Skin expands to make room for excess fat. When you lose the fat, the skin tends to remain loose. With age, skin becomes less elastic and tougher to tighten up, say trainers at Weight Loss Digest. While some people resort to cosmetic surgery to remove loose skin, there are other options you can take to tighten and tone skin after weight loss.
Step 1
Wash with body scrubs to exfoliate your skin. Exfoliation removes the outer layers of dead skin that add to the appearance of droopy skin. Scrubbing the skin also helps increase circulation so new and more toned skin can replace the dead loose skin.
Step 2
Moisturize your skin with products that improve collagen production. Look for products that contain yeast extract, aloe vera and hyaluronic acid. Mayo Clinic doctors report that creams that contain copper peptides, kinetin and green tea also help promote the production of collagen in the skin.
Step 3
Measure your body fat with skin fold calipers to make sure you are losing body fat and not muscle while you diet. Building muscles while dieting helps tone and tighten the skin quicker than just losing weight. Trainers at bodybuilding.com report that you have to change your body composition to tighten loose skin.
Step 4
Stay hydrated. Skin requires proper fluid levels to remain supple and elastic. Eat a diet that includes healthy carbohydrates such as whole grains, fruit and beans to stay hydrated, and drink at least 64 ounces of water a day.
Step 5
Include resistance training in your regular exercise routines. Lift weights or pull tubes and rubber workout bands or work out on resistance machines at the gym. Trainers at Critical Bench report that when muscle takes the place of fat, it fills in some of the space left under the sagging skin and makes it tighter and more toned.
Tips and Warnings
- Lose weight slowly while you continue to exercise. Large amounts of rapid fat loss can leave skin looser than if the weight is lost at a slower pace, because in time loose skin will tighten. Aim to lose no more than two to three pounds per week to allow skin the time to tighten. Stay toned and build lean muscle with your exercising.
- Don't cut calories drastically. When calorie reduction is too drastic, the body goes into starvation mode and stores fat, burning lean muscle instead. When more muscle than fat is lost, skin tends to hang looser.
Things You'll Need
- Body scrub
- Moisturizer
- Skin fold calipers
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