Expert: Thomas Manger, MD, PhD - 9/5/2004

Question
Thank you again for taking the time to read my question and your reply.

When you say toning the surrounding muscles, does that mean I should do as much abs/stomach area workouts as I possibly can and see what becomes of that ?  I've also heard that tanning helps, too.  This may just be "gym science," but I'm trying to separate fact from fiction.

Thank you very much, Dr,

Tim

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Followup To
Question -
Hello Dr:

Thank you for taking the time to read my question.  I'm struggling to find help with a question I have, and I saw that you have a good deal of experience in the subject of Nutrition and Dieting so I was hoping you could help me.

I am young and I used to weigh 320 pounds @ 6'1".  I lost quite a bit of weight through dieting (moderate caloric reduction) and exercise, and now I'm at around 175-180 pounds.  I did this in just a little over a year, and now I'm facing a problem that I suppose most people who lose a lot of weight run into: loose skin.

I am 20y/o now, and I have the typical good amount of stretchmarks and loose skin.  A majority of my loose skin is concentrated around my stomach/abs region, with a little on the upper parts of my legs.  Do you know of any way to get rid of loose skin without surgery ?  I was told by some that loose skin is actually just fat no longer supported by muscle.  If this is true, can I continue my weight-loss program and lose the skin through more fat-loss ?

I am unsure where to go from here.  If you know of effective techniques, excercises, etc, or anything that could help me recover a healthy, good looking body, I would be greatly appreciative.  Thank you for your time!

Much obleiged,

Tim
Answer -
Skin is not fat.  Skin develops and envelops the fat.  It grows as one's fat grows.  However, it does not "shrink" as one loses weight, especially to the degree you have lost.  Toning surrounding muscles is a great way to enhance your appearance, but all the people I have in my practice who have lost that much weight have required/chosen surgery to remove the extra skin.

There is no harm in waiting a year or two to see how things progress, but that may be your most effective option.  

Answer
Tanning won't help.  Toning may, but most of the time you will need surgery to remove the excess skin.  You've got nothing to lose by trying to tone your stomach and obliques.

The analogy is similar to an elastic waistband that has been over-stretched.  Can't do much to get it to return back to it's original size.