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.
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.
The amount of weight that has been lost: Fat loss of 100 lbs (46 kg) or more is associated with excess loose skin than weight reduction of fewer than 100 lbs (46 kg). Exposure to the sun: Skin elastin and collagen production have been proven to be reduced by prolonged sun exposure, which may result in 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.
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.
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.
When fat is lost, so is collagen, the scaffolding within skin that keeps it firm and plump. Your skin already naturally loses collagen due to age (consider it the worthy tradeoff for another birthday), so combine that with losing weight and it's not surprising to see droopier, wrinkled skin.
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.
Specialists state that the healthy weight loss pace is 1-2 pounds (0.45-1 kg) per week (2). Based on that information, you can calculate that to lose 80 pounds healthily, you will need approximately 10 months.
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.
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.
Loose skin after weight loss is not permanent and will disappear over time. After a month or two, you should no longer see excess skin hanging from your body. If you are still having problems with excess skin, then you should see a doctor.
Losing a lot of weight can leave a person with saggy skin, especially if weight comes off quickly. Unfortunately, there's no magic lotion or cream that can get rid of extra skin after weight loss. You should keep seeing improvement, but you may need to give it more time.
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).
Natural skin tightening techniques
This includes facial yoga, intake of supplements, face masks, drinking enough water, exercising regularly, and getting enough rest. You can also use facial moisturizers that contain collagen peptides. However, these home remedies may take time before you see any significant results.
Most loose skin treatments, from creams to laser resurfacing, focus on boosting collagen production. Lifestyle changes can keep collagen from slowing down even more. Take your vitamins, stop smoking (if you do), avoid tanning, and swap out harsh skin care for products with nourishing, medical-grade ingredients.
Although body-contouring surgery is by far the most common procedure to remove loose skin, less invasive options with a lower risk of complications include: Radiofrequency treatment. Such treatments may use a combination of infrared light, radiofrequency, and massage to reduce loose skin.
According to the doctors on the show, your 40s is when you really start to see major changes in the firmness of your skin.
Collagen production starts to decline around 25 years of age, decreasing approximately 1-2% per year afterwards. Skin noticeably starts to lose its elasticity in your 30s to 40s and particularly in the first five years of menopause when women's skin loses around 30% of its collagen.