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Added by Klaudia Grabowska on 10.12.2020
Weight loss surgeries are performed when patients BMI exceeds 35. In practice, bariatric patients have dozens of kilograms to lose – very often, it is over 100 kilograms. No wonder, there is much loose skin afterward. If you are going to have bariatric surgery, you have probably heard about the problem of loose skin after weight loss surgery or seen loose skin after weight loss surgery pictures which are not very aesthetic.
It is important that we realize that our skin is elastic and it tends to stretch when we gain weight, but it also tends to tighten when we lose kilograms. The thing is that these are usually years, sometimes the whole life, when we gain weight, but losing it after the surgery takes much shorter, so loose skin after bariatric surgery is rather normal and we cannot expect it to tighten immediately. In this article, we will show you that loose skin from weight loss surgery is not as terrible as you think and will explain to you what to do to avoid the problem of loose skin weight loss, how to get rid of a hanging belly, and how to prepare your skin for the surgery.
Most people after rapid weight loss face loose skin
Generally, the vast majority of people who were on a diet have faced loose skin after weight loss. The perfect situation for our skin is losing weight very slowly so that it can keep up with the less fat. However, there are many diets that entail losing weight very fast, also bariatric surgery triggers a rapid weight loss – then, we lose fat, but are left with saggy skin.
Having excess skin after weight loss is enhanced by the following factors:
Excess skin after weight loss is not only an aesthetic issue but may also cause some more serious problems – we describe them below.
What we are worried about is how the excess skin will influence our look, whether we will be able to wear a swimsuit or we will be forced to hide our arms or tummy forever. But there are some much more worrying excess skin problems. So, does excess skin cause health problems? Yes, and we all should know that preventing loose skin is beneficial primarily to health, and only secondary to our look.
Loose skin may cause some health problems so it is important to be aware of how to prevent it
Excess skin irritation and rash are very common. When there are many folds of saggy skin, the perspiration is blocked and the folds cause pressure to each other, as a result of which there may become an itchy red rash and irritation. Many bariatric patients admit that the excess skin sores and they feel very uncomfortable with that – sometimes they need to take painkillers to alleviate the pain.
Skin chafing is a problem that many obese people face – their body parts abut and chafe each other and they sweat overly – these are ideal conditions for chafting skin. Once people lose weight, the problem remains and it is not the fat that makes body parts chafing, but the loose skin. The skin chafing symptoms include boils, rash, itching, pain, redness, swelling, blisters, or burning.
Skin infection is a serious condition that requires medical treatment. What is a skin infection? It is a condition caused by different types of germs, we can face the following:
Loose skin is often associated with bacterial and fungal infections. The skin folds provide a very warm, dark, and sweaty environment which enhances bacteria and fungi developing. Once we face any skin infection, we should contact the doctor or chemist who will tell us how to treat skin infection.
Last but not least, loose skin is a source of low self-esteem. Bariatric surgery is very important in terms of health, look, and also mentality – one of its expected outcomes is restoring a sense of self-worth. The truth is, many people admit that losing dozens of kilograms haven’t made them happy just because they are left with sagging skin. And at the end, they find themselves self-conscious with very low self-esteem. Here, we need to stress that loose skin is not a necessity and some people do not face it after the surgery or diet. Once they do, there are ways of helping the skin tightening process that is really effective.
It is always easier to avoid than treat, so it is important to get the skin ready for massive weight loss
If you are wondering how to get rid of saggy skin, how to prevent loose skin when losing weight or how to minimize loose skin after bariatric surgery once you already face it, we have good news! Following some instructions before and after weight loss surgery will make your skin prepared for the changes. As a result, you may shorten the skin tightening period, avoid the problem of sagging skin at all, or minimize it to such an extent that it would not pose any problem. It is important that bariatric surgery patients or people planning a strict diet start the preparations before the surgery or diet and follow all recommendations afterwards.
Preparation for weight loss is very important – it gives our body time to prepare for the changes and signals that the food quality and quantity will change. When the body is not surprised and shocked but prepared, it cooperates with our brain and allows for a healthy weight loss without any side effects. The basic set that we should elaborate on includes a diet, exercising, and cosmetics.
A healthy diet can improve skin elasticity
A healthy skin diet should be well-balanced and not too strict. So, for those who consider going on a diet, we advise gradually introduce new diet components and gradually decrease the calorie intake so that our body can get prepared. The situation looks different for bariatric surgery patients. They cannot follow any diet for good skin, but the special diet before the bariatric surgery. Such a diet is low-calorie and high-protein. So, to some extent, it fits the frames of a loose skin diet and for sure it prepares the body for losing much more weight.
The food that is particularly significant for the skin tightening process include:
Sometimes to tighten the skin after weight loss the supplements may be necessary
When you follow a diet that contains the food above, you can be sure that your skin condition and it’s elasticity will improve over time.
