Factors Affecting Loose Skin After Weight Loss
Whether you will have loose skin or not after losing weight depends on several things. To avoid loose skin, being aware of the following factors that affect loose skin after weight loss will help you.
Smoking
Smoking leads to a reduction in collagen production and damages existing collagen. It may not necessarily cause loose skin after weight loss, but it contributes to sagging skin.
Excessive sun exposure
The more youre exposed to the sun, the lower your collagen and elastin production levels, making your skin less elastic and looser after losing weight.
Length of time
The longer you have been obese or overweight, the looser your skin will be after losing weight.
Weight
Depending on the quality of your skin and other risk factors, losing 100 pounds or more can result in more loose skin.
When you age, dermal collagen fibrils undergo progressive loss and fragmentation, which leads to thin and structurally weakened skin.
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How To Avoid Loose Skin
While you won’t be able to completely prevent loose skin if you’re losing large amounts of weight, losing weight slowly is the best way to avoid excessive sagging.
Most experts recommend aiming for 1 to 2 pounds a week, which translates to 4 to 8 pounds per month. This will help you lose more fat than muscle and will allow your skin to adjust as you lose weight.
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Will There Be A Scar
The extent of scars varies from patient to patient based on the surgical technique used and the way the patient’s body responds to the healing process. You will have scars from incisions, but a good plastic surgeon will make incisions in strategic places that are covered or in natural creases for less visibility.
Each of these excess skin removal procedures addresses a different area of the body, which means scars will also vary. The most common excess skin removal procedure, a tummy tuck, involves an incision along the lower abdomen. Modern tummy tuck scars are often very thin, and low enough to be hidden by most undergarments. When the skin is pulled taut over the abdomen, the surgeon will also need to create a new belly button, which is a much smaller and less noticeable scar.
Arm and thigh lift scars are very similar, long scars that run along the inside of the limb where the most excess skin often collects. These surgeries are not typically recommended for patients with minimal excess skin because the size of the scars may not be worth it in comparison. The largest scar is for the lower body lift procedure. This incision runs all along the torso, similar to a belt. While scars can be a deterrent for some patients, it is important to remember that they fade over time. Following post operative care instructions, and using a scar improvement gel as you heal can also greatly improve the look of these scars.
Is It Loose Skin Or Fat
This is the first question we need to answer.
Is what youre worrying about actually loose skin or simply excess fat thats hanging on for dear life?
You see, we all have stubborn deposits of fat that take longer to shrink than others. In men, youll find this fat mainly in the stomach region and in women, its usually the hips, thighs, and butt.
Unfortunately, you cant achieve targeted fat loss in specific areas of your body with special diets or exercises and theres no magic pill or powder for those last pockets of fat.
There are physiological reasons for this, but we dont need to dive into the technicalities here.
We just need to determine if youre dealing with a legit case of excess skin or if youre being mislead by soft and jiggly body fat instead.
And the easiest way to do this is to simply pinch the part of your body thats the source of your woes.
If you can grab more than a few millimeters of skin then theres more fat to lose.
That doesnt mean you dont have excess skin, too, but until you burn away the majority of the fat its covering, the skin on top is not going to tightenit will continue its sad, droopy existence.
Remember that skin is shaped by whats underneath, and once youve lost those last stubborn pounds, it can and will tighten.
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What To Know Before You Consider Surgery For Excess Skin
It’s not a good idea to undergo surgery for excess skin if you’re still in the process of losing weightor if there’s a good chance you’ll gain it back right away. “We look to see that a patient is at a healthy weight based on their body mass index or based on their lifestyle and how they feel,” Dr. Malin explained. “I want a patient to be at that stable weight for about six months since their weight loss, which gives the body time to get back to equilibrium.”
If patients are still overweight or obese even after losing significant weight, a plastic surgeon may refer them to a nutritionist or a personal trainer to help them lose more weight before they address their excess skin. Doctors will also consider patients’ overall healthand may take body measurements and photographswhen determining whether they’re a good candidate for surgery.
