11 Ways To Keep Your Skin Firm As You Lose Weight: A Guide to Increase Elasticity, Reduce Wrinkles

Loose skin

11 Ways To Keep Your Skin Firm As You Lose Weight

Skin aging and sagging is a natural consequence of losing weight, but there are ways to help tighten skin as you lose weight. Let’s go over 11 ways you can help lessen the impact of weight loss on your skin.

1) Lose weight slowly

And now for something completely different, as my favorite comedy troupe would say. Lose weight slowly if you want your skin to not sag after weight loss and give your skin a chance to adapt to the new size and lack of fat filler. Typically fat is more voluminous than Muscle, so you have to play the catch-up game. Sometimes this isn’t possible as the weight loss happens so fast as in the case of bariatric surgery or a crash diet.

2) Stop Smoking

If you’re still smoking, here is your call to quit.

You’ve all seen people who smoke how their skin is grey and lifeless. To prevent your skin from losing its elasticity when you lose weight, it is important to limit close contact with cigarettes and smoke. Cigarette smoke and exposure to secondhand smoke can damage the elastic fibers in your skin.

3) Load Up on Vitamins and Protein

To stay healthy from the inside out, pile your plate with colorful fruits and vegetables. Among many benefits for skin health, such nutrients as vitamin A and lycopene are essential to fight against UV rays.

Increase your protein intake. Protein helps maintain muscle mass while reducing fat. It also aids in collagen production which increases skin elasticity. It is very important to preserve your muscle mass through consumption of quality protein and tip number 7. (Resistance Exercise)

4) Take Collagen

The wrinkle-reducing effects of collagen supplements have been attributed to their ability to stimulate your body to produce collagenOpens in a new tab. on its own

Additionally, taking collagen supplements may promote other proteins that help structure your skin, including elastin and fibrillin (4Opens in a new tab.5Opens in a new tab.).

I like to supplement with collagen and vitamin C., which will help replenish the collagen in your skin.

You can find some collagen here Opens in a new tab.and vitamin C supplements hereOpens in a new tab.

5) Water-Water-Water

Hydration is one of the keys to skin health. While there is no direct evidence that drinking water will make a difference in skin health. However, anecdotal evidence points to reported clearer and more elastic skin after upping water consumption. It’s an easy change to your diet that will prevent dehydration that does affect your skin elasticity. Mix it with some lemon juice or sugar-free water flavoring to make it easy to consume.

6) Sun Protection

Make sure to apply sunscreen before exposure to the sun’s rays. That will help your skin and prevent premature aging and loss of elasticity.

7) Build Muscle with resistance training

Build new muscle by doing resistance training exercises like push-ups, pull-ups or cycling for 15 minutes a day at least three times a week. This will stimulate blood flow that leads to the formation of new cells which can fill in lost volume from below the surface! Doing exercises such as squats to firm up muscle tone in the legs and buttocks area where excess skin usually accumulates first. These muscles are often weakened by age, too; they won’t atrophy if you keep them strong with regular workouts! Check out some workouts here!

8) Use topical products containing retinol around your eyes and mouth.

While this is not directly related to loose skin when you lose weight typically it will show on your face first. Keep the wrinkles and sagging at bay by taking care of your skin. Retinol aids in collagen production to keep your face skin firm. You can check out some retinol-based products here on Amazon.Opens in a new tab.

9) Use a daily moisturizer

Use hyaluronic acid topical creams or injections into the dermis layer of skin. Hyaluronic Acid is a naturally occurring substance found in most living organisms that functions as an important component leading to tissue health and vitality either through increased water content in cells or its capability to bind large quantities of water molecules between chains. This means that this is not just some expensive cream that will make you look like you have more youthful-looking skin – but rather something that helps increase. Here is one we like on AmazonOpens in a new tab..

10) Massage Skin

Massage the loose skin. You can massage your face, neck, and chest area to help tighten it up faster by using circular movements with gentle pressure (don’t rub too hard). Don’t forget to moisturize afterward!

11) Surgery

As a last resort. Surgery. Surgery for loose skin is more complicated than it sounds. Make sure that you use a qualified surgeon with the proper credentials.

Why does skin loosen after weight loss?

When you lose weight rapidly, skin elasticity may be compromised; this can happen in those who have bariatric surgery for massive weight loss. In fact, about 70% of individuals who undergo the procedure end up with excess skin. “Losing weight rapidly does not give our skin enough time to gradually contract, and this results in loose hanging skin,” he says.

When you lose weight you lose the fat and muscle that has been plumping up the skin from below the skin. You have to remember that fat takes up more volume than muscle. So your goal should be to a) preserve the muscle that you do have. b) Build new muscle to fill in the gap!

Fat vs Muscle
Fat Vs. Muscle Volume

So your choice here is to wait for your skin to tighten naturally or opt for skin tightening surgery. If the change is very dramatic it might be a very long wait for your skin to tighten naturally. We are talking years and years possibly and that’s if you are still young and have good skin elasticity.

