Is it possible to tighten skin after weight loss

Steve Wallach, a cosmetic surgeon in Manhattan. Clothes don't fit because of excess tissue. Franklin Santana, a year-old who lives in the Bronx, had gastric bypass surgery in October , and before the surgery, he weighed pounds. Two years later, as of late last year, he was down to To the public, he seemed like a trim, even skinny, guy. I guess you could say it looks like that. Deborah Olmstead, who first had weight loss surgery done in , knew to expect it, too; she just didn't know how awful it would make her feel.

The loose skin is caused by losing a huge amount of weight — as in, 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. Most weight loss programs, even the ones that claim to be slow, aim for pounds of fat loss per week. But most people can only lose pounds of body fat per month.

Any weight loss beyond that pounds per month is likely to be lean muscle, not fat. In a study, researchers found that small, cumulative changes in diet and activity which are quite similar to the approach Nutrition Diva Monica Reinagel and I use in the Weighless program produced slow but sustainable weight loss. That type of slow, steady weight loss also avoided pitfalls like loose skin. In conjunction with losing weight slowly, make sure your weight loss program includes some type of resistance training or even, dare I say, weight lifting so that you do not lose lean muscle.

I have many articles in the Get-Fit Guy archives if you need some guidance on where to start with resistance training. Is loose skin something to worry about? I think this is an important question—is loose skin really worth worrying about? If your loose skin is causing pain or discomfort, and especially if you are getting chafing during activity, you may want to do something about it, like wearing compression garments.

Exercisers that carry larger amounts of weight are often more susceptible to repetitive-use injuries like strains, shin splints, sprains, and other joint issues. But simply wearing some compression gear can help compress loose skin against the skeleton and minimize the tiny tissue tears that can be caused by skin vibration and oscillation. Sure, if significant weight loss is or was your goal, you might end up with loose skin.

But I believe that focusing on your loose skin instead of celebrating all the good you've done for your health would be a shame. That said, even if you are ready to be as bold as the people in that SELF article, there are still some steps you can take to give your skin a little help. As I said, because your skin is a living organ, it will slowly return to a shape that fits your new body. But since that process can take a few years, here are steps you can take to help it along.

Stay hydrated Attend to your hydration needs. Water is a crucial component of maintaining skin elasticity. Your skin is made up of cells. Skin cells, like all cells in your body, are made up of water. Without water, this enormous organ will certainly not function at its best.

If your skin is not getting a sufficient amount of water, your skin will have less resilience and less elasticity. Eat properly Two necessary ingredients that keep skin plump and elastic are collagen and elastin.

Make sure you eat protein-rich foods. Possible side effects of this non-surgical skin tightening option include pain where the frequency is applied, skin rash erythema , and swelling caused by trapped fluid edema.

Some of these issues can take weeks to fully resolve. ThermiTight results last between three and five years but may need to be repeated after that due to normal aging. VelaShape uses slightly different technology. During the skin tightening procedure, the VelaShape machine combines infrared, bi-polar radio frequency, pulsed vacuum, and massage rollers to treat the thighs, buttocks, love handles, or abdomen. The goal behind VelaShape is to reduce the appearance of cellulite by stimulating the production of collagen and elastin.

This results in smoother and smaller thighs and abdomen, and a more toned body. Treatments are non-invasive and painless. VelaShape is best suited for people with a body mass index BMI under It also provides better results if the dimpling of the skin can be seen while standing but not while lying down. Patients generally see a gradual tightening of the skin and cellulite reduction with VelaShape.

While it doesn't change skin strength or elasticity, it can help to promote muscle growth to make your body look tighter. The way it works is by causing your muscles to involuntarily contract. This contraction strengthens and tones the muscle. Each procedure lasts about 30 minutes and you generally need a minimum of four sessions, scheduled days apart.

You will need maintenance every six months. Both the large and small applicator deliver thousands of contractions, and there are chair applicators too.

Even though you can tighten loose skin without surgery, it doesn't necessarily mean that you should. Every procedure comes with some level of risk, so it's important to take into consideration your own health and whether these risks are elevated for you. Katz further cautions that patients must be willing to commit to a healthy diet and exercise program to maintain their tighter skin after a treatment.

He recommends that patients maintain a consistent weight to keep the skin from stretching out again. If you lost weight recently, you may want to wait up to a year to see if you regain some or all of your weight before investing in a procedure. For some patients, the time and money invested in a skin-tightening procedure may provide enough motivation to stick to their new diet and keep the weight from coming back. But every patient is unique.

Evaluate all of your options and consider your long-term plan before you choose the best treatment for your loose skin. Include your doctor in your decision-making process to ensure that the option you choose is safe. It can be frustrating to learn that a skin tightening option may not be the best option for you. Or if you have to wait to have loose skin removed. However, safety is the number one priority.

If you are healthy and well, you can enjoy your weight loss to the fullest extent possible. Looking to lose weight? This creates loose skin. With various forms of the starvation dieting and large amounts of cardio, not only do you lose weight, but you can lose muscle, too. This creates a void between your skin and tissue.

Building muscle fills the looseness left behind by a rapid amount of weight loss. Remember to focus on losing weight, which means losing fat not muscle. When you lose the elasticity in your skin, your skin struggles to retract.

This is all part of the natural aging process. There are many ways you can improve your skin elasticity :. The BTL Exilis is a one-of-a-kind skin tightening treatment device for anyone looking to improve the elasticity of their skin in different areas of the body.

It combines radio frequency with ultrasound to target various depths in the tissue pain-free. As it penetrates the superficial layers, it creates contraction in the collagen fibers of your skin.