Women who might still want to have children should not have any type of skin-removal procedure around their midsection. When a patient gains back weight after skin excision surgeryeither because of pregnancy or for other reasons”the effects can be somewhat unpredictable,” Dr. Malin said. Those effects can include stretch marks, widening of the surgical incision, or fat being distributed in unusual places beneath the skin.
Medical Practices That Are Not Conventional
While body-contouring surgery seems to be the most popular technique for removing loose skin, there are less invasive alternatives that have a lower risk of complications:
- Treatment with radiofrequency. This treatment to reduce loose skin from extra weight loss may combine massage, radiofrequency, and infrared light. Although this treatment does not cause weight loss, it may aid in the reduction of tiny fat cell sites.
- Ultrasound. Controlled research of ultrasonic therapy in people who had bariatric surgery found no objective effect on loose skin. People did, nevertheless, report relief from physical pain following treatment.
Although these alternative techniques tend to have fewer dangers, the effects may not be as striking as body-contouring surgery. They are usually gradual, and they take time.
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Can Compression Garments Help Loose Skin
You must have already seen compression garments in the market that claim to take care of loose skin. However, keep in mind that they do not improve loose skin but only minimize the cosmetic side effects of loose skin. It can help reduce irritation, pain, itching, and the risk of infection but doesnt tighten the skin.
Discuss with your cosmetic surgeon about the right treatment for maintaining weight loss and preventing and treating loose skin.
How Do I Get Rid Of Loose Skin After Weight Loss
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If you have been successful in losing a large amount of weight, you may have loose skin. You are not alone as loose or saggy skin is a common problem after losing a large amount of weight in a short period of time. In time, you may see improvements in your skin’s elasticity, but some people may require surgery to remove excess skin.1
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Factors That Influence The Extent Of Loose Skin After Weight Loss
Many factors influence how the skin expands. Here are some of the most prevalent causes of skin sagging after losing weight:
- Genetics: Your skins response to weight fluctuations may be influenced by your genes.
- Age: Older Skin has less elasticity due to reduced collagen production than younger skin. On that note, a younger person undergoing massive weight loss will have less extra skin loss when compared to older people under the same conditions.
- The amount of time that has passed: Due to collagen and elastin loss, the skin of someone who has been overweight or obese for a long time will be looser after significant weight loss.
- The amount of weight that has been lost: Fat loss of 100 lbs or more is associated with excess loose skin than weight reduction of fewer than 100 lbs .
- Exposure to the sun: Skin elastin and collagen production have been proven to be reduced by prolonged sun exposure, which may result in loose skin.
- Smoking: Smoking causes a decrease in collagen production and damage to existing collagen, resulting in drooping loose skin.
You can make healthy choices to regain healthy skin for some of these factors. These are like halting smoking and reducing sun exposure by using sunscreen every day. Unfortunately, there is very little you can do about factors like age and genetics.
Below are some treatments on tightening loose skin after weight loss that you may use to regain your confidence.
How To Avoid Loose Skin After You Lose Weight
When planning for your weight loss journey, the thought of having loose skin can make the entire idea less appealing. Having toned arms, a flat belly, a firm butt, higher energy levels, and a well-defined body in exchange for loose skin in your thighs, arms or stomach doesn’t feel like a good trade-off and definitely isn’t what you had in mind when you decided to lose weight.
Is there a way to prevent loose skin after losing weight? That’s one question people ask before embarking on a weight loss journey. The good news? There is a way. Although its not possible to completely avoid loose skin after a huge weight loss, there are various steps and procedures that can make a difference.
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If You Are Having Weight Loss Surgery Consider A Surgical One
Though I personally havent opted for weight loss surgery, many doand there is zero shame in that. But because of the more rapid pace with which weight is lost after surgery comes the greater likelihood of excess skin. Why do we have to worry about excess skin, especially after more rapid weight loss? Its because collagen and elastin fibers are destroyed when skin is stretched significantly and remains stretched for an extended amount of time, New York City plastic surgeon David Shafer says. Patients should plan on staged procedures if having a weight loss surgery followed by a skin removal surgery.
