I have seen many people who lose a bunch of weight, various ways, and suddenly they look so much older. Its as if the fat in their face kept them looking younger and as soon as they lost all that fat the skin sagged and wrinkled. I am very concerned about this.  It even almost prevented me from choosing to lose weight at all. I pride myself in the fact that I look 10 years younger than I am (in my profile pic I was actually 33) but when I lose the weight will I still get away with it? I am 36 and I am already noticing changes in my skin because I'm getting older, and plan on investing in creams and serums for my battle against age. But I don't want my weight loss to add to the problem. What can I do to prevent my skin sagging and wrinkling due to weight loss?

I posted a pic yesterday and almost everyone told me I looked like a teenager, two days ago someone asked me about the little boy I was "babysitting" (my two year old) b/c they thought I was too young to have kids. Not everyone looks older, some look much younger!

You can't do anything to really prevent your skin from sagging and wrinkling, it's either going to happen or its not, it all has to do with genetics, age and how long you have been overweight. I do help things along with a good skin care system (I use one from Avon that I love) and a really good moisturizer.

Interesting. I thought differently. People that I have seen look younger including myself. I guess its all about how you care for your skin. I have always used proactiv and am very diligent in keeping my skin moisturized.

Now my body on the other hand..didn't repsond well to my up & down weight issues. No matter how much I moisturized or type of lotion I used, I am completely covered in stretchmarks. My stomach looks like I have had about 6 kids. So I would say don't  worry staff  hydrated and keep your skin moisterized.

 
Skin is not very forgiving......

We always hear about WL for health.....That's all we hear.....It's obvious and gets very repetitive.

I've often wondered if people were told and shown the skin issues from massive WL.....Would it have mattered back than.....I mean back it wouldn't be an issue. For me.....not....I'd have been the one putting skin creams on while eating Fried Chicken.....Maybe even rubbing Fried Chicken grease on my body..... (I kid I kid)

My guess for you is that you have a good chance of ending up OK...... Your young and don't have a massive amount of weight to lose.

frisco

The face doesn't age often and i've seen some people look like there is something else going on like malnutrition that may be the look. With sunken eyes and pale complexions but I think that is related to a deficiency more than weight loss.

I think women in their 30s who lose weight always look younger after the loss because people associate being heavy with being, I don't know, matronly.  You are losing weight at a great time as far as your skin is concerned.

I am sensing that you have conflicted feelings about losing weight and being smaller.  I have felt that way too, and it is very hard to explain to many folks that for some of us, being heavy is not this 100% horrible thing we want to give up.  Being heavy did a lot for me, and I was always nervous about how I would be if I was a more normal size.

It was really, really important for me to accept that there was a big part of me that was completely OK with being fat, and take care of that part so it wouldn't sabotage what I was doing to lose weight.

 This is exactly how I felt, I am glad I am not the only one who felt this way and still went through the surgery. I didn't feel that weight was keeping me from anything rewarding, I wouldn't let it, and I didn't feel I was being discriminated. Although maybe I will see that I was when I start seeing that people see me differently. The biggest reason I chose surgery is because being thin is my life long dream and I didn't want to face the end of my life with regrets and wondering what if.

The other part of my story is that food was kicking my ass.  I am a compulsive overeater, and was completely addicted to sugar.  It wasn't so much that I wanted to be thin, but that I couldn't even manage to put 3 days of "clean" eating together that really drove me into despair.  I couldn't eat ten M&Ms, I had to eat the whole (1 lb) bag.  That kind of thing.

Anyway, I went to OA, got off the sugar, lost 120 pounds, maintained for about 5 years.  Then I got back into the sugar and gained everything back.  Being heavy the second time was harder because I had really enjoyed being thinner from a vanity standpoint and from comfort.  I felt a lot better thin, even though I hadn't thought I'd felt bad heavy. 

Fast forward 14 years later (49).  I tore the meniscus on my left knee.  Super painful, hobbled around for 3 or 4 months.  I plunged into a deep despair thinking I would be permanently crippled.  Then, I recovered and felt better.  Six months after that, I tore the meniscus on my right knee, right before my daughter's wedding.  Steroids were needed to help me walk down the aisle.  The second episode *terrified* me.  I always loved to travel, and even though flying was a ***** I'd felt very capable of walking 3-5 miles at a time, anywhere.  Here I was at 49 limping down the aisle.

Even though I was off the sugar, I could not control my eating, and I felt desperate about my future physical health.  I had no other co-morbidities, and it was sure a different feeling than when I was in my 20s and 30s.  I didn't want to retire on a little scooter.

I am often told that I do not look 35, but to me, I look older. I have more fine lines, crows feet, and my wrinkles are more noticeable to ME. I have been carded for cigarettes and booze, and around here they card people who "look" younger than 28. Most people can't believe I have a 13 yr old son, and a 10 week old daughter, but I see and overanalyze every fine line on my face. I had an appt for botox and face filler then I popped positive on the pregnancy test last year. There's no amount of cream, or snake oil that will make them completely disappear.

I can honestly say that I wouldn't trade in the more defined wrinkles/crows feet on my face for the back fat or my size 22/24W jeans. In the grand scheme of things, if I have to walk around with more wrinkles or more fat, I'll choose wrinkles any day of the week. I'm one of the most vain women you could meet, and really struggled with the face changes, but I finally had a friend tell me " You were not too vain  to be prancing around morbidly obese, but a few extra wrinkles are going to depress you??? GET OVER IT!"
YES, she really told me to get over it, and  for the most part, I've embraced the changes. I still plan on having some face work done, but it's on the back burner for now.

