How to Get Rid of Bingo Wings

‘Bingo wings’ are quite unfairly named – the term refers to the saggy skin some people have on their underarms, and apparently derives from the way that skin flaps about when celebrating a full-house win!

They’re actually quite common, and often the person who’s most aware of them is their owner, but if yours are causing you self-confidence problems, there are things you can do to help try and get rid of them, or at least lessen their effects. 

What causes bingo wings?

There are two main causes of bingo wings, so if you have not yet developed any, and want to make sure you never do, here are the things to look out for:

• Weight loss can leave stretched skin less filled by fat, causing it to sag in several areas. Bingo wings are common among people who have lost large amounts of weight, and may also be more likely if you have had strong arm muscles in the past, but have lost muscle tone more recently.
• The ageing process itself typically leads to less elastic skin, as the collagen in your body begins to break down. Bingo wings in the elderly are like an extreme equivalent to wrinkles, so eat healthily, keep your body hydrated, and moisturise all over to help avoid developing bingo wings.

Both main causes (or all three, if you count weight loss and muscle loss as separate processes) can be linked with old age – older people are less likely to eat as much, less likely to exercise in a way that builds their arm muscles, and less likely to have good skin elasticity.

As such, your risk of developing bingo wings is greater the older you get, and it’s good to know what you can do to help get rid of them, if you notice them beginning to form on your arms.

Exercise them away

Unfortunately, there are no quick fixes for bingo wings, but there are fairly low-impact exercises that can help you to reduce the visibility of yours.

If you’ve been on a diet, and weight loss has left you with excess skin, it’s going to be difficult, but the best option is probably to replace that lost weight with extra muscle.

Classic press-ups are a good option for general arm muscle tone, and you can start gently and then increase your number of repetitions as you get the hang of them.

Just be honest about each push-up – keep your back straight and bend from your elbows until your face is close to the floor, and then push back up from your elbows until your arms are straight again.

It’s no good cheating by dipping your tummy towards the floor (although this is a tempting option…!) – you need to do the work with your arms if you’re going to build muscle.

To focus on your triceps, place your hands on a seat or step behind you, with your legs extended, and lower yourself until your elbows are at a right-angle, then push yourself back up. Repeat as many times as you find comfortable.

Finally (and this one is especially for the men, although women can do it too), find out if ‘boxercise’ classes run in your local area; these give your arms a workout and are good for your overall fitness too – as well as being good for your bingo wings.

Eat them away

OK, we’re not suggesting you go on a high-calorie diet purely to fill out your bingo wings with new fat, but if you’ve lost a lot of weight it’s worth thinking about why.

In some cases you may have deliberately dieted to get into better shape, but often – particularly among the elderly – weight loss is not necessarily a good thing.

Make sure your body weight is appropriate for your height (the ratio between the two is what underpins the BMI measure of body fat) and that you’re not at risk of dropping off of the bottom of the ‘healthy’ BMI range for your height.

Stress, depression and excessive workloads can all lead to people dropping weight, sometimes because you’re simply too busy to find time to cook and eat healthily.

If any of this sounds familiar, it’s time to make a lifestyle change – find some personal time to look afresh at what you eat, and make sure you’re maintaining your body weight. Your general health will benefit, and your bingo wings will too.

Style it out

You might not want to admit it, but sometimes bingo wings are inevitable – and if you’re paying the price for an indulgent lifestyle when you were younger, maybe it was worth it after all!

Carefully chosen tops can disguise bingo wings without leaving you wrapped up like Queen Victoria in mourning.

Mid-length sleeves can be a demure and age-appropriate way to cover your upper arms, if you really feel it is necessary to do so.

You can also distract people’s attention away from your upper arms – either towards your hands with a glittery bracelet, or with a sparkly necklace to bring their focus towards your neck and up to your face.

In many cases, a tan helps too – this is possibly another good option for the men, who might not be so willing to add a bracelet and necklace to their ensemble!

Live with it

Finally, there is the option of simply coming to terms with the changes that occur to your body as you get older, and viewing bingo wings as one more item on the list alongside losing your hair and teeth, and developing wrinkles.

You’re probably your own harshest critic – to your family you’re mum or dad, nanna or granddad, and they no doubt love you exactly as you are. Outside of your family and friends, ask yourself whether other people’s opinions really matter so much to your overall happiness.

We live in a world where a lot of people have a very poor self-image of their body, but you don’t have to give in to that temptation – whatever has happened in your life, and however it manifests itself in the way you look, you can learn to simply celebrate your experiences and capitalise on the inner strength that they have given you.