Bariatric surgery is used to treat severe obesity, when other methods fail and your health is in danger from conditions related to your obesity, such as diabetes or heart disease. The surgery restricts your intake of food by creating a new, smaller stomach "pouch." While limiting your caloric intake promotes weight loss, exercise and other lifestyle changes are encouraged. According to the National Association for Weight Loss Surgery, most patients lose one-half of their excess weight within a year after surgery and two-thirds of their excess weight within two years after gastric-bypass surgery. This large and rapid weight loss can cause a secondary problem -- sagging skin. This extra skin needs to be removed, not just for cosmetic reasons, but because it might cause medical and hygiene problems as well.
Step 1
Determine if you're a good candidate for body-contouring surgery. According to the Cleveland Clinic, removing excess skin from after weight loss surgery is best done surgically. Skin loses its elasticity if its been stretched for a long period of time; for many people no amount of exercise or topical treatments will firm the skin. Body-contour surgery may be your best option if you've maintained your weight loss for one year or more, if you're following a healthy high-protein diet and if you don't have any other medical conditions that could cause surgical complications.
Step 2
Change your body composition by increasing muscle mass. Ron Brown, author of The Body Fat Guide, believes the best way to deal with the lose skin is to prevent it -- by increasing your muscle mass as you lose body fat. Brown says "Preventing loss of lean body mass while dieting to lose body fat will dramatically improve your appearance." According to Brown, loose skin isn't cause by how much or how quickly the weight is lost, but by losing muscle mass. Weight training will replenish muscle tissue and contribute to fat loss, helping you to lose weight without developing sagging skin.
Step 3
Stimulate collagen production with plastic surgery. Collagen increases the elasticity of your skin and can improve the appearance of sagging skin, but only in specific areas. Less invasive than body-contouring or other surgical options, using a laser or intense radio frequencies can help tighten sagging skin. This is an outpatient procedure, or series of treatments, and does not carry the risk of surgery. However, laser or sound-wave treatments that penetrate your dermis and help increase collagen production will not work for larger ares of sagging skin. These treatments are better suited to your face, jowls or neck than your stomach or underarms.
References
- Weight-control Information Network: Bariatric Surgery for Severe Obesity
- National Association for Weight Loss Surgery: Weight Loss Surgery Statistics and Definitions
- Cleveland Clinic: Body-Contouring Surgery After Significant Weight Loss
- Body Fat Guide: The Myth of Loose Skin
- Plastic Surgery Portal: Skin Tightening
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