3 Techniques For Tightening Loose Skin While You’re Losing Weight
Even just a five percent reduction in weight has many health benefits, such as easing pressure placed on your joints, reducing the risk of breast cancer, preventing type 2 diabetes, and lowering your blood pressure. One of the few drawbacks and (for some people) most surprising challenges associated with losing weight is the sagging skin that can result. For many people, skin laxity won’t be a problem—especially if they lose a small amount of weight and if they’re young or generally have always had good skin elasticity. The problem of excess skin tends to develop for people who lose a significant amount of weight quickly and whose skin isn’t able to return to its former shape. This is because the collagen and elastin fibers that provide structure for the skin weaken over time as the skin stretches due to weight gain, and then the skin doesn’t have enough time, nor the ability to retract properly during rapid weight loss. For other people, pregnancy, sun damage, or illness might also contribute to the loss of elasticity. There are options for addressing this unwanted laxity, including surgical lifts that remove skin and nonsurgical treatments to contract tissues and encourage collagen production, like BodyTite. Chicago’s Dr. Lawrence Iteld at Iteld Plastic Surgery routinely works with patients seeking a solution to their problem of sagging skin, with each requiring a unique treatment or procedure based on where the sagging is happening, the degree of laxity present, the desired results, and other factors.
Some of the most common areas where skin stretches are the eyelids, jowls, chin, neck, upper arms, and stomach. In addition to having a negative effect on self-esteem, this extra skin can be uncomfortable and frustrating—often chafing and getting in the way during activities—and even lead to skin infections.
It’s a good idea to give your skin about a year after massive weight loss to see if it tightens. If it doesn’t, the sagging probably won’t go away on its own. While considering a surgical procedure or nonsurgical treatment, there are some things a person can do at home to help their skin tighten as much as possible. Keep in mind that these suggestions work best for mild cases of sagging and might not fully address the problem:
1. Weightlifting or Resistance Training
Your muscles sit below layers of fat and skin. Although you can’t “replace” fat with muscle, building muscle mass by lifting weights can help to fill out the skin and make the sagging look less prominent. The dead lift and bench press are two exercises you can’t go wrong with for toning up the torso, since they target a large group of muscles at the same time. Bicep curls, overhead presses, lunges, and triceps kickbacks are some other exercises that can help sculpt your legs and arms.
2. Topical Skin Products
There are many skin care products—including creams, serums, and lotions—you can use to support production of collagen and elastin, promote skin cell turnover, and encourage hydration while neutralizing free radicals to tighten loose skin. Look for products that contain certain anti-aging ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, salicylic and glycolic acids, vitamin C, vitamin E, peptides, retinol, and other antioxidants.
3. Lifestyle Changes
Avoiding certain harmful habits and environments is another way of making your skin look more youthful and firm. Since your skin cells are constantly being destroyed as the fibers are weakened by environmental stressors, you need to take steps to protect it. Consider simply keeping your skin clean, exfoliating regularly, staying hydrated, and protecting your skin from UV rays. Avoid smoking cigarettes and tanning, limit alcohol consumption, and eat a healthy diet rich in skin-friendly foods. Together, all these tips can make a big difference for your skin’s appearance.
The only way of knowing for sure whether you’re eligible for cosmetic treatments is by having a face-to-face consultation with a plastic surgeon. If you’re interested in learning more about skin-tightening cosmetic procedures contact Iteld Plastic Surgery by calling 312.757.4505 or submit a contact form to schedule a consultation.