For small to moderate amounts of weight loss, your skin will likely retract on its own. Natural home remedies may help too. However, more significant weight loss may need body-contouring surgery or other medical procedures to tighten or get rid of loose skin.
“In general, it can take anywhere from weeks to months—even years,” says Dr. Chen. If after one to two years skin is still loose, it may not get any tighter, she says.
You can go the nonsurgical route and add firming creams or facial exercises to your skincare routine. There are also cosmetic procedures that provide quicker results, such as laser surfacing or ultrasound skin tightening. To find the best solution for you, consult a board-certified dermatologist.
For small to moderate amounts of weight loss, your skin will likely retract on its own. Natural home remedies may help too. However, more significant weight loss may need body-contouring surgery or other medical procedures to tighten or get rid of loose skin.
The loose skin is caused by losing a huge amount of weight – as in, 100 pounds or more – in a very short amount of time. It can happen when the weight is lost through diet and exercise, but it happens more often to weight-loss surgery patients.
However, larger amounts of weight loss, such as 50 pounds and over, especially over a short period, can considerably increase your risk of loose skin. Your genetics and age will also play an important role in determining how much weight loss causes loose skin.
So who can expect loose skin after weight loss? While it varies, mild weight loss (think: 20 pounds or less) typically doesn't lead to excess skin, Zuckerman says. Weight loss of 40 to 50 pounds can seem as massive as a weight loss of 100+ pounds.
Amount of weight lost: As you can imagine, the more weight you've lost, the more likely you are to have loose skin. Someone who has lost 30 pounds may not have any loose skin, while someone who has lost 100 pounds or more is more likely to experience hanging skin.
The longer you have been obese or overweight, the looser your skin will be after losing weight. Depending on the quality of your skin and other risk factors, losing 100 pounds or more can result in more loose skin.
Excess skin can appear when you lose between 40 and 50 pounds. A dramatic weight loss of 100 plus pounds will almost certainly result in loose skin. If you drop 20 pounds or less, your skin will not produce excess, much less get so loose as to hang off your torso and limbs.
When you lose a lot of weight, such as 100 pounds or more, your skin may not be elastic enough to shrink back to its natural shape. This can cause the skin to sag and hang, especially around the upper face, arms, stomach, breasts, and buttocks. Some people don't like the way this skin looks.
“Your skin may not contract back to its smaller shape if weight is lost too quickly.” This inability for the skin to contract as well as it once would have, due to the weakening of the fibers over time, is what leads to excess or saggy skin during weight loss.
One to two pounds per week is the recommended amount of weight loss. So if you crunch the numbers, this translates into losing about 50 pounds a year.
Does everyone have loose skin after major weight loss? Nope—it's not inevitable, says Dr. Prachand. But it's also not easy to predict who is going to experience it, he says.
Build as much muscle as possible. When you build muscle, your skin naturally looks tighter. It may not actually get tighter, but it will definitely give the appearance of being tighter. Focus on doing exercises like bench presses, squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, military presses, and so on.
This is super common—and totally and completely fine. It's what a lot of bodies do, but that doesn't mean everyone talks about it. These Instagrammers are hoping to open up a conversation about loose skin—both because it's a common part of the weight loss experience and because it's nothing to be ashamed of.
Does Collagen Tighten Saggy Skin? Studies have indicated that supplemental collagen is beneficial for skin health, including tightening sagging skin (known as elasticity), boosting hydration, and lessening the appearance of wrinkles.
Strength and Resistance Training
This type of workout can decrease the appearance of loose skin, can help to replace the fat, and can build muscle mass. Lift weights, use resistance bands, and practice yoga to build muscle. The best part is that this particular method can help both younger and older people.
A good moisturizer can plump up your skin, making fine lines and wrinkles less noticeable. This result is temporary. To continue seeing any benefit, you need to apply the product every day. As for the claim that a cream or lotion can lift sagging skin, dermatologists say that's not possible.
Amount of weight you lost: Weight loss of 100 pounds or more typically results in a greater amount of hanging skin. Genetics: Genes influence how much firmness your skin retains as you get older. Some people are just more susceptible to sagging skin than others.
In recent years, a number of nonsurgical procedures have been developed to help tighten the skin on the face or elsewhere on your body using radiofrequency, ultrasound, and lasers. While these treatments are nonsurgical, they should only be performed by a licensed professional and under the supervision of a doctor.