Loose skin after major loss: what actually tightened for you?

2026-10-12 1542 views 2 posts
w
well_kenneth OP
#1
2026-10-12 01:16

I’m 14 months into a 52 lb loss (5'6", started around 218) and the loose skin is most obvious on my lower belly and upper arms. I keep seeing confident posts that it bounces back with time, lifting, collagen, hydration, slow loss, etc. I’m not expecting a miracle, but I’d like to separate hope from evidence.

For those who’ve been at maintenance a while: did you measure or photograph changes at 6, 12, 24 months? Did it tighten meaningfully, or mostly just soften and drape differently?

If you have dermatology or plastic surgery sources you found useful, I’d take specifics — no hype, just what changed and when. Also curious whether age and total loss amount seemed to matter more than habits in your experience.

r
reese131
#2
2026-10-29 00:06

I’m 61, maintenance about 10 months after a ~45 lb loss, and the honest answer is: lower belly stayed soft/creased; upper arms changed a little, but mostly in how they look in photos, not by tape measure. What helped me separate hope from evidence was boring tracking—same morning, same lighting, monthly photos of a marked 5 cm square below my navel, plus a relaxed vs flexed arm shot.

Some days it looked worse and it was just water/salt. Have you tried comparing at the same time of day and hydration level, rather than going by feel in the mirror?

Back to Semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus)