Loose skin is one of those things you have to learn to deal with, whether you lost weight naturally, or engaged in a bariatric surgery procedure. You may have been told that it’s something you just need to live with, but that is not the case.
There are many things you can do to get rid of loose skin after weight loss and even ways you can prevent it from happening in the first place. Here’s everything you need to know about weight loss, loose skin and what you can do about it.
What causes excess skin after weight loss?
The excess skin that many people experience after losing large amounts of weight is caused by the skin expanding when the person gains weight. If you lose weight at a rapid rate, the skin elasticity is affected and the skin struggles to snap back into place once the weight has been lost.
If you carry with you excess weight for an extended period of time, it can cause damage to the collagen and elastin fibers, which allow the skin to tighten after weight loss. But don’t lose hope, because no matter how long you have carried around those extra pounds, there are still ways you can eliminate unwanted sagging skin.
How to tighten skin after weight loss
There are a couple of ways that you can tighten skin after weight loss or after bariatric surgery. Whether you choose to let the skin tighten up in its own time, use natural methods to speed up the process, or decide surgically removing skin might be best, these are the options available to you.
Does loose skin go away on its own after losing weight?
If you have lost a small to moderate amount of weight, the skin will eventually tighten on its own. This also depends on your age, the younger you are, the more easily your skin will tighten right up.
However, if you have lost large amounts of weight, it might require surgery OR a much longer period of time to tighten in combination with a few natural remedies.
How to tighten skin after weight loss naturally
There are a couple of ways that you can encourage your skin to tighten up after losing an excessive amount of weight. Here’s how to get rid of loose skin after losing weight.
Use a firming cream
Doctors recommend using firming creams that contain retinoids which are a chemical derivative of vitamin A. These chemical derivatives have different names, so here is a couple to look out for:
- tretinoin
- retinoic acid
- adapalene
These chemicals help to increase the turnover rate of skin cells, allowing the skin to tighten more quickly. It’s also a good idea to use creams that contain hyaluronic acid as they help your skin hold onto moisture. This can lessen the depth of wrinkles and increase the firmness of your skin.
Take supplements
There is no magic pill for tightening loose skin caused by weight loss, but if you take supplements containing hyaluronic acid, you can move the process along more quickly. This hyaluronic acid does the same thing for your skin that it would in cream form, but allows you to attack the problem head-on from the inside out.
Taking a collagen supplement is also an option. This will encourage collagen production within the body.
Exercise frequently
Loose skin often struggles to tighten up to its original form, especially if you have been carrying around excess weight for a long period of time. But filling that space with muscle can reduce the appearance of loose skin.
Doing muscle-building exercises such as weight training can make a significant difference in the appearance of sagging skin. This frequent weight training will also help you to keep the excess weight off your body in the long term.
Massage the loose skin
Massaging the loose, excess skin increases the blood flow to that region of the body. This has an anti-aging effect on skin cells, and helps them to repair and replace themselves more easily – effectively tightening your skin naturally and more quickly.
You can do this with your hands or with a hand-operated oscillating massage tool. If you want to make this massaging technique even more effective, use a sugar or salt scrub to further increase blood flow.
If you want to see positive results, try to engage in the practice on a daily basis and combine a handful or all of these natural methods. If you would like to see results quickly, then engage in these practices during your weight loss journey so that your body can adjust the loose skin while the weight is still dropping off.
Plastic surgery
Another option is to elect for plastic surgery. Cosmetic surgery offers plenty of interventions post-weight loss including body contouring (also known as s body lift), tummy tucks and breast lifts.
Like any surgery, these procedures can pose a risk so be sure to work with a professional that comes highly recommended.
How to tighten loose skin after weight loss surgically
There are a couple of medical procedures that can be used to tighten loose skin after weight loss, but only a few of them are appropriate for those who have lost excessive weight – such as those that have undergone bariatric surgery.
Laser treatments and cryotherapy are popular treatments for the saggy skin experienced after weight loss surgery. Cryotherapy makes use of extreme cold to achieve some level of skin tightening but it is not a strong enough treatment to fully address the loose skin.
Undergoing body contouring procedure is the most popular and is a surgical procedure that involves the cutting away of excess skin and fat that is unlikely to tighten against the body. This is recommended for individuals who have an uncomfortable amount of sagging skin after bariatric surgery.
Everything you need to know about extra skin after weight loss
Many people think that when they lose weight, they will have the body of their dreams. While they may not be carrying excess weight, they might have to deal with the loose skin that comes with it. But this doesn’t mean that you should abandon your weight loss efforts because there are many ways to deal with this excess skin and remove it for good.
Try these methods to get rid of the loose skin and you’ll finally have the body you’ve always dreamed of. There is so much to find out about life after weight loss surgery, and we hope these tips have helped you get one step closer to your goals!