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Dealing with Loose Skin After Weight Loss

Weight Loss

Dealing with Loose Skin After Weight Loss

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Losing weight can totally change the way our body looks, especially in cases of dramatic weight loss.

There are tons of positive changes that can occur as our body gets healthier, ranging from reduced joint pain, decreased risks of diseases, improved sleep, and lower blood pressure.

On the mental side of things, losing weight can bring about regained confidence in one’s appearance.

However, in cases of rapid or extreme weight loss, the appearance of excess skin can hinder this confidence and require skin tightening surgeries like the benefits of a tummy tuck to help.

Those with excess skin often feel demotivated, as they worked so hard to reach their goals, only to still have difficulty wearing fitted clothing due to hanging skin. It can be especially embarrassing in areas such as the arms, which may not be covered up as easily by clothing.

Additionally, physical discomforts such as chafing can occur, impeding further workout progress.

But why does skin sag after weight loss?

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Reasons for Skin Sag after Weight Loss

In short, excess fat stretches out the skin. Our bodies produce collagen and elastin to help keep our skin elastic and form “tight” to our bodies. In cases of slow, gradual weight loss, the skin can often compensate and reform to our shrinking figure.

However, in cases of rapid weight loss, or extreme weight loss of, say, 60-100 pounds or more, our skin can’t catch up and ends up drooping and sagging.

Additionally, as we age, our bodies begin to produce less collagen and elastin, making it harder for our skin to snap back, increasing the chances of sagging skin in weight loss the older we are.

In general, aspects that can determine excess skin after weight loss are as follows:

Time

The longer somebody has remained overweight to the point of stretched skin, the more likely and extreme loose skin will be after weight loss.

Amount

While loose skin can show even after 60 pounds, those who lose over 100 pounds will typically have noticeable loose skin.

Age

As previously discussed, the older we get, the less collagen and elastin are produced to help your skin stay tight.

Sun Exposure

Long-term sun exposure has been known to cause damage to the skin and reduce collagen and elastin production.

Smoking

The chemicals in cigarettes can directly lead to reductions in new collagen production while simultaneously damaging existing collagen.

How To Treat Excess Loose Skin

Minor loose skin issues can be assisted by muscle toning exercise, hydrating, collagen treatments and firming creams. However, the most effective way to remove excess amounts of loose skin is through body contouring surgery.

Body contour surgeries can be used to treat one or more areas of the body, including:

  • Abdominoplasty (tummy tuck)
  • Lower-body lift
  • Upper-body lift
  • Brachioplasty (arm lift)

Those who wish to proceed with these surgeries need to be in good health, have had a stable weight for at least six months, with a BMI ideally under 30.

If patients have previously had fat removal surgeries like liposuction, they must wait approximately two years before they’re able to have another procedure.

We hope you enjoyed this article. For more such insightful posts, keep reading Workout Trends.

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