How to Tighten Loose Skin After Losing Weight

Losing weight is fulfilling and self-enhancing attempt and typically yields numerous benefits enhancing resistance to diseases and improving the quality of life. However, a significant weight loss journey can also bring an unwanted side effect: loose, sagging skin. 

Loose skin is an unwelcome side effect of massive weight loss as it often serves as a constant reminder of the struggle to get thin; it is both physically uncomfortable and mentally disturbing.

This article will explain the reasons for having skin sagging after the loss of weight, the conditions that make it worst and give natural and medical ways of tightening the skin or having it removed.

Causes of Loose Skin After Weight Loss

First of all, let me state that the skin is your body’s largest organ. Consequently it acts as a shield to the environment.

Your skin has an inner layer that is composed of proteins such as collagen, and elastin. Glycoproteins also called collagen which form the skin’s main component of about 80% is responsible for firmness and skin strength. Elastin also gives your skin stretchability and ensures that skin remains firm.

During weight gain the skin stretches to accommodate the growth of the tissues beneath it. Pregnancy is one such expansion, for instance.

Skin stretching during pregnancy takes place during a few months. The extended skin normally contracts within several months of the delivery.

On the other hand, if the skin is stretched for a long time then collagen and elastin fibres get damaged. Consequently, they partially give up on being able to retract.

But as a result, when you have a weight loss considerably, then there will be loose skin hanging from the body. When it comes to stretching of the skin, it can be generally noted that the higher the level of weight loss, the more severe the skin will be looser.

Also, the researchers said that those patients, who had the surgery to lose extra pounds, produce less new collagen and the collagen they produce is relatively weaker than the collagen in the young people’s skin.

Factors that influence the loss of skin elasticity

Several factors play a significant role in how the skin adapts to weight changes, and these include the following:

• Overweight or Obesity Timeline

If a person has been overweight or obese for several years, skin might lost much of it’s elasticity and therefore it cannot revert back to normal. This is so because skin that has been stretched for several years due to excessive weight is more prone to be damaged in such a way that their elasticity is permanently affected.

• Amount of Weight Lost

Weight loss, especially that involving significant reductions in body weight within a relatively brief timespan is more likely to produce more pronounced cases of loose skin. For instance, mega weight loss that involves shedding at least 100 pounds is destined to bring more skin laxity than other mild or moderate weight loss.

• Age

With time, the skin loses its ability to repair itself since the working of the cells is not as active as it used to be. Older people get more loosened skin after losing weight as their skin produces lesser amount of collagen than young people, needed to maintain skin tightness.

• Genetics

There are those who have genes that make their skin to maintain high elasticity, and there are those whose skin has low elasticity and quickly develops sags if there are changes in weight.

• Sun Exposure

Long-term exposure to sun’s UV rays can weaken collagen and elastin inside the skin and diminish the skin’s ability to bounce back to its original shape. Even sun damage causes the skin to lose elasticity and therefore can interfere with skin’s ability to respond to weight loss by sagging.

• Smoking

Smoking causes constriction of blood vessels hence the skin deteriorates and has less ability to produce collagen and elastin. Cigarettes are also toxic to the skin; they break skin cells and cause early signs of aging as well as skin loosening.

Challenges Associated with Loose Skin

Some of the problems linked with saggy skin include:

Physical Discomfort 

It can lead to inflammation, rubbing, and painful ulcers. Some folds in the skin are formed due to the accumulation of skin, and these folds when closed can cause formation of moisture that forms sores, rashes or other infections.

Skin Conditions

Loose skin can lead to development of skin folds, and skin folds promote growth of bacteria. It may develop into rash, infection or ulcer which causes pain, and needs the attention of a healthcare provider.

Decreased Physical Activity

Some may develop a form of embarrassment from the skin hanging loose, especially when doing some forms of exercises. The lack of skin elasticity may deter people from engaging in physical activity such as exercise or sports that can hinder their overall improvement of health and well being after a weight loss.

