I hate the word saggy.
My son was gifted a little golden book titled 'the saggy baggy elephant'.
Saggy Baggy Elephant thinks her skin is too loose and that she doesn't look good enough. She races around trying to find out how to get nice sleek skin, until she finds a herd of elephants who tell her she is a perfectly dandy baby elephant. I hope I haven't spoiled the suspense of the story for anyone lol.
Every time he picked that book for his bedtime story I would think of my "new" stomach and the saggy skin that bothered me so much.
Bounce back culture put a lot of pressure on me, and admittedly I lost the weight by a year postpartum with both my boys.
What I hadn't been able to shake 5 years postpartum, was the saggy skin I was left with.
Maybe I'm way off here, but from moms I've talked to, you kind of have a pivotal moment when you realize your body is not going to be what it once was.
While you are grateful for all you body did, it is pretty disheartening.
My moment, was a picture taken of me and my boys at our pool and hating the picture because I could just see my loose stomach skin (no amount of sucking in gets rid of this I promise.) After this, you cannot unsee it in any future photos. =(
I do crunches, I run, I eat pretty healthy; but these things did not move the needle as far as loose skin.
I'm not ready for the mommy-makeover; so I've ventured to see what, if any, products could make a difference for me.
I gave everything a 3 month shot. It was advised for some of the products and it just seemed like the right time frame to give them a chance.
Here's some I found that actually made a difference:
1. NuBODY Microcurrent Device Set: FDA Cleared Body Toning Device
I hate that I'm starting my recommendations with such a pricy item but this legit worked so well for me.
I purchased my nuface during the Nordstrom anniversary sale and highly suggest if you see this go on sale to snatch one up.
The description said it would help smooth away the look of dimples and creepy skin on arms, buttocks, abs, and thighs.
You need to devote 5 minutes to the area you are targeting.
While this seemed simple enough for my stomach; it actually calculated more to 20 minutes as I wanted to make sure to target each side of my stomach (lower, upper two sides each if that makes sense).
I started doing this in the morning after a shower, but found I had more time if I just brought it out after my kids went to bed while watching a show.
The microcurrent is genuinely shocking, so I was sure to use the activator gel everytime I used it. This also helps it slide better.
I will tell you the before and after really sold me on this device, and after about 3 weeks I could see my skin was less creepy looking and smoother.
My stomach was my biggest area of concern and this did actual noticeable progress.
Once you get to more desired results you still need to keep up use. 5 days a week on each treatment area for the first 60 days. After 60 days, use 2-3 days a week.
I've since noticed my knees and thighs have some creepy skin; so I'm going to have to figure out how to spend an hour a day doing this at some point.
2. Clarins Extra-Firming Body Cream +
Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula with Vitamin E & Q10 Firming Butter Body Lotion:
My son has eczema and I have kept the creams in my house strictly to Vanicream (my absolute favorite for those struggling).
I worked retail for 10 years and a chunk of those were spent in the beauty department.
One of my first jobs out of college was managing fragrances & beauty for Marshall Field's in Chicago.
I was given so much skincare from brands to try; and sat in on hours of product knowledge seminars.
I left Chicago with an intense obsession with all things skincare.
I promise you I don't fully drink the kool-aid claims that skincare products make, but I do think the firming creams make a little difference and I realized I could probably use one for my body at this point.
After trying over 10 different kinds I'm sharing my two favorites.
a) Clarins extra firming body cream: this is my high dollar pick; coming in at $67 for 6.6 oz. I massage this upwards from my stomach to the creepy skin I had seen just below my chest. I love this because there isn't an overwhelming scent and its easy to travel with because its not a pump.
Their claim is its a combination of two plant ingredients with powerful firming and tightening benefits—Organic Petasites extract, and Organic Mitracarpus extract.
It's a rich cream and is infused with Organic Shea Butter and Organic Aloe Vera. My skin does feel more hydrated and I feel like this is a good 2nd step to use alongside the nuface.
b) My second favorite firming lotion is from Palmer's; it has a much better price point at $5.99 for 10.6 oz on amazon.
The scent on this one is stronger of cocoa. They say its light scent but you will smell like cocoa for days I swear.
This is a lotion so its not as thick as the clarins cream. It uses Q10 and Vitamin E in its formulation to help restore your body and it's marketed for after pregnancy or weight loss.
Because this lotion is far less expensive I use it all over ( on my arms, knees, legs etc.
I wish the scent was less cocoa-y. I would have no complaints... if this was unscented, but the price point is so good so I forgive them.
3. Skinglow Superfood Antioxidant Gummies
So I got a lot of recommendations to take collagen to help sagging skin. I will tell you I have taken collagen for years (in my hair vitamins- shout out to baby blues max strength hair gummies with collagen) and also using vital proteins collagen powder). I know it's great you don't have to tell me.
The interesting thing about collagen though is you want to improve your ability to absorb it, and that can make a world of difference.
One of the best ways to do this is to add antioxidants daily. I'm going to get a bit technical now:
Antioxidants actually help reduce skin sagging and wrinkles by neutralizing reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS are compounds that can activate pathways that eventually degrade collagen. (We hate that).
Antioxidants also help stimulate the growth of collagen and elastin. (We love that).
Antioxidants are so great because they also help protect against the damage caused by free radicals and boost the production of collagen, while basically tightening skin along the way.
Hands down easiest way I get a ton of antioxidants daily is the baby blues skinglow superfood gummies with Acai Berry, Acerola Cherry, European Gooseberry, Pomegranate, Goji Berry, Banana, Apple, Beet Root, Peach, Papaya, Cranberry, and Mango (coming up for air after reading all those super fruits back).
Lord knows I can't eat or even find those fruits daily so I take two of the star shaped gummies and figure I'm doing the work from the inside too.
These are just the top 3 products I've found right now that make an actual visible difference for me. I'm looking forward to keeping this list updated as I'm forever in the hunt for things that will help firm up my skin.
Let me know in the comments anything nonsurgical you've found to help!