The vitamins for loose skin can be either contained in food or taken as supplements. A balanced diet full of valuable vegetables and fruit is always the best choice, but to get enough vitamins to tighten skin after weight loss, supplements may be necessary.
The vitamin must have is:
Once you consider getting a supplement for loose skin, do not choose only vitamin c supplements for loose skin or only Vitamin K supplements. It is best to choose such a product that contains all of the above vitamins as well as collagen pills. Collagen is responsible for tight and elastic skin, so once you find the best collagen supplement, you may be really surprised with the results.
Protein intake after weight loss is very important. Food that is rich in proteins includes fish, milk, nuts, and poultry
Proteins are the most important diet components – each cell, including skin cells, consists of protein blocks, so it is necessary to eat enough proteins if we want to stay healthy. As for the role of protein for sagging skin, L-proline and L-lysine are protein components which enable collagen production. Collagen makes the skin firm and tight, so the more collagen our bodies produce, the less loose skin we have.
The food that is rich in proteins includes tofu, cottage cheese, fish (especially salmon), milk, seeds and beans, nuts, poultry.
Water is the main chemical component of the body, being about 50-70% of the body weight.
The main roles of water include:
We need to remember that we lose water all the time – through perspiration, breath, urine, and bowel movement, so we need to hydrate regularly. It is recommended that women drink at least 2,5 liters of water a day and men drink at least 3,5 liters. Of course, hydration comes also from other drinks (e.g. tea or juice) and food (e.g. fruits). Lastly, we must hydrate regularly – drinking a bottle of water immediately would be ineffective, it is rather recommended that we drink 1-2 glasses of water (or other drink) each 1-2 hours.
Exercises and building the muscles after weight loss may give the skin firmness
Exercise for loose skin may work a miracle. To put it simply, fat is accumulated just below the skin, and the muscles are located just below the fat. Once we lose weight, the fat is gone and there is a gap between the muscles and skin. So naturally, the skin is sagging. To fill this gap, it is enough to build the muscles – they will fill the empty space and the skin will regain its former firmness. It is important to focus on strength training and these body parts where the skin is loose, e.g. thighs, tummy, or arms. It may be combined with cardio, but still, the muscle building is the most important.
The benefits of exercise for skin include:
Starting exercise for loose skin after weight loss is simple – there are many articles, videos, books, gyms that provide us with the specific training for a chosen body part. The only thing is to get motivated. The exercise for loose skin on the stomach differs from exercise for loose skin underarms, so it is important to set a goal.
Below, we list the examples of the best exercise for loose skin:
Exercising brings effects only when repeated regularly. The first effects of strength training are visible after about 4 weeks, so you need to be patient and self-disciplined.
There are many cosmetics on the market that may help with skin elasticity. It is important to use them regularly
The cosmetics market offers a great variety of cosmetics improving skin elasticity. These are lotions, creams, moisturizers, emollients, lubricants, and many other forms. We would not advertise any specific brands here, but our advice is that you make sure the cosmetic you choose contains collagen and elastin. These are two substances that take part in the skin tightening process. Also, similarly to exercises, using cosmetics does not bring immediate effects – you need to use it regularly as recommended and wait a few weeks to see the first results. Lastly, if you read this article before your bariatric surgery or diet, you need to know that the sooner you start to use such cosmetics, the less loose your skin will be in the future.
If you have already lost much weight thanks to a regular diet or weight loss surgery, you may struggle with loose skin. Very often, this problem does not allow us to enjoy the weight loss results and makes us so upset that sometimes we regret losing weight at all. However, as we have already mentioned, there are effective ways of skin tightening. So, how to tighten skin after weight loss? Does loose skin go away? Yes, there are some ways of dealing with loose skin after bariatric surgery or diet, they include non-surgical and surgical solutions. Below, we briefly explain what options are available.
If you wonder how to tighten loose skin on stomach without surgery, we have great news. There are some tips for skin tightening that doesn’t involve any cost and are very easy to implement. These home remedies include drinking water, taking supplements, exercising, using cosmetics, and doing massages.
We have already explained the importance of staying hydrated. Body hydration includes skin hydration of course.
Check how you can hydrate your skin easily:
Drinking water and staying hydrated is a really important part of our lives, dehydration may lead to many health problems
When you stay hydrated, not only the skin condition is ideal. The other benefits of drinking enough water include normalizing blood pressure, aiding digestion, protecting tissues and organs, stabilizing heartbeat, carrying oxygen and nutrients to cells, and maintaining the balance of electrolytes. The first sign of dehydration is the feeling of thirst. It may be surprising but once we drink water regularly, we shouldn’t be thirsty at all. So, once you notice that you feel thirsty time and again, it is a sign that you are dehydrated.