The decision about which path should be taken depends on your personal situation. For example, those who have lost weight rapidly and don’t want to wait for natural changes might opt for surgery.”

The decision about which path should be taken depends on your personal situation. For example, those who have lost weight rapidly and don’t want to wait for natural changes might opt for surgery.”

Who Will Have Loose Skin?

After weight loss, it all depends on the person. Mild weight loss (think: 20 pounds or less) typically doesn’t lead to excess skin. Weight loss of 40 to 50 pounds can and even massive weight loss of 100+ pounds is common.

Younger patients have a better chance of avoiding excess skin than those with inherently high skin elasticity.

Men often suffer less Muscle and skin atrophy when they lose weight than women do, says Jeffrey M. Kenkel, MD.

How can I get rid of loose skin after weight loss?

Ok so now I’ve lost all this weight

Sometimes, surgery is required to remove excess skin that hangs from the body after weight loss.

When patients want to lose weight, they may opt for surgical excision, removing skin and fat. But non-invasive procedures such as liposuction or ultrasound will tighten the skin as it is lost.

When you’re losing weight, sometimes your skin becomes loose. There are a few ways to tighten it up again. For example, you might have micro-needling with radiofrequency energy done — like what’s used for mole removal or reducing the appearance of cellulite on thighs and bottoms — which makes thousands of tiny punctures in your skin and delivers radiofrequency energy during treatment, explains Dr. Harry Zuckerman.

The process stimulates collagen production, plumps up the skin, and makes it firmer. A variation of this is a treatment with “sonophoresis” using ultrasound to stimulate the tissue under your skin for tightening purposes.

Liposuction can also be used to tighten skin as you lose weight by removing excess fat that’s hanging on like an overcoat; especially in areas where thigh or buttock size continues expanding even when dieting, such as femoral crease (creases at the front of hips), inner thighs and upper buttocks just below the bra line.

Frequently people have different body shapes after they’ve lost weight. You might still carry some extra pounds but change from having apple-shaped legs to more pear-shaped,

Patients who have lost weight might need to turn to contour procedures like Liposuction and BodyTite. Still, these treatments may not work for all cases of excess skin.

In summation, surgical excision (though it comes with a longer recovery) remains the gold standard.

Can you tighten loose skin?

“In the absence of plastic surgery, there is no magic cream that will tighten skin.”

Gradual weight loss is generally preferable to rapid or sudden weight loss for the prevention of loose skin.

As you lose weight, it can be overly tempting to want skin tightening surgery. Skin tightening surgeries that cost in some cases more than $10,000 are not covered by health insurance and don’t help areas like the neckline.

Loose skin on the body is typically due to weight loss rather than childbirth; however, some young patients may see improvement in their loose skin after surgery.

The availability of new injectables and fat transfer techniques has made it possible to minimize or eliminate sagging in many cases where aesthetic procedures are not feasible.

Skin quality is a key factor when assessing whether a patient will improve from an operation as less elastic. Younger skin retains a higher chance for recovery. Skin laxity plays less of a role because the radical tension created by sutures can obliterate any signs of wrinkles and hollowness—even with aged tissue that’s more prone to deterioration without surgical intervention.”

If you’ve been gradually losing weight, giving your skin a year to adjust will help it return to its original size after achieving your desired goal.

If you are concerned about having loose skin after weight loss or have already had bariatric surgery and want to tighten your loose skin, research options with a Plastics Surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

The best bet is to find a board-certified plastic surgeon,” says Dr. Zuckerman.

Conclusion

When you’re losing weight, the effect is almost always temporary. But what if there was a way to make skin tighter? “There are no efficacious topical products or OTC remedies for excess skin,” says Dr. Zuckerman.

One of the best home remedies is taking care of your skin- this means staying out of the sun, avoiding smoking, and eating a diet rich in fruit, vegetables, and protein.

Building Muscle is also one of the best ways to tighten loose skin without surgery. While the volume of Muscle is not as great as Fat pound per pound is does fill in some of the gaps.

The article also mentions that exercise is a great way to make your skin tighter when losing weight, but it’s important not to over-exercise and put yourself at risk for injury. Doctors recommend working out four times per week for 30 minutes each session to get results from exercising.

 

keto in 5

trans4m diet

Anthony MSc. Nutrition CPT

Anthony is a certified personal trainer, Certified Holistic Health Practitioner, and Strength and Conditioning coach. Today he works as a full-time fitness coach, writer, blogger, and author. In his spare time, he is an avid sailor, boating enthusiast, hiker, and backpacker His goal is to take the confusion out of weight loss and health and make it simple and easy to understand and follow. Anthony McGarr NASM CPT, CHHP, MSc. Nutrition, Certified Holistic Health Practitioner And Creator Of The Trans4m Diet

Recent Posts