How to get rid of loose skin after losing weight is a common question we get asked at Karidis Clinic, as it can be incredibly frustrating to hit your goal weight and be left with sagging skin that mars your new-found contours. Often patients want to know if it’s possible to do this without surgery, but the quick answer is usually no.
Studies have found that when the skin stretches during weight gain and stays that way for a while, the collagen and elastin fibres in the skin are damaged and unable to retract back quickly, particularly if a lot of weight is lost suddenly. This is coupled with the fact that our collagen production slows down by 1% every year from your early 20s.
Our latest blog demystifies body contouring surgery and explains why it is often the only approach to tightening loose skin – and muscles! – after weight loss.
Is it possible to tighten loose skin after weight loss without surgery?
If you gain weight, certain factors could assist your skin in snapping back once you lose those pounds. Addressing it as soon as possible is essential, as the longer you carry the extra weight, the more damage you do to the collagen and elastin fibres in the skin. Collagen and elastin production also slows down as you get older, which is another reason to address the problem as soon as possible. Slowly losing weight will also allow the skin to contract as the shape of the body shrinks.
Non-surgical options
- Strength training can help to tackle the issue of loose skin in two ways. By building lean muscles, it’s possible to create a firmer, more defined physique. It also helps to improve skin tone and boosts cell renewal.
- There are non-surgical skin tightening treatments available that can induce skin tightening. Ultherapy is the only non-surgical skin tightening procedure that’s been FDA-cleared for tightening the skin on the neck, chin, jaw and brow. It delivers High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound energy into the dermis to stimulate collagen production.
- Exilis Ultra 360 is FDA-approved for tightening the skin and reducing stubborn fat deposits on the arms, chest, stomach, back, thighs and calves. Radiofrequency energy breaks up the fat cells so they can be naturally flushed out through the body’s lymphatic system while also stimulating collagen fibres to tighten the skin.
However, the ideal candidates for these non-surgical treatments are those with mild to moderate skin laxity. Excess skin removal surgery is often the only option for patients with a significant amount of loose, sagging skin.
Surgical procedures
- Excess skin removal surgery encompasses several different procedures depending on the area of the body targeted. Typically, this includes the arms, abdomen, breasts, back, buttocks and thighs, and the procedures include a brachioplasty or arm lift, tummy tuck, lower body lift and thigh lift.
During your consultation with Mr Alex Karidis or Mr Mark Ho-Asjoe, they will conduct a comprehensive physical assessment. They can then advise you on which excess skin removal surgery procedure or combination of approaches is most appropriate.
