Body Wraps & Skin Elasticity
HAS ANYONE HAD ANY SUCCESS WITH BODY WRAPS?
I know this sounds a bit like quakery...or at least it does to me. However, I'm about 20 lbs from my goal weight now. Since that is actually starting to look like a reality, I'm trying to do some other things to shape up. The concept of the wraps is that it is supposed to break down fat, release toxins and condition the skin. I would like to improve my body to the best of my ability w/o plastic surgery (if I can avoid it--nothing against it...I'm just a chicken). So I decided to try some things that may or may not work. At the very least I'll get pampered a little bit. Has anyone else tried this?
Other things I'm doing to work towards the best looking me I can be:
Exercise and eating right (including lots of healthy veggies and lots of water and vitamins)
FYI: Some additional tips regarding skin elasticity received from obesity help posters recently are listed below. They sound like good suggestions.
Lotion with Retinol
-Nivea with Vitamin E
-Supplement with Neocell Collagen C (purchased at Costco. A huge -horse pill suggested to crush up or disolve in water etc if that makes it easier for you). It is supposed to be good for the skin.
-Strength Training
-Hydration
-Fish oil
-exfoliation
If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.
Can a Body Wrap Slim You?
As for the slimming wraps, "any loss of inches is going to be temporary,'' Fryhofer says. ''Wraps cannot take the place of a healthy diet and exercise."
Susie Ellis agrees. "After you take the [slimming] wrap off, there will be an appearance of tightness," she says. "It is definitely temporary." It may last, she says, for a day or two.
But if you're trying to look good for a day at the beach on your honeymoon, for instance, temporary improvement may be good enough, Ellis says. "I look at those slimming wraps like a spray tan," she says. "It's temporary, but sometimes temporary is OK."
"They won't give you long-term weight loss," Tanzi says. "They can temporarily make you feel a little thinner and when you look at the scale the pounds can go down a pound or two. But that's water weight loss. It's a temporary phenomenon."
More to this article here, including releasing toxins, etc: http://www.webmd.com/skin-beauty/features/body-wraps-what-to-expect
As far as the skin.. All those things above may make the surface look better- but none will address the loss of firmness caused by stretching the skin the way we did when we were big. It's damaged, only genetics, how you carried your weight, age, how many times you yo-yo'd a lot.. will really determine the bounce back. In time- a year or two- your skin will look a little better.
Def build muscle, it helps the skin to have a nice foundation under it! Exfoliate all you want, it will make the surface look good & moisturize. Save the retinols for the face, and wait a bit. I lost over 130lbs quickly, years ago. My skin looked a little better after a year, but if I want to look close to normal, it will be PS time. I'm chicken too- so I may live with it!
I think that hot yoga sounds like a great idea. I've done some yoga--but never hot yoga.
Thanks again everyone!!