Weight loss is an accomplishment that takes dedication and lots of hard work. One of the drawbacks to losing a significant amount of weight is that you might end up with loose or sagging skin. There are several reasons for this, and most of them are related to how many pounds of weight you lost, the amount of elasticity in your skin and where you lost the most weight.
Significance
A low-fat diet, medical condition, exercise or combination of all can result in weight loss. Sometimes weight loss is unintentional and can happen quickly; this can cause you to lose muscle mass very quickly, making your skin more likely to appear saggy. If you do not get enough daily exercise along with muscle strength training, you could increase your risk for hanging skin.
Locations
Hanging skin can appear anywhere but is more prevalent if you were once morbidly obese. If you gained weight very quickly with a pregnancy or side effect to medication, your skin might have stretched. Once you lose weight in your abdominal area, breasts or thighs, you could be left with sagging, hanging skin. Your face, neck, arms, stomach and inner thighs are often the most-targeted locations for loose skin. These are areas where your body produces excess skin to allow for weight fluctuations.
Considerations
If you have decided to pursue any type of weight-loss surgery, you should be prepared for excess skin. Especially when you lose weight quickly with gastric bypass or lap band surgery, it can be challenging to build up enough muscle mass to replace the fat loss. This causes the skin to appear to be falling or folding over on your body. Having loose skin can hurt your self esteem and body image, according to Medscape General Medicine.
Solution
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, there are two ways to reduce or eliminate excess skin during and after weight loss: exercise and cosmetic surgery. Exercise is beneficial because if your skin has a lot of elasticity in it, you might be able to build muscle tone underneath to smooth out the skin. If you are older or experienced sudden weight loss or weight gain, you might not have enough elasticity and you might need to surgically remove the skin. A cosmetic surgeon can lift areas such as the neck and face, remove excess fat from areas such as the inner thigh, and cut droopy skin under the arms or at the base of the abdomen to create a tight, taut look.
Effects
You can easily see and feel the health benefits of weight loss on your overall physical health. But if you end up with loose and sagging skin, you could have other problems, including skin rashes, irritations and infections. Removing excess skin can improve your appearance and even reduce your body weight slightly.
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