Fact or Myth: Loose Skin can be helped with exercise

This seems to be the #1 debate on this forum.  Can we tighten up our loose skin with exercise and eating the right foods?

I have done a lot of research on this topic and asked my doctors too.  My surgeon says there is no "cure" meaning there is no cream, lotion, pill, vitamin or anything of that nature that will help.  However he does state that many of his patients were able to limit or prevent completely loose hanging skin because they exercised a great deal while doing the "right" exercises.

I have read on this forum several situations where individuals were able to tighten up loose skin while saving for plastic surgery and in the end didn't need it.

I have also read that a lot of people refer to their skin tightening efforts as a "lost cause".  

My Theory: I feel that if you are working out while losing the weight.  I mean working out like 4 - 5 times a week, not just aerobics but weight lifting and toning exercises, including yoga or Pilate's you'll have a good chance of tightening your skin during this process.  If however you wait to get to the gym and you're left with hanging drooping skin it'll be near impossible to suck it back up.  

I think the idea that people "get lucky" is not really true, you see if you lose all the weight and work out and tighten your skin as you go along then you may never have loose skin and those people are often referred to as "lucky".  Then the "lost causes" are looked at as not having a chance.

If you've lost let's say over 40% of your weight from your largest, i.e. you weighed 300lbs and you now weigh 180lbs and you do not have drooping or hanging skin PLEASE COMMENT HERE.

If you've lost 40% of your weight and you went to the gym 4x or more per week doing anaerobic exercises and you HAVE loose or drooping skin PLEASE COMMENT HERE.  

I'm a scientist and I want to collect some real data to come to a real conclusion.  All others please comment with your feelings, facts, experiences etc...

I believe it's a myth. Damaged skin doesn't 'snap back' after being stretched. Age is a factor, too---as we age, our skin loses elasticity even without being stretched. Therefore, a 25-year-old is less likely to have enough loose skin to be a problem after losing, let's say, 100 pounds, even if she does NO exercise, than does a 50-year-old losing the same amount and exercizing like crazy.

I personally feel rather lucky---I had WLS at 45, have lost 173 pounds, and have no more loose skin than most other 52-year old women who HAVEN'T had a major weight loss. And I've never really done ANY 'formal' exercise.

In all due respect and I hope we can keep this a logical factual debate. 

You commented here and on that other post stating 
"Sorry, dude, but it's a total myth that you can 'work to minimize lose (sic) skin" and yet you've never tried working out or doing the one thing that most people say works.

I'm not promoting a ****o butter or special cream what I am saying is that in my experience and others that have spoken to, tried working out and performing anerobic exercises have seen skin tighten up.  I'm not talking about 8" bat wings to super tight lean arms but  I am saying that you can "tighten" your skin up to some degree.

I think it's bogus to state that it's a total "myth" with out any founding factual basis.  There are a great deal of people out there who are afraid to death to get this surgery because of loose skin and you're discourging them with no real basis.

Nevermind - just realized that someone resurrected this old post and necroposted.

 My husband lost 200 lbs.

He has zero loose skin in some places - like his arms, face, neck, etc.

His stomach and thighs were a wreck.

He did not exercise hardly at all.

He looks like he never lost weight - sans for he excess belly skin that was lopped off.

Would love to know if your husband went to the gym if things would have been different.

 No way.

370 lbs of man gut stretched out with fat will NEVER, EVER repair itself.  It's NASTY.

 Wanna see?

http://www.meltingmama.net/wls/2008/01/graphic-pannicu.html

Myth.  Here's why.

If we are a few pounds overweight, our skin will stretch.  But it can only stretch so far.  If we are 100 pounds overweight or more, we actually grow extra skin to cover our big bodies.  Skin does not stretch that far.  We grow more skin. 

Once you grow skin, you cannot ungrow it.  How could exercising make skin ungrow?  Not possible.

Now, exercise will tone muscles.  But skin is not a muscle.  If the muscles under our skin are toned we will probably look less flabby.  But that does not mean we have less skin.  If we exercise and tone our muscles, that does not mean we managed to somehow ungrow skin.

Kelly

Skin is an organ and our bodies create and eliminate organ cells all the time. 

Again I am not stating that you can have a stomach that touches your knees and bring that up but what I am saying is that with the right exercises and effort you should be able to tighten some skin.