Loose Skin After Weight Loss 2023: Top 5 Ways To Tighten It
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Gradual weight loss is superb, especially if you get to your desired weight and body shape. When the excess weight goes down slowly, the skin usually acclimates as the body adjusts. The skin takes time to alter collagen production to adapt to the new shape. You may still have a few stretch marks here and there, but that is about it. However, it is not always candies and roses with significant weight loss since loose skin after weight loss is a thing that many experience but never speak about.
So many ask; Will I have loose skin if I lose weight?
The answer is most probably, especially if it is a dramatic fat reduction. This piece addresses how to avoid loose skin after weight loss by offering remedies to counteract the extra skin that remains behind.
So, are there any natural remedies or surgical treatments that can help? Keep reading to find out how.
How To Tighten Skin After Weight Loss: 5 Best Ways
- Resistance Training
- Consider Taking Collagen
- Stay Hydrated And Consume Specific Nutrients
- Firming Creams
- Medical Remedies
Loose Skin After Weight Loss: The Best 5 Solutions
How to get rid of loose skin can be achieved using the remedies below, starting with natural and home-based then medical or surgical treatments like bariatric surgery:
Resistance Training
Among the list of things on how to tighten skin after weight loss naturally, regular resistance training is one of the most effective techniques for young and older persons to gain muscle growth and loose, saggy skin.
Even though there is no scientific evidence that this might help with loose skin, it might help gain mass muscle.[1] In turn, the appearance of loose skin looks supple and tight.
Consider Taking Collagen
Collagen hydrolysate[2] is a refined version of the collagen present in animal fibrous tissue. It is very similar to gelatin. It is purported to promote skin suppleness and moisture while reducing wrinkles.
According to research,[3] collagen hydrolysate may have a protective impact on the skin’s collagen. It hasn’t been evaluated in persons with loose skin due to considerable weight loss.
After 12 weeks of using a liquid collagen supplement, skin elasticity, smoothness, and skin moisture improved considerably in controlled research.[4] Vitamins E and C, as well as biotin and zinc, were included in the liquid.
Hydrolyzed collagen is another name for collagen hydrolysate. It’s available in powdered form and can be found in natural food stores or on the internet.
Bone broth, poultry, eggs, soy, and legumes are other common sources of collagen to provide supplements to tighten skin after weight loss, and they also have additional health benefits.
Stay Hydrated And Consume Specific Nutrients
To form collagen and other components of healthy skin, certain nutrients in diet-rich meals and high-quality sources are necessary. Here is a list of some of the constituents for foods that tighten skin after weight loss that you need:
- Protein. Protein is essential for skin health and muscle-building: the amino acids lysine [5] and proline[6] aid collagen formation.
- Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant. Vitamin C[7] aids in the formation of collagen and also protects the skin from UV damage.
- Omega-3 fatty acids. Fatty fish omega-3 fatty acids[8] may help enhance skin suppleness and offer anti-aging properties.
- Water. Staying hydrated can help your skin look better. According to one study,[9] women who increased their daily water intake saw significant skin hydration and function increases.
Firming Creams
Collagen and elastin are found in several “firming” topical lotions.
Although topical lotions may temporarily improve skin tightening, the collagen and elastin molecules are too big to be absorbed via your skin. Therefore, in general, your body best produces collagen for loose skin after weight loss from the inside out.
Medical Remedies
Medical treatments or surgical therapies to tighten loose skin after immediate major weight reduction are more intrusive possibilities.
The first medical remedies are body-contouring surgeries that involve plastic surgeons removing excess skin from the body.
Excess skin is frequently removed in people who have lost a large amount of weight through bariatric surgery or other weight reduction treatments.
A surgeon performs body contouring surgery by making a big cut and removing a significant amount of extra skin and fat. To minimize scarring, they suture the incision using delicate stitches.
The following are examples of body-contouring procedures:
- Brachioplasty[10] also called an arm lift, is the excision of skin from the upper arms.
