Loose skin occurs after losing a significant amount of weight in a short amount of time. The process of tightening up your loose skin may take months, but there are steps you can take to help minimize the effects. Eating right, drinking plenty of water and exercising are key contributors to helping with loose skin. Tone up your body with resistance training and fat-burning cardiovascular exercise.
Causes
As you age, your skin becomes less elastic, and being overweight starts taking a toll on your skin. Losing a large amount of weight quickly does not allow your skin to shrink to your new weight. The fat within your body that breaks up when losing weight is not always burned off right away, leaving the skin is filled with pockets of fat. The best way to reduce loose skin is to burn up the fatty tissue that rests in the skin. This takes time and devotion.
Medical Problems
Loose skin causes skin folds typically in the abdomen and inner thighs, according to the University of Minnesota Physicians. Skin folds can leave a moist environment that causes chaffing, rashes and infections. It can be more difficult to maintain proper hygiene due to excess skin.
Exercise
Adding weight training to your workout will build lean muscle. Having leaner muscle will burn more fat--your body composition will change, minimizing the appearance of loose skin. Weight training works by strengthening the tissues under your skin, which fills in the loose skin space with lean muscles. Challenge your muscles using free weights and resistance exercises. Cardiovascular training can be easy and fun. Riding a stationary bike, walking or running can accelerate the fat-burning process. On most days of the week, aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate cardiovascular activity.
Prevention
If you still are losing weight, keep the loss to 1 to 2 lbs. per week, as drastic weight loss will leave you with loose skin. Losing weight more slowly will help with your skin's elasticity and minimize the effects of loose skin.
Treatment
Taking into account the cost, recovery time and potential problems, surgery can address loose skin after weight loss. Surgery should be the last resort. Removing loose skin on the arms and thighs can leave a visible scar, whereas in abdominal surgery, the scar can be hidden at the bikini line.
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