Body Image Concerns

Flabby skin is an unpleasant memory of the process and for many people, it greatly influences their outlook on life. This excess skin may give one a wrong perception of looks even after they set a weight loss goal and achieve it.

Natural Remedies to Improve Skin Elasticity

For those women and men who have recently been through a process of moderate weight losing, below you will find several recommendations on how to improve the skin tightness naturally:

1. Engage in Resistance Training

Of all preventive measures that one can take against loose skin, strength training is one of the most effective. They give shape and form to places that may have deflated or flattened due to skin’s lack of elasticity. The greater the amount of muscle tissue that is built up, the tighter the skin also looks and feels. 

2. Supplement with Collagen

Taking products containing collagen like collagen peptides, bone broth, etc enhances skin flexibility and tone. Based on some researches, it is recommended to take collagen for a couple of months, as in this case the effect of increasing the skin’s elasticity and its moisture level may be visible to everyone. Collagen can also be useful for those who can hardly receive enough of it with food products. Taking collagen supplements together with vitamin C that is important in the production of collagen enhances the usefulness of collagen supplements.

3. Consume Skin-Nourishing Nutrients

There is no way that skin and its elasticity can be boosted if a person does not feed their body with nutrient rich foods that improve the skin. Some of the most beneficial nutrients include:

• Protein: Protein is one of the nutrients needed to build skin tissues and is also used for skin repair work. lean meats, eggs and legumes have proteins that will enable the body to produce skin cells and also assist in the healing process.
• Vitamin C: It has the potential to improve synthesis of collagen and prevent skin damage from excessive activity by these agents. Vitamin C is most easily obtained from fruits and vegetables but is particularly available in citrus fruits, berries and nearly all green leafy vegetables. 
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Found in salmon and other fatty fish, omega 3 fatty acids play a part in the ability of the skin to retain water and skin elasticity.
• Water: The skin needs to be moisturized regularly in order to prevent it from drying up. One reason for increased skin loss characteristics includes dryness of the skin as a result of lack of water in the body.

4. Use Firming Creams

There are always topical firming creams that have active ingredients like collagen and elastin or even retinol to produce immediate results of firming of the skin. While such creams can not work deep enough to affect the skin color permanently they can at least make your skin look lighter or even toned in the short run. To get a good result, it’s recommended to complement their usage with other treatments, such as lifting weights and taking collagen boosters.

Medical Treatments for Loose Skin

Those who lose greater amounts of weight, may need some medical intervention for much higher improvements in skin tightness and skin elasticity. Below are some of the most effective medical solutions:

Body-Contouring Surgery

Liposuction and surgery which focuses on body contouring is the most effective among all in the reduction of excessive skin.  These procedures can address several areas of the body where skin is most likely to sag:

• Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck): This process reduces the sagging skin in the abdominal area and reforms the muscles of the area.
• Lower-Body Lift: Aimed for the thigh, hip, and buttock regions to get rid of the skin hanging on the lower body.
• Brachioplasty (Arm Lift): Mainly used to address skin looseness on the region of the arms.

These procedures normally entail admission in the hospital, and take 2- 4 weeks for recovery.

Although these have a positive impact and enhance facial aesthetics and wellbeing, it can lead to complications for example scarring, infection and even blood clotting.

Non-Surgical Treatments

For those who want a less invasive approach, several non-surgical treatments are available:

• Radiofrequency Treatments: These procedures apply heat to the epidermis with the aim of making the skin produce more collagen. They are quite comfortable and physically there is no discomfort and they do not necessitate much time for recovery.
• Ultrasound Therapy: Ultrasound waves create minute vibrations within the skin’s dermal layer and cause improvements to the skin’s texture and firmness.

Final Thoughts

Excess skin is normal especially after massive weight loss, it is the normal skin with more sagging than before the weight loss.It also has its disadvantages, but it is good to see and acknowledge the sweat that was put in to make the change.In using natural remedies or going for medical procedures, be sure that the ultimate aim is to feel good about yourself fully, health-wise and skin-wise.This is the time to remind yourself that each person’s path is different and your value isn’t connected to the quality of your skin in any way, but to the experience you have been through.