Skill degredation?

Hello all. I am just wondering, once you get better at chess, if you stop playing it for a while, will your skill degrade back to the point at where you started (so sort of like ones muslce mass, you can be a big body builder, but once you stop working out, you will revert back to normal), or will your skill stay with your forever? Once its gained it stays with you?

I am asking because my tactics rating used be to in the 1500's. I took a couple of weeks break from my training and came back having trouble doing mid 1300 puzzles. Is this normal?

Thank you

Thanks for the replies so far, I appreciate it.

After a few days of tactics im now in the mid to high 1400's, so I'm making a comeback. On that note, do any of you when you do you training sessions expierience that for the first dozen or two dozen tactics or so, your rating jumps down around 100, and then after you warmed up, it climbs back up and 100 above where you originally were, and after a nice peak in your rating you fall back down to roughly where you started? This is all in a 1 hour training session

So to summarize, I go down 100 points for the first 15 minutes warming up, once I warmed up I regain my 100 points and may go up to 100 points over, then after I am worn out I resettle back to roughly where I started? Does this happen to anyone?

Sorry if this side question is slightly of topic.

For tournament chess in slow time controls I didn't have this problem so far. As soon as I'm into the game, knowledge and experience come back.

It seems to be a much greater factor in blitz, which is my weak point anyway ... recently I took a 5 day break because I was in holiday without a computer, and when I came back I lost like 10 games in a row and my rating dropped over 100 points. I guess you don't lose skill, but speed.