Weight Loss and Aging

I want to ask this question as delicate as I can.  I do not want to offend anyone.

Is there a reason why some people seem to age when they loose alot of weight?  I have always heard that obese people body ages as well as facial appearances.  But I have seen before and after pics and some people look alot younger heavier?  It appears as though with significant weight loss the facial appearances seem to have aged a person.  I'm worried because all of my life people say I look 10 -15 years younger.  I'm afraid that I will lose the weight, look much older than my actual age and be balding due to the hair loss.  But my body will be healthy.  As you can tell I am my mind is running away with crazy stuff due to the closeness of my surgery.  I am just noticing alot more now I guess.  Please, Please, do not take any offense to any thing that I am asking.  It is just my own observation and a friend of mind had the surgery about 1.5 yrs ago and she is happy with the weight loss but unhappy because she looks so much older.  Her passport pictures makes her look much younger although you can see she was very heavy.  With the aging, she does not look like herself at all.  What are your thoughts or experiences?

I had the same worries.  Then I decided to start saving for plastic surgery just in case I need it. I'm 46, down about 60lbs and haven't noticed any new wrinkles.  And i feel about 10 years younger.  Relax you are making a good decision.

Im sry I cant answer that just wanted to post my experience. Im now told I look younger since i lost the weight,,

I'm 16 and people seem to always mistaken me for being in my twenties.. So if people seem to age with weight loss... I'm screwed. I've noticed it with some people. But not everyone. I gues it just depends on how much your skin has been through too.. how long you have beenobese, how old you actually are, different hormogne levels, etc..

 I worry about the same thing too, but can't handle being overweight any more so it is what it is. I think a fuller face gives us the appearance of youth. As your face loses fat it will change. Hopefully we won't look 15 years older when done.....lol   

I have also noticed on the after pics most guys are without a doubt have more grey the the before pics.

maybe the stress on the body makes their hair grey faster.

One thing for sure is grey on a normal size person looks a hell of a lot better then grey on an obese person

just my 2 cents.

Have a look at my pics on my profile. I think I look younger than the one taken 6 months before surgery. I was 58 then and now am 60. I will tell you I FEEL like 40 again! I felt like 80 before surgery.

I'm 44, and I"ve lost a lot of weight in the face. I"m also fair-skinned and I live in Florida (land of sun).  As a result, the fat that was 'filling' some of my lines and wrinkles is no longer there.  I plan to do some skin treatments and perhaps a mini-lift when I get to goal.  I've been told that 6 months after I go into maintenance there will be some re-distribution and some fat will come back to my face.

To put it in perspective, however, i've traded size 30 for some visible lines on my face and a size 8-10, so far. 

 I think it would depend on your age.  If you are past 40, you are starting to visibly lose collegen - that's the stuff that makes your skin pliable and elastic.   Fat stretches out the skin; loss of fat means there is nothing to fill it out.  If it doesn't shrink up as you lose weight, then it sags - jowls, wrinkles, etc.  If you still have an abundance of collegen, then you probably don't have much to worry about. 

I am 45 and all of my friends (most in the mid to late 30's) all say that I look 10 years YOUNGER now that I am thinner (these are chicks who don't hold back at all!) I think it all depends on how fast your body adjust to weight loss, genes, etc., on how you will look.I also don't have a lot of excess skin you would think a person would have when you lose close to 100 lbs, but once again, I am thinking genetics.  I think that it also helps that I have NO gray hair which can age a person's looks also. I, like you, worried about that in the beginning, but then I got over myself and said **** it, I am what I am,and will be what I will be and if they don't like how I look, they can shut their eyes and kick rocks with open toe shoes!!!!