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.
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.
Losing 50 pounds can have both good and bad side effects on your body. The good side effects include a lower risk of disease, improved self-esteem, and increased energy levels. However, the bad side effects can include loose skin, nutritional deficiencies, and a slower metabolism.
Of course, you can't reverse the signs of aging completely. 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.
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.
Of course, you can't reverse the signs of aging completely. 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.
Dropping 50 pounds can have dramatic effects on your body. You are likely to sleep better, especially if you were suffering from sleep apnea. Your cholesterol and blood pressure are likely to drop, and surprising things like memory function and the health of your eyes may even improve.
At a weight loss of two pounds per week, you will lose 50 pounds in 25 weeks, or a little less than six months. Remember, as you start losing weight, you will need to readjust your energy needs and move to a lower-calorie level for every 10 to 15 pounds lost to keep losing weight at a consistent rate.
But many health care providers agree that a medical evaluation is called for if you lose more than 5% of your weight in 6 to 12 months, especially if you're an older adult. For example, a 5% weight loss in someone who is 160 pounds (72 kilograms) is 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms).
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.
“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.
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.
If you are determined to lose 50 pounds, it will take you at least 6 months to a year. To lose weight the healthy way, you should lose no more than a pound or 2 per week. During the first few weeks of your weight loss, it is acceptable to lose a few more pounds a week.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a gradual, steady, sustainable, and realistic weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds a week (10). So, is it possible to lose 50 lbs in 6 months? Yes. Assuming there are 25 weeks in half a year, you can lose between 25-50 pounds healthily.
The National Institute of Health recommends setting realistic weight goals and that is to say that losing 50pounds in 3 months is neither a realistic nor an achievable weight goal. The National Institute of Health recommends trying to lose about 5% to 10% of your total body weight in a period of six months (6).
Losing 50 lb in two months is almost three times the recommended weight loss per week. According to Mayo Clinic, losing too much weight too fast usually demands big changes in diet and workout plans, which could be unhealthy for your body (24). Even worse, it could lead to loss of water weight or lean muscle.
So what is the magic number to lose weight and keep it off? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , it's 1 to 2 pounds per week. That means, on average, that aiming for 4 to 8 pounds of weight loss per month is a healthy goal.
The first place men typically lose weight is the belly, while women tend to lose weight all over, but hold onto weight in their thighs and hips, Dr. Block explains.
“Women and men of average height need to gain or lose about three and a half and four kilograms, or about eight and nine pounds, respectively, for anyone to see it in their face,” said Nicholas Rule, associate professor in the Faculty of Arts & Science and Canada Research Chair in Social Perception and Cognition.
In terms of how your body looks, “it usually takes 4 weeks for your friends to notice weight loss, and 6–8 weeks for you to notice,” says Ramsey Bergeron, a certified personal trainer. “Your friends who don't see you every day are much more likely to see a change than someone you're around all the time,” he adds.
Engaging in exercise such as resistance training can increase muscle mass. Building muscle through exercise can improve the appearance of sagging skin, especially in the legs and arms. Also, facial exercises may improve muscle tone around the jaw and neck. This may reduce sagging skin in these areas.
Most people begin to notice a shift in the appearance of their face around their 40's and 50's, with some also noticing a change in their 30's. But with these physical changes brought on by aging also comes a change in the appearance of our face - Luckily, there is treatment available.
Yes, you can tighten your skin without surgery because there is a range of non-invasive skin tightening modalities to choose from. These energy-based devices use radiofrequency, ultrasound, or laser energy to tighten loose skin.