Effective Methods To Tighten Loose Skin After Weight Loss

Weight loss is a journey that many people get into for various reasons. It helps improve overall health and boost confidence. However, excess weight loss could lead to excess and saggy skin in various body parts, leading to discomfort and self-consciousness.

When you gain weight, your skin expands to accommodate the extra fat. If you retain that weight for a long time, it damages the collagen and elastin fibers which help provide strength and firmness to the skin.

Therefore, the fibers cannot retract when you lose weight, which leaves the skin hanging. Some of the factors that determine how loose the skin will include:

  • Amount of weight you lose- The more weight you lose, the loser your skin will be.
  • Age- Older people experience more loose skin because of reduced collagen levels in the skin.
  • Sun exposure- Excessive sun exposure reduces the skin’s elastin and collagen production, which leads to more loose skin.
  • Genetics- Genes affect how your skin responds to weight loss and gain.
  • Smoking- Smoking damages existing collagen and reduces the production of new collagen, which results in looser skin.

Loose skin may happen in the abdomen, lower back, hips, upper buttocks, thighs, and arms, resulting in physical discomfort, poor body image, decreased physical activities, and skin breakdown and irritation.

Naturally, there are a few medical procedures that you can undergo to help tighten loose and excess skin after loosing weight, depending on how much loose skin you have and the location.

Tummy Tuck

Also known as abdominoplasty, this is one of the most common surgical procedures people use to get rid of excess and loose skin. It targets the abdominal area and is a good choice if you have excess skin around your abdomen or a weak abdominal wall.

During the procedure, the surgeon removes the excess skin and also uses sutures to tighten the abdominal connective tissue called the fascia. The procedure also helps eliminate stretch marks around the abdomen.

You can have liposuction with this procedure to help eliminate excess fat cells for better results.

Before the procedure, the surgeon will ask what your goals are, your medical history and do a physical exam to determine if you are a good candidate for the procedure.

They then administer general anesthesia and make an incision depending on the skin you want to remove. Some people get a hip to hip incision, but the incision is always above the pubic hair, which makes the scar blend with your natural bikini line.

The surgeon removes the excess skin, tightens the fascia with permanent sutures, and repositions the skin around your belly button.

The results from a tummy tuck are long-lasting, but to maintain them, you have to eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and avoid future pregnancies if possible.

Hip Lift

This is a surgery aimed at giving you a smooth waistline by removing excess skin around your hips, also referred to as a muffin top. This surgery, however, does not help increase the volume of your hips or buttocks.

Before the procedure, your surgeon will do a physical exam, ask about your medical history, and discuss your goals.

They will then administer general anesthesia and make an incision in your lower back, usually from hip to hip. The surgeon pulls the skin around the incision, pulling up the buttocks and smoothening the lower back. They then remove excess skin and fats and stitch back the skin over your hips.

After the surgery, the results are usually long-lasting after you recover fully, but you need to maintain a stable weight to keep the results.

Arm Lift

If you have undergone excess weight loss, one of the main problems you might be dealing with is bat arms or loose skin on your upper arms. Also known as Brachioplasty, an arm lift helps eliminate the excess skin and fat on your upper arm, from the armpit to the elbow.

This helps contour your upper arm and makes it smoother and more natural-looking. Like other surgeries, your surgeon has to look at your medical history, conduct a physical exam, and discuss your goals to determine if you qualify for the surgery.

During the procedure, your surgeon administers general anesthesia then makes an incision at the back or inside of your arm. They remove excess skin fat, tighten the arm tissues, and then stitch the remaining skin back together, smoothening it over the natural arm contours.

This helps create a smoother contour and improves the muscle tone of the upper arm. Sometimes, your surgeon might remove excess skin and fat on the sides of your chest too, or do liposuction of the area to help improve your results.

Thigh Lift

Having excess and loose skin in your inner thighs can be uncomfortable and limit your movement. A thigh surgery helps remove the excess skin and smooth the skin, improving their shape and appearance. If you still have a fat deposit, you can have liposuction together with a thigh lift for better results.

After the surgeon understands your goals and determines you are a good candidate, they administer general anesthesia and make incisions depending on how much loose skin you have.

They mostly make incisions along the groin crease, but if you have severe skin laxity, they will make the incision along the inner thighs to the knee. If you want to improve the contours on the outer thighs, the surgeon will extend the incision from the groin area through the hip to the lower back.

The surgeon then removes excess skin, tightens the muscle, and stitches back the remaining skin. You can see the results almost immediately, but you must maintain standard weight for longer-lasting results.

When taking any of these surgeries, you have to ensure that you have lost weight and maintained a consistent weight for around six months. You also have to watch your weight after the procedures to avoid gaining more weight which could cause more skin laxity.

You also have to follow the surgeon’s instructions about aftercare to ensure you don’t open the stitches or get infections on the surgical site.

If you have mild-moderate skin laxity and don’t want to undergo a surgical procedure, you can choose radiofrequency treatment, ultrasound, or ultherapy procedures.

These non-invasive procedures use infrared light, radiofrequency, and ultrasound to induce collagen and elastin production in the skin.

Categories: Health

Nicolas Desjardins

Hello everyone, I am the main writer for SIND Canada. I've been writing articles for more than 12 years and I like sharing my knowledge. I'm currently writing for many websites and newspapers. I always keep myself very informed to give you the best information. All my years as a computer scientist made me become an incredible researcher. You can contact me on our forum or by email at [email protected].