I recently watched Blade Runner.. I know, completely off topic..
So, it was the original, starring Harrison Ford. It was filmed in 1982 and set in November 2019.. They had an interesting and incorrect perception of what the world would be like..
They thought in 40 years that we would have Flying cars. With the driving skills of today’s drivers, I shudder at the thought. I did notice that most of the cars are very similar to Deloreans which ceased being made the year after this movie was released.
This movie not only had smoking as a commonplace activity, but specifically smoking inside. Here in Ontario , the law banning smoking in indoor public spaces was passed in 1994 & further expanded in 2006. These were put into place long before the movie was set to take place.
Advertising included building high billboards. While not commonplace they do exist. Yonge-Dundas Squate (sorry, Sankofa Square) in Downtown Toronto is an example. However, the billboard blimps in this movie are not something we have and they do not look like the Goodyear blimp.
We were expected to be living ‘off-world’. Considering we haven’t been to the Moon since 1972, it’s a little unrealistic, even then. Also the International Space Station didn’t even get started being built until 1998, over 15 after this movie was released
The technology was inconsistent. They had robots with full AI, which we are just getting into. Yet the actual computers are garbage with low resolution monitors. Cellular devices and personal phones were not a thing. We couldn’t live these days without our phones. They did have public telephones, something that is rare these days. But they had video calling.. Talk about inconsistent! Lol
The architecture is just way out there.
Photographs, which are becoming more & more scarce, were in the movie. These instant cameras were similar to polaroids. While polaroid cameras do still exist, I haven seen one in the flesh, so to speak, in decades.
I found the Atari ad placement funny tho.. Oddly enough, it’s still around and Atari is allegedly still making games for that system..
Allodynia – That’s the technical term for feeling your skin 24/7. My skin is so sensitive that a gentle breeze can trigger a pain response on a bad day. Pants are torture, but skirts are worse. I hate leggings because they make me constantly aware of my skin. Which I assure you is not nearly as much fun as it sounds.
A quick anatomy lesson for the integumentary system (hair, nails, skin and sweat glands) your skin is by far the largest organ you have. It’s not just a meat sack holding your body together. There are billions of nerve receptors in your skin. They are designed to bypass the rational mind and are hardwired into your subconscious or reflexive mind. This is why you move your hand away from the flame before you even realize you’re burning. There are about 2 billion or so nerve endings in the outermost layer of skin. More in the under layers, the hair, sweat glands etc. They are there to alert us to potential danger and to alert the brain that we have been damaged.
You have different nerve receptors for different things. Some are ticklish. Some detect change in Temperature. Some itch. And some say OUCH!
Now imagine if something happened and suddenly all of the receptors start telling your brain OUCH. Meaning that breeze causes pain, the brush of your hair across your skin causes pain, warmth/cold causes pain. Sound vibrations caues pain. Clearly this is a problem with the wiring. But they don’t know what it’s caused by.
When my skin hurts I don’t want delicate gentle touch, I want specific, firm and with intention touch. I want clear and obvious sensation (think stingy and thuddy rather than feathery or ticklish)
Author – Unknown.
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I do get this myself. Mine is thankfully on & off . Like the OP, I prefer firm contact, but I also need to know it’s coming. It’s easier to just have no contact at all tbh.
It’s weird. If I’m sensitive with this, a hair that falls out of my head & lazily makes its way down my back or my arm can be excruciating at worst, mildly painful at best.
I even have a “Don’t Touch Koolaid” Necker for Cubs. Meaning they know they can not touch me when I’m wearing it. They don’t understand why – just that it hurts me alot if they do on those days. Fortunately, I don’t have to wear it often
Every year for Christmas, I bake cookies to give to friends and family for gifts. To make it easy on myself, I buy some of the dough pre-made. This also allows for a little more variety than if I just made six batches of peanut butter cookies or sugar cookies.
I tried something different this year. Yes, I still bought the pre-mix dough and I also still mixed up some dough. What was different this year is that I only baked the cookies that I needed as I needed them. Previous years I would bake all the cookies and then freezing them all.