Natural Ways To Get Rid Of Loose Skin After Weight Loss
After all your good work in losing your excess weight, it can be disheartening to find that your skin cant keep up. Many people who lose weight will find their skin feels loose, especially around areas that experience the most fat loss.
These areas include the stomach, face, and neck, as well as your limbs and bottom. Its an understandably frustrating result. Getting in shape is tough work, and wed all want to feel great about our bodies afterward. Thats why a lot of people opt for surgical procedures like body contouring to get rid of that extra skin.
But there are also natural ways to deal with loose skin, and the benefit of choosing them is that youre also supporting the natural health of your skin. That means it can better adapt to further changes in your body shape in the future and the damaging effects of age.
So why do we have excess skin when we lose weight, and what can we do about it? Well go over five natural ways to get rid of loose skin in this article, but lets start by learning what makes your skin what it is, and how it responds to changes in your body.
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Excess Skin Removal Surgery By Jet Medical Tourism: What To Expect
Jet Medical Tourism® has on board some of the best excess skin removal surgeons that will help you achieve healthy and exceptionally beautiful outcomes. You can expect a dramatic improvement in your appearance and a new level of self-esteem following the skin removal surgery. Here are some of the key benefits of excess skin removal after weight loss.
Which Method Is Right For You
This ultimately depends on which stage of weight loss you are in, as well as your willingness to seek out medical or professional help. It should be noted, however, that there are indeed stubborn areas of fat and skin that have to be mended surgically if you encounter these, make sure to undergo the procedure from a board-certified plastic surgeon.
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Factors That Contribute To Loose Skin
How much loose skin you have after significant weight loss will depend on your specific circumstances. The elasticity of your skin can be impacted by several factors and can even fluctuate during your life. While some people have a lot of loose skin that may require surgical intervention, others may experience no loose skin, even after extensive fat loss.
Some factors that contribute to loose skin¹ include:
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Genetics and family history of skin sagging
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Loss of muscle mass
Natural Ways To Reduce Loose Skin After Weight Loss
Some people choose for plastic surgery after dramatic weight loss to get rid of the loose skin. For those of us who would prefer a natural, non-surgical route, there are plenty of options.
These five strategies work by improving the overall health and elasticity of the skin. Surgery might provide an instant fix to loose skin, but improving your skin health is a more sustainable solution that will guarantee healthy skin throughout your whole life.
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What Is The Recovery Process Like
The recovery process can look different for everyone but in general, you can expect to be sore for approximately four weeks following the surgery. It is important you are able to take this time off work and make your main priority recovering. After the initial 4 weeks you will feel significantly better however it will take several months for your body to be fully recovered.
A study on excess skin surgery patients discovered patients were self-conscious about scaring for the first year however, they reported improved self view after about a year. The overarching results of the study dictated the patients felt encouraged about their appearance and way better in their own skin with a reported better quality of life.
Easy Tips How To Get Rid Of Loose Belly Skin After Weight Loss
On hot summer days, you will want to wear a bathing suit to hit the beach with your friends. Nevertheless, does the loose belly skin make you feel unconfident? Do not get confused because so many people have the same worries with you. This condition usually occurs in postpartum women and those who have recently lost weight.
There are many dangerous and ineffective gimmicks on how to get rid of loose belly skin. There is no magic wand that can help you tighten belly fat for a day, but this article will explain why your waist is getting loose and how to get rid of this condition.
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What Causes Loose Skin
Loose skin after weight loss is a result of several contributing factors. Our skin is partially made up of proteins called collagen and elastin fibers. These proteins give skin its firmness and allow it to snap back in place after being stretched. When the skin is stretched for an extended period of time, the collagen and elastin fibers become damaged. After weight loss, your skin may lack the necessary proteins to return to its original shape. The skin loses its firmness and tends to just hang on the body.
In addition to losing elastin and collagen, the makeup of the collagen left in the skin changes as well. After losing weight, our skin contains less collagen and its composition is different than the collagen in young, healthy skin. The makeup of your skin is also determined by other factors like age, history of smoking, general health, and family history.