 That's a really good friend you have there. Seriously.  Some times we need the tough love! 

I agree and honestly, she is right. I think sometimes when we focus on the trivial side effects, or expect to maintain or obtain a model body and face, we're simply setting ourselves up for failure and disappointment.

I've punished my skin tremendously with being super fat, and smoking for 15 years. Why should I expect it to pay me back with being smooth, supple, and wrinkle-free?? It's not going to happen so I live with what I have left after losing 140lbs.

I'm 44, and I've lived in Texas, California, and Florida for the last 16 years. Because I live in high-risk areas for skin cancer, I wear multiple levels of sunscreen  24/7/365, I also use Olay regenerist (cleanser, serum, moisturizer) twice daily, and I stay properly hydrated. The skin on my face is in good shape despite my weightloss. 

I lost very much from the top down, and I became very thin through the face pretty early on.  My marionette lines which became somewhat pronounced are starting to fill back in as my loss levels out and fat is starting to redistribute on my body. One key point, also, is focusing on sleep.  When I do not get adequate rest, I look much older and drawn. Sleep is important to both your weightloss and your skin. 

I try to keep in mind that wrinkles are inevitable and they won't kill me. 
 

 I too have always looked younger than my age.  With the rapid weight loss I have noticed my neck looks a little crepey and I have a little bit of melty face going on.  Having said that, I still do not look my age (just turned 50).  Even if i did start looking 50 I'd still take that over weighing 350 and being miserable and unhealthy.   It is one of those things you have to prioritize. 

As for what you can do, a good skin care routine will help but your genetics will always win out.  Just accept it and enjoy your new life!   I already know I am going to need a BL, LBL, arms, etc. If I have to add a mini facelift or lots of Juvederm injections then so be it!  :)

Well I am 51 and people have started calling me Miss instead of Maam, and it feels wonderful. However, there are lines and some sagging in my neck. Going to look a slight nip tuck for the face/neck area. Not to look 25 but to look refreshed. But I went into surgery with that mindset, if the face needs a little help I am going to do it. I am not too worried about the rest of me LOL. Everyone has wrinkles and sagging skin as they age.

I agree with Jules.
I'm 51 and even before weight loss I was noticing the deeper lines and drooping skin.
I had even planned to get some Botox and Juvaderm injections the day after surgery.
That was a rather hopeful plan and it didn't happen.
Surgery kicked my butt so I opted for no more needles.

But honestly, I think I look a lot healthier in the face rather than younger.
I use a good moisturizing system and get periodic facials.
But I think I'm going to add a face lift to the arm lift and tummy tuck.
It would add a few more years to my "youthful" appearance.

donna

I am 56, soon to be 57 and just this morning after putting on makeup I looked back in the mirror and was suprised at the woman I have become. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would look like this at 57. My face is so thin (as is my hair) and I can really see the aging coming on. I also still look young for my age but it is funny how sometimes we don't even notice the day to day changes until BAM...there it is looking right back at you. My neck is a little saggy and I might have some work done but I want to see the final results of my weight loss first to see how things fill back in. Right now, the neck is the only part that  bothers me. Other than that I am feeling pretty good about my results. Losts of moisturizing!

I got down to 148 with the lapband, and I looked a LOT older than I had when I was big. That didn't mean I looked old, it just means I was finally starting to look my age.

I wrote a blog about it at the time. That my chin was pointy and my jaw was more angular than I had ever known. And the skin on my neck and under my eyes was like the saggy baggy elephant. But you know what else I said in my blog? I said " I don't care because I will take the saggy skin and the pointy face over being fat ANYDAY". And that still holds true today. Looking to lose the weight again, but this time I know what's on the other end of it :)
 

We are more than just a face....

I am 55 years old. I'm almost a year out, and have lost 121 pounds in 18 months (34 in the 6 months before surgery). Yes, I have saggy baggy skin. Yes, I have wrinkles in my face, and yes, I have deep wrinkles now too, and lord, help me, a turkey waddle at my neck !!!

BUT WHAT I DON'T have is: 4 double chins, a hugely fat face, cholestrol deposits around my eyes, and fat deposits around my eyelids.

WHAT I DO HAVE is:

A great complexion from lots of hydration and mositurizers, eyes that sparkle and laugh with strengt and health, and vigor ! A mouth that tells people how healthy I feel, and how much life I take in, now that I am fit.

This surgery will not take you back, and erase your fat history. You can't undo all the damage that fat did to you. So instead I wear my batwings, and saggy skin and wrinkles as a badge of pride -- for who I have become NOW.

Yes, do I wish that I had never been fat ? Of course. But that isn't reality, that isn't logical. Would I give up all that I am, who I am ? NO. NEVER. Just as you cannot lose your memories of who you are, you cannot lose all the memories of being fat.

I earned those wrinkles! I earned those bat wings. I worked hard at deflateing them. I exercise, I feel good. A few wrinkles may make you feel old when you look in the mirror. But you have to focus on the greater goal, and who you will become.

YOU are more than just a face.

I agree!

I am 41 and i think i look younger since i have lost the weight..so do my family/friends and strangers.