While this does take more time, it has been spread out over multiple days. It limits doing repetitive and eventually very painful actions for hours & hours on end. Plus, I’m also not spending one day constantly baking
The other benefit is that for most people, the cookies are fresh – straight from the oven almost in most cases..
Unfortunately, I did not see my brother’s family this year due to a really bad storm the day before our family dinner. He was still digging out with intermittent power. His eldest god to school near me, so I will send the family’s cookies home with her after the holiday break. Until then, they are frozen cuz dough only remains good for a limited period of time.
The only other ones that were baked & frozen were the gluten free ones for my neice’s & SiL’s gluten intolerances. That was done for two reasons. First to ensure that all the gluten-free products were baked on a gluten-free surface and not switching between gluten-free and regular cookies. Second to keep all the gluten-free cookies together. I didn’t want to get them mixed up.
Personally, for me, Christmas is probably the busiest time of year. Plus with personal issues that I’ve been having with different relationships, I haven’t been able to focus here very much.. so my apologies for not posting… Again…
Just to give you an idea. Monday was dinner out with a friend I haven’t seen in a coons ahe. Tuesday I have errands all afternoon & a cub planning meeting in the evening.. Wednesday is the Cub year end meeting, a social gathering & baking both before & after those. Thutsday I have to organize the baking, getting some ready for me to post as well as for friends this weekend. In the evening, I’m off to my sister’s for hair & a walk with the dogs. Friday, weather permitting, I’m getting the headlight fixed then I’m heading out for a social event with out-of-town friends I have not seen since Labour Day. Saturday is a coffee date (Whoo hoo!!) Sunday is soccer.. I still need to do groceries: normal groceries, Christmas dinner groceries, cookie baking groceries.. then, more baking as our family Christmas is on the 23rd.. plus wrapping presents for Mom, Dad, Sister & her family & a friend who I exchange with for more than just cookies..
So, yeah . Busy….
And I’m probably missing stuff in the schedule..
Plus I need to fit in exercise, a hot tub or two or 6, plus other personal self care & put up my second tree.. & make some ornaments..
Skin is typically stretched due to significant weight gain and pregnancy. Skin expansion during pregnancy occurs over a few months’ time and will typically retract within several months of delivery. During significant weight gain skin often loses its ability to retract after weight loss due to damage to collagen, elastin, and other components responsible for elasticity making retraction of the skin more difficult.
Loose skin can be frustrating and have an impact on self-esteem. While there are many ways you can develop loose skin, once you have it, it can be difficult to reverse.
While surgery is one way of removing excess skin, there are multiple ways that the skin can retract naturally. It’s these area I’ll be focusing on, but will touch on cosmetic procedures & prevention tips at the end.
Exercise
Long term excess fat will distend the skin which can cause it to lose some of its ability to shrink with weight loss. Replacing that lost fat with muscle mass can lessen the *appearance* of loose skin.
Massage
Increasing the blood flow to areas of the body can help stimulate an anti-aging response causing come contraction of the skin. Now massage definitely reduces dead skin cells and helps with slight retraction. Unfortunately, with large amounts of skin, my RMT sources can’t see it working with a significant amount of skin
I haven’t done any massage on my problems area, but I have gotten regular therapeutic massages on my back currently & during the later half of my weight-loss journey. It is possible that the skin on my back is not a big problem area for me due to this.
Firming Creams.
Firming cream is one that contains retinoid Retinoids are chemical derivatives of vitamin A and include: retinoinretinoic acid adapalene. They increase the proliferation, maturation, and turnover of skin cells. Creams that contain hyaluronic acid, which attracts and holds onto water molecules. Hyaluronic helps :reduce the depth of wrinkles, increase skin firmness, diminish skin roughness. Collagen and elastin molecules are too large to be absorbed through your skin. In general, collagen must be created from the inside out.
Supplements.
There’s no magic pill to fix loose skin, but some supplements can help
Collagen, which makes up 80% of your skin’s structure, provides firmness and strength. Elastin provides elasticity and helps your skin stay tight.
Certain nutrients are important for the production of collagen and other components of healthy skin:
Protein. Adequate protein is vital for healthy skin. The amino acids lysine and proline play a direct role in collagen production.
