Skinny fat / skin elasticity / aging
 

I'm not sure if I've posted about this before (forgive if so, please!). I'm at a normal BMI (23, with a large skeletal frame), and look slim in clothes. I work out 4-5 days a week, with bodyweight and cardio, taking care to challenge myself. You can definitely pinch an inch, though, on my triceps, and a full handful on my hips. And the skin/fat - maybe I'll call it skat - feels much looser and spongier than it did in my 20s, as in, it doesn't feel quite as 'bonded'. (Am in my mid-30s now.)

Is this a question of collagen/age? Or would I need to concentrate on lowering body fat percentage? I've always been at around 30%, despite my best efforts. I can see dimpling/cottage cheesiness when I do pull on the skat.

Some of this is genetics, I know - when I was born, I apparently had loose skin around my thighs, just waiting to be filled with cheese pastries and pizza. Also, I have gone up and down in weight over the years - from an average of 150 lbs to 200, some years ago, and back down; recently, from 170s to 140s.

Excessive skin elasticity/looseness may be caused by rapid weight loss. If you've lost several pounds recently your skin might need a few more weeks to catch up. I don't think it's necessarily due to aging because mid-30s is still pretty young. Maybe the inch you're pinching IS your tricep! Lowering your bf% will help tighten up the cottage cheese look. Maybe try increasing the intensity of your bodyweight exercises or consider lifting weights?