If you have lost a significant amount of weight through diet, exercise or weight-loss surgery, your weight loss may have had an unintended consequence: loose skin that has not tightened with time. This excess skin can be an unfortunate reminder of your previous self. Finding the right treatment can help prevent complications that can occur from loose skin.
Factors
Several factors affect what happens to your skin after losing weight. The first is your skin's natural elasticity, according to Go Ask Alice, a health resource from Columbia University. The skin naturally lost elasticity when you were heavier because it had to stretch to accommodate additional layers of fat. When you lose weight, the skin's elasticity will tighten somewhat --- but may not tighten completely. The amount and rate at which you lost weight also affects loose skin. The faster your weight loss, the less time your skin has to keep up with the changes your body undergoes.
Time Frame
If the rate at which you lost weight was very fast, the skin can take some time to catch up. For this reason, physicians often recommend waiting two years to observe how the skin becomes tighter, according to Go Ask Alice. After this time frame, the loose skin that remains likely will be there forever in the absence of medical intervention. Waiting the recommended time frame also allows you to determine the average weight you will remain. If you do choose surgery as an option to remove excess skin, this will allow surgeons to shape your body to give you the best results for your body type.
Complications
Loose skin after significant weight loss can be cause for concern because the skin can rub or bunch together, resulting in sores or rashes. These red, irritated areas can be difficult to treat and may be slow to heal if the skin does not receive enough circulation. Another complication is that loose skin has the tendency to bunch up, making it difficult for you to wear clothes that reflect your weight loss.
Non-Surgical Treatments
If you are considering weight-loss surgery or dramatic weight loss, it's important to anticipate how you will deal with loose skin, according to Go Ask Alice. Throughout or before your weight-loss process, consider lifting weights to build muscle. Doing so can tighten the skin, providing support underneath the skin that may help it appear less loose, according to the Daily Glow. Another option is to slow the rate of your weight loss --- losing 50 to 100 pounds very quickly can affect the skin's ability to shrink, according to Go Ask Alice. However, a more moderate weight loss of 50 pounds over the course of several months can keep your skin from becoming overly loose.
Surgical Treatment
If you have waited the requisite two-year period, yet still experience loose skin, you may consider body-contouring surgical procedures to reduce excess skin. Performed by a plastic surgeon, these procedures can be performed on almost any areas of excess skin, including in the abdomen, thighs, arm, breasts and neck, according to the University of Minnesota Physicians Weight Loss Surgery Center. Your surgeon can evaluate your health conditions and help to establish realistic expectations and a plan for surgical removal, as loose skin can require more than one surgery to eradicate.
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