after significant weight loss and some do and some have conditions where I think you'll
have to have like skin infections, which isn't entirely uncommon when you're someone who
is dealing with a huge lap of excess skin after weight loss.
I know it's kind of gross to think about, but it happens.
So be sure to check in with your insurance company to see if skin tightening surgery
is covered and if so, what sorts of documentation you would need or what conditions would need
to be met in order for you to be a candidate for reimbursement.
If you are someone who is beginning your journey and wants to brace for the potential of having
loose skin to deal with after you successfully hit your goal weight.
Why I say after your goal weight is some people wrongly assume that tummy tucks are a weight
loss surgery.
I would recommend you hit your goal weight before even consulting with a surgeon because
most of the time they're gonna tell you that you should be within 10 pounds of ideally
where you want to be.
Tummy tuck is not a weight loss surgery.
I would say start saving up from day one for potential plastic surgery and if you want
to, you could even meet with local surgeons and get quotes, although you never know where
the loose skin is gonna wind up, but if you have a pretty good idea, let's say that you're
someone who carries a lot of your weight in your abdomen, that if you had loose skin it
would be in your abdomen.
You could check on rates for tummy tucks in your area and get referrals of you know reputable
surgeons who know what they're doing.
I know people who actually traveled overseas in order to get the most reasonably priced
cosmetic surgery.
Me personally, I think given the risks of any surgery, I would prefer to pay a bit more
to have it done in the United States and close to my home just in case there is some sort
of complication during surgery, but that's just me.
Maybe you're different.
You can research surgeons online and see the before and afters after that procedure is
done on realself.com.
If you are someone who has lost a significant amount of weight and has discovered your own
effective way of dealing with loose skin or if you want to proudly proclaim that you're
totally comfortable with your loose skin, you're proud of the change you've made, feel
free to comment below to share your knowledge and share your confidence and share your wisdom.
I would appreciate it.
That's it.
That's my straight talk on loose skin.
I will wish you the absolute best of luck in your journey and I will hope that you have
amazing genetics where it doesn't have to be an issue for you, but if it does, I hope
you found these tips helpful.
As always if you have any more questions, you can shoot me an email at CoachPetrina@yahoo.com.
Again check out my crazy, sexy cool website if you're so inclined at PetrinaHammFitness.com.
If you're game, you can sign up for absolutely free fitness coaching with me at MakeFitWork.com.
That's it.
Take care and have a great day.