Loose skin is something everyone has to contend with, especially as they age. However, you can also get loose skin from extreme weight loss, causing you to wonder whether your skin will bounce back. The good news is that skin is fairly elastic. However, if you have severe loose skin, it may never be as firm as it once was, especially depending on the cause. Loose skin can lead to feelings of self-consciousness and interfere with your quality of life. Caring for your loose skin can help improve your skin health to help you feel better about yourself when you look in the mirror. Here are a few ways to care for loose skin.
Exercise
Exercise is good for overall health, but it also benefits your skin. While cardio can help oxygen move through your blood to improve skin health, resistance training and weight training can also firm loose skin. Strength training targets your muscles and increases their mass to fill out loose skin, which may improve its appearance. Of course, putting on your cross-training shoes and hitting the gym won’t completely fix loose skin. However, it can help firm some areas of loose skin on your body while increasing your confidence.
Take Supplements
Many supplements can help put nutrients back into your skin, including niagen and collagen. Some supplements will target the cells within your body to reverse the signs of aging, including sagging skin. Meanwhile, collagen can improve skin elasticity and hydrate the skin, reducing sagginess associated with loose skin.
Eat Healthily
Eating a healthy diet can promote healthier, more elastic skin. Aim for foods with protein to improve skin health and boost your natural collagen production. You can also look for foods high in vitamin C, which can protect your skin from sun damage, and omega-3 fatty acids to increase elasticity and reverse the signs of aging. Of course, your skin should also be well hydrated from the inside out. Drinking enough water can help improve your skin’s appearance.
Compression Clothing
Athletes typically wear compression garments to help muscles heal faster after workouts. However, compression garments can also help you care for loose skin because they can prevent rashes and infections that may occur when skin hangs over itself and creates a dark, moist environment. In addition, compression clothing can stop the skin from rubbing against itself, which can also prevent chafing.
Firming Creams
Firming creams contain ingredients like collagen and elastin to help improve skin elasticity. These creams boost tightness, but those nutrients cannot be absorbed through the skin. Instead, collagen must be created or put into the body to have any long-lasting effects on loose skin. Luckily, there are many ways to get more collagen in your diet. However, if you’re looking for a quick fix to keep your skin hydrated, firming creams can help you feel more confident while keeping your skin moisturized.
Medical Treatments
The skin has finite elasticity, so once it’s stretched too far, it will never return to the way it was on its own. As a result, many people turn to surgical solutions once they’ve lost weight and have done everything they can to battle loose skin. A few medical treatments that target loose skin include:
Surgical Skin Removal
After massive weight loss, many individuals require plastic surgery to remove excess skin. Skin removal surgery is effective at removing skin because it cuts the skin away and can lift the remaining tissue.
Liposuction
Liposuction is ideal for those who still have some fat to lose but can also target mild loose skin. Liposuction might not be for you if your only concern is loose skin since it can cause loose skin by removing fat.
Body Contouring
Body contouring can also remove fat and tighten skin but only for mild cases. Body contouring, such as CoolSculping, can help contour your body, but it’s not ideal for extreme cases of loose skin after weight loss.
Losing Weight Slowly
If you’re worried about getting loose skin, it’s always best to gradually lose weight if possible. Losing weight slowly gives your skin time to catch up during the process to prevent loose skin in the first place. However, if you’ve already lost a ton of weight in a short amount of time, the damage may already be done. Luckily, your skin will become tighter slowly over time, especially if you eat healthily and take good care of it.
Does Loose Skin Go Away?
Without intervention, loose skin may never go away. It depends on how much loose skin you have. Of course, loose skin is to be expected as you age or after major weight loss. Additionally, how your skin responds to weight loss depends on age, genetics, how much weight you lost, and how quickly, thus many factors will affect how much loose skin you have. Depending on your unique circumstances, you may be able to expect some of your loose skin to go away on its own. For example, individuals who have lost weight gradually or show no signs of stretch marks may not have as much loose skin after weight loss. Additionally, those that are young and still have elasticity will likely be able to lose weight without much loose skin.
After about one year of maintaining your weight, your skin will contract all that it’s going to. If you wait for your skin to contract more after that, you’ll be out of luck. So after one year, if you don’t see your skin tightening on its own, you should consider other options.
Everyone is different, and your skin may not react to weight loss or aging like someone else’s. When losing weight or aging, take proper care of your health and skin to prevent loose skin and improve your outcome. Luckily, loose skin is not harmful, but many people dislike the appearance. How you choose to loosen your skin will depend on your options. If you’re concerned about your loose skin, talk to a doctor about your options.
Julia Olivas
Julia Olivas graduated from San Francisco State University with her B.A. in Communication Studies. She is a freelance writer where she loves sharing her passion for digital marketing and content creation. Outside of writing, she loves cooking, reading, painting, and her pup Ruby.