- Back and breast skin are removed during an upper-body lift.
- Tummy tuck or abdominoplasty[11] is the excision of skin from the lower abdomen.
- The medial and lateral thighs are removed during a medial thigh lift.
- The skin is removed from the buttocks, belly, hips, and thighs in a lower-body surgery.
Multiple surgeries on various body areas are routinely performed following considerable weight loss throughout one to two years. It is never a one-time surgery since it can be dangerous to remove a lot of fat in one go.
Body-contouring surgery necessitates a one to four-day stay in the hospital. The estimated healing time at home is 2 to 4 weeks. The operation may also result in health problems such as bleeding and infections.
After significant weight loss, body-contouring surgery may enhance the quality of life. However, one study[12] found that those who received the treatment had lower quality of life ratings.
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[13] of small areas of fat cells.
- Ultrasound. Controlled research of ultrasonic therapy in people who had bariatric surgery found no objective effect on loose skin. People did, nevertheless, report relief[14] 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.
What Causes Loose Skin After Weight Loss?
You may be wondering where this excess skin comes from, but it is simple: when body fat melts away, it leaves space under the skin. One of the results after the weight loss is skin sagging since it has nothing to hold on to.
The downsides to having saggy skin are rather unpleasant since you cannot flaunt your body as you had wished.
Your skin is the most critical organ in your body, and it happens to be the largest. It creates a barrier between your body parts and the environment, mainly to keep everything harmful away. It is fundamental in mitigating any health problems from infections.
Our skins are majorly made of proteins: the two important ones are collagen and elastin. These two make up the underlying layer of your skin. Collagen,[15] which composes 80% of the structure of your skin, gives it firmness and strength. Collagen is usually white.
Elastin[16] is a protein that gives your skin elasticity and helps it stay tight. This yellow tissue is essential for the elasticity and tensile strength of cardiac, respiratory, and other organ systems.
Our skin grows to accommodate additional growth during weight gain since it is elastic. One instance of this extension is pregnancy.
During pregnancy, the skin expands over months. Within a few months following delivery, the enlarged skin usually retracts.
Collagen and elastin fibers, on the other hand, are destroyed when skin is stretched significantly, and the remaining tissue remains pulled for an extended length of time. Our skin, therefore, loses some of its ability to retract[17] as a result.
As an outcome, excess skin may hang off the body when you lose a lot of weight. In general, the more weight you lose, the more noticeable the effect of loose skin becomes.
But not all hope is lost; there are some ways you can tighten your skin. Here are some factors that influence the extent of sagging skin owing to rapid weight loss.
Factors That Influence The Extent Of Loose Skin After Weight Loss
Several factors influence how the skin expands. Here are some of the most prevalent causes of skin sagging after losing weight:
- Genetics: Your skin’s response to weight fluctuations may be influenced by your genes.[18]
- Age: Older skin has less elasticity[19] due to reduced collagen production than younger skin. On that note, a younger person undergoing extreme 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 (46 kg) or more is associated with excess loose skin than weight reduction of fewer than 100 lbs (46 kg).
- Exposure to the sun: Skin collagen and elastin production have been proven to be reduced by prolonged sun exposure, which may result in loose skin.[20]
- Smoking: Smoking[21] 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.
But that does not mean that you have to live with sagging skin all your life. Some ways can help you remove excess skin to help you gain a better body image. Some are gradual and slow at-home treatments, while others are radical medical procedures with fast results.
Below are some treatments for reducing loose skin after weight loss that you may use to regain your confidence.
Likely Outcomes Of Excess Sagging Skin
Expanded skin due to fast weight loss might cause physical and emotional problems for certain people. Here are some of the potential effects of hanging skin:
- Poor self-esteem. The weight reduction that causes loose skin can harm body image and mood. Your overall mood is sad and shameful to be around people since you are self-conscious of your saggy skin.