Vitamin C. Vitamin C is needed for collagen synthesis and also helps protect skin from sun damage
Omega-3 fatty acids. The omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish may help increase skin elasticity and have anti-aging effect
Water. Staying well hydrated may improve the skin’s appearance. One study found that women who increased their daily water intake had significant improvements in skin hydration and function.
Hyaluronic Acid & Collegen Hyaluronic acid attracts and holds onto water molecules and helps :reduce the depth of wrinkles, increase skin firmness, diminish skin roughness The innermost layer of your skin consists of proteins, including collagen and elastin. Collagen, which makes up 80% of your skin’s structure, provides firmness and strength. Elastin provides elasticity and helps your skin stay tight.
What I’ve Done:
1. When I got my tats last year to keep the skin moisturized & healthy, I used a product called Udderly Smooth® Extra Care 20 , Urea penetrates and hydrates extra dry skin by holding onto water moisturization and giving skin the replenishment it needs. After applying the moisturizer to my shoulder & upper arm, I always had extra on my hands. So twice a day I was applying the extra to my abdomen. This resulted in an increase in firmness as the skin appeared to retract on my stomach. I started having fewer infections at the folds of skin.
I receive no compensation for my endorsement of this product.
2. In the last month, I have started taking the supplement shown below. It contains Verisol Bioactive Collagen Peptides, phytoceramides, hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, and biotin. Scientific research has shown that these incredible ingredients help maintain healthy hair, skin, and nails, and significantly improves skin hydration, elasticity, and smoothness by reducing wrinkles and promoting healthy collagen production.
For best results, the recommended dosage for adults is 2 tablets 2 times daily. That would make the 120tabley supply for 30 days. Being on a limited budget, I take one tablet twice a day.
I have recently started to notice that it seems to be helping. The skin across my adbomen seems to be tightening up. The skin on my arms, my “bat wings” seem to be less noticeable and wobble less.
I receive no compensation for my endorsement of this product.
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Cosmetic Procedures
While medical or surgical treatments can help improve loose skin, they are more invasive options for tighten loose skin after major weight loss.
Body Contouring Surgery
People who have lost a significant amount of weight via bariatric surgery or other weight loss methods often request surgery to remove excess skin.
In body-contouring surgery, a surgeon makes a large incision and removes excess skin and fat. They then suture the incision with fine stitches to minimize scarring. These surgeries usually require a hospital stay followed by recovery time at home.
Specific body-contouring surgeries include:
abdominoplasty (tummy tuck): removal of skin from the abdomen
lower-body lift: removal of skin from the belly, buttocks, hips, and thighs
upper-body lift: removal of skin from the breasts and back
medial thigh lift: removal of skin from the inner and outer thighs
brachioplasty (arm lift): removal of skin from the upper arms
Multiple surgeries are usually performed on different body parts over the span of 1 to 2 years after major weight loss.
Body-contouring surgery may improve quality of life after significant weight loss. However, if complications arrise, some quality of life scores decreased in people who had the procedure.
Alternative Medical Procedures
Although body-contouring surgery is by far the most common procedure to remove loose skin, less invasive options with a lower risk of complications include:
Radiofrequency treatment. Such treatments may use a combination of infrared light, radiofrequency, and massage to reduce loose skin. While this treatment doesn’t induce weight loss, it may help reduce small areas of fat cells.
Ultrasound. A controlled study of ultrasound treatment in people who had bariatric surgery found no objective improvement in loose skin. However, people did report relief of pain and other symptoms following treatment.
It appears that although there are fewer risks with these alternative procedures, the results may not be as dramatic as with body-contouring surgery.
Prevention
There are a few ways you can prevent loose skin.
If you smoke, quit. Make your home a smoke-free zone, so you’re not exposed to it. Consult your healthcare professional about quitting.
Wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen of at least SPF 15 to protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays, even if it’s cloudy outside. Apply 30 minutes before going outside and reapply every two hours.
Moisture. Using the firming creams above will help elasticity anfer pregnancy and as you are loosing weight. You don’t need to wait until you get loose skin to help prevent it.
Fibromyalgia 
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