Weight loss can improve your physique and your health, but large amounts of weight loss can bring about new problems. Rapid weight loss or large amounts of weight loss often leave a dieter with loose skin, especially in the area of the belly. Excess abdominal skin can decrease your self-esteem, make it difficult to fit into new clothes or cause health problems. A tummy tuck may diminish these problems.
Skin Elasticity
The ability of the elastic fibers within your skin to stretch and contract like a rubber band accounts for your skin's ability to rebound after weight loss. Unfortunately, overstretching can disrupt the functioning of your skin's elastic fibers, preventing the skin from recoiling fully, explains the Obesity Action Coalition. Loose abdominal skin after weight loss shows this disruption of elastic fibers. The amount of stretch on your skin from weight gain and the age of your skin affect your skin's ability to recoil.
Excess Skin
The excess skin left behind after weight loss can lead to mental and physical problems. Extreme amounts of excess skin may cause chaffing, rashes or skin breakdown, explains Dr. Luisito Dingcong, a psychiatrist for Bright Horizons in Clearfield, Pennsylvania. In rare cases, excess skin impedes your ability to exercise. When you have to deal with excess skin for a long period of time your self-image diminishes, which can cause low self-esteem or depression.
Tummy Tuck
A surgical procedure for excess abdominal skin, known as a tummy tuck, can eliminate all problems associated with excess skin on the belly. A tummy tuck involves the removal of fatty tissue and loose skin from the your middle and lower abdomen. Some tummy tucks even involve the removal of fatty tissue and loose skin from the sides of your abdomen. Depending on how much weight you lost, your surgeon may even tighten your abdominal muscles. Dr. Michael Hall, a primary care physician for DuBois Regional Medical Center, DuBois, Pennsylvania, states, "Tummy tucks do not help you lose weight." Your weight may decrease by a pound or two depending the extent of surgery, but this weight loss is minimal. Hall states that many insurance companies only pay for tummy tucks for medical reasons, such as infection caused by skin breakdown, so you may have to foot the bill for this surgery.
Other Options
Slow weight loss allows your skin to rebound more effectively. However, if you already have loose skin, exercise may help reduce your desire for a tummy tuck. Many types of crunches help tone the abdominal muscles, which can take up some of the slack in your loose skin. Aerobic exercise and strength training exercises burn excess calories, which helps eliminate the fat under your skin to tighten your skin even further.
References
- Dr. Michael Hall; DuBois Regional Medical Center; DuBois, Pennsylvania
- Dr. Luisito Dingcong; Bright Horizons; Clearfield, Pennsylvania
- Obesity Action Coalition: Will I Need Reconstructive Plastic Surgery After Weight-Loss?
- MedlinePlus: Abdominal Wall Surgery
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