- Physical activity will decrease. One study[22] showed that excess skin obstructs activity in some people after bariatric surgery, even though weight loss encouraged more people to exercise. This is primarily because you do not want to be seen working out with flabby skin.
- Irritation and disintegration of the skin. According to one study,[23] 44 percent of 124 persons who sought plastic surgery to tighten their skin after weight loss surgery reported skin pain, infections, or ulcers because of loose skin.
- Distress on the physical level. Excess skin can be uncomfortable and might interfere with daily routine. One longitudinal investigation[24] revealed a possible increase in self-consciousness after weight loss.
Key Takeaway
Getting back the confidence you have always wanted by losing that extra skin may become a dream come true for many. And with the methods named above, you may get it all.
The only important advice you should consider after seeking treatment is getting professional medical advice from an expert healthcare provider who understands both natural and medical procedures.
Besides getting advice, ensure that you receive content accurately from any peer-reviewed studies you can find online. So much so that your own research is needed.
The skin’s elasticity decrease leads to loose skin, resulting from fast fat reduction. This may be rectified using natural remedies like regular exercise that builds muscle mass to medical solutions like plastic surgery and reconstructive surgery. One may take a longer time, while the other might be faster.
But always remember to check the pros and cons before going with any. And make diet changes by avoiding what is harmful. Be conversant with the physical and emotional challenges before selecting the inbox sign on any chosen treatment options.
All in all, you should go for the best solution for you to gain a body image you are proud of.
+ 24 sources
MIDSS adheres to strict procurement guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutes, and medical associations. We work mainly with peer-reviewed studies to ensure the accuracy of the information. We avoid the use of tertiary references. You can read about how we ensure the accuracy and timeliness of our content in our editorial process.
- Stock, M.S., Olinghouse, K.D., Drusch, A.S., Mota, J.A., Hernandez, J.M., Akalonu, C.C. and Thompson, B.J. (2016). Evidence of muscular adaptations within four weeks of barbell training in women. Human Movement Science, [online] 45, pp.7–22. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.humov.2015.11.004.
- Miranda, Weimer, P. and Rochele Cassanta Rossi (2021). Effects of hydrolyzed collagen supplementation on skin aging: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. International Journal of Dermatology, [online] 60(12), pp.1449–1461. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/ijd.15518.
- Asserin, J., Lati, E., Toshiaki Shioya and Janne Prawitt (2015). The effect of oral collagen peptide supplementation on skin moisture and the dermal collagen network: evidence from an ex vivo model and randomized, placebo‐controlled clinical trials. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, [online] 14(4), pp.291–301. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.12174.
- L. Bölke, Gerrit Schlippe, Joachim Gerss and Voss, W. (2019). A Collagen Supplement Improves Skin Hydration, Elasticity, Roughness, and Density: Results of a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Blind Study. Nutrients, [online] 11(10), pp.2494–2494. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11102494.
- Patricia de Paz-Lugo, Lupiáñez, J.A. and Meléndez-Hevia, E. (2018). High glycine concentration increases collagen synthesis by articular chondrocytes in vitro: acute glycine deficiency could be an important cause of osteoarthritis. Amino Acids, [online] 50(10), pp.1357–1365. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-018-2611-x.
- Karna, E., Szoka, L., Yen, T. and Palka, J. (2019). Proline-dependent regulation of collagen metabolism. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, [online] 77(10), pp.1911–1918. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-019-03363-3.
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- Song, P., Patel, N., Sven Günther, Li, C.-S., Liu, Y., Yuke, C., Kludt, N., Patel, K.B., Ali, M.R. and Wong, M.S. (2016). Body Image & Quality of Life. Annals of Plastic Surgery, [online] 76(Supplement 3), pp.S216–S221. doi:https://doi.org/10.1097/sap.0000000000000788.
- Nneamaka Agochukwu-Nwubah and Mentz, H.A. (2019). Paradoxical adipose hyperplasia after noninvasive radiofrequency treatment: A novel report and review. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, [online] 19(4), pp.866–868. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.13090.
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