Exercise
Building muscle mass through weight training exercises can help decrease the appearance of loose skin, especially if the loose skin is from weight loss. If excess fat distends the skin for a long time, the skin can lose some of its ability to shrink with weight loss.
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.
“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.
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.
Exercises like cardio, yoga, and crunches may tone your muscles and strengthen your lower abs, but they won't “erase” fat deposits. The only way to lose fat on your lower stomach is to lose fat overall. A calorie deficit helps with this.
Antioxidants can also help stimulate the growth of collagen and elastin. Examples of the antioxidants present in some foods, drinks, and nutritional supplements include: vitamins A, C, D, and E. coenzyme Q10.
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.
Regular exercise, including cardio and strength training, will help you maintain your weight and tone your body. It also may help your skin look tighter. Talk to your doctor if you're concerned about extra 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.
For some patients, even though they lose hundreds of pounds, their skin bounces back quite successfully. Unfortunately, this is quite rare. What often happens is that patients are left with excess, sagging skin after significant weight loss.
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.
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.
Vitamins A, C and E
Vitamin A helps to hydrate the lower layer of skin, vitamin C preserves and protects skin-firming fibers such as collagen and elastin, and vitamin E safeguards skin from sun damage. To employ this powerful protection for your skin, eat more leafy greens and colorful fruits and vegetables.
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.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is essential for the production of collagen. A vitamin C deficiency can lead to low collagen levels, resulting in a potentially serious condition known as scurvy. Symptoms of scurvy include: gum problems.
Aerobic exercises will help you lose weight and the strength training will tone up and tighten your muscles and increase endurance. A big part of eliminating loose skin is building muscle. Exercise can tighten and add muscle to your abdomen, which can help minimize some flabbiness.
Pooch bellies occur when the lower abs and pelvic floor do not coordinate well together, causing the abdominal viscera to sit downward and forward. Certain body structures have a natural tendency for the abdominal contents to sit in this area.
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.
Losing a bunch of weight—whether it's through diet and exercise, surgery, or a combination of different approaches—isn't all glitter and smiling "after" photos. If you shed a significant number of pounds, having loose skin is normal—and extremely common.
“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.