Supplements are also a good solution for skin tightening. However, they should never be used as an alternative to a healthy diet and vitamin-rich food. They are just the added value to our diet. It doesn’t matter whether we look for supplements which would prevent skin loosening or which would help already loose skin, we should always choose the best collagen supplement for sagging skin. Collagen is what keeps our skin tight, so it should be the main ingredient of the supplement. If you wonder which type of collagen for sagging skin to choose, you may ask a chemist, beautician, or dermatologist to recommend some. Only a specialist has enough expertise to advise you on the best type of collagen for sagging skin and joints.
Exercise for loose skin is extremely effective. In fact, when we exercise before and during the dieting period, we can totally block skin sagging. The most problematic body part is the stomach – when obese people lose much weight, there may be dozens of kilograms of loose skin there. Hence, exercise for loose skin on stomach is particularly important. The best exercise for loose skin are strength exercises – so the ones that build the muscles, e.g. with the use of dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells, or resistance bands. To get the optimal and effective training, we recommend consulting a personal trainer or watch training tutorials done by specialists, then our exercise for loose skin after weight loss would give maximum results.
If you expect to find skin tightening cream for a stomach that would make your loose skin firm after you lost dozens of kilograms, we must tell you that you will never find it. The effects of such creams cannot be as spectacular as the effects of exercising or supplements, not to mention cosmetic procedures. However, we still recommend using such cosmetics – they are a perfect complement of other activities aiming at skin tightening. If the amount of loose skin is small or moderate, cosmetics may be very effective.
See which cosmetics are worth considering:
These types of cosmetics have been tested and their effectiveness is proven and once you have realistic expectations towards them, it is definitely worth trying some.
Massages for loose skin are very helpful. It is recommended to have massage sessions once or twice a week to achieve a better result
Massages for loose skin are very helpful. They relieve stress, loosen the tight muscles, improve blood circulation, and boost skin elasticity. The properly done massage makes that nutrients are delivered to all body parts, including the skin. Not only specialists are able to tighten loose skin with massage, you or your partner can also do it. The rule is that the problematic body part is massaged with slow circular movements which should be so deep that they reach muscles as well. You may apply some skin tightening cosmetics, oils (the best is coconut oil), or lotions, but not much because your hands would be slipping, not pushing. It is recommended to have such massage sessions once or twice a week.
All the methods described above boil down to a healthy lifestyle and home rituals. They work excellent for small skin sagging and may be helpful for moderate sagging. But to be sure that your skin will get tightened, you may try a highly effective professional method of loose skin removal without surgery. Namely, it is laser skin tightening, which brings great effects for moderate skin sagging. So, if you wonder how to get rid of loose skin after weight loss without surgery, you should try this procedure.
Skin tightening laser is a very frequent cosmetic procedure. It allows to reduce sagging skin from almost each body part. Whether you look for a stomach skin tightening laser, neck skin tightening laser, or thigh skin tightening laser, you may expect great results after this treatment.
Skin tightening laser treatment is non-surgical and non-invasive, it is also totally painless. Some patients say that they feel very relaxed during the procedure because the laser gives a pleasant feeling of heat.
There are 3 main types of laser, but it is impossible to say what is the best skin tightening laser. Each type is just different and is usually chosen depending on the involved body parts.
The skin tightening laser treatment is really effective for moderate loose skin. Combined with a healthy diet, supplements, exercising, and massages, it can totally eliminate problematic skin. What we recommend is that you visit a beauty clinic which hires only certified doctors and beauticians because only when properly performed, laser treatment is effective. Skin tightening laser cost varies from clinic to clinic, generally it is rather cheap, however, sometimes a few regular treatments are needed. Also, when there is a lot of sagging skin, it might be ineffective and then, only plastic surgery may help.
Skin removal surgery is recommended to patients who have lost much weight in a short time – mainly these are bariatric patients. When you are left with considerable sagging skin, the home and non-invasive methods would not bring results. The last resort is excess skin removal surgery. There are a few types of plastic surgery for loose skin – their character depends on the body parts that are involved. The most popular and most effective plastic surgeries are tummy tuck and body lift.
We describe them below.
If non-invasive methods don’t help for loose skin there are many plastic surgery procedures available that can help to achieve great results
Tummy tuck after weight loss surgery is very popular and for many people, it is even recommended by the bariatric surgeon. Tummy tuck after weight loss is not as frequent mainly because the weight loss process is longer than after the surgery and the skin adjusts more easily. Tummy tuck (called abdominoplasty) is a surgery that removes the excess skin and tightens the muscles – it involves only the abdomen area. Once you consider having a tummy tuck for loose skin, read our article focusing on this surgery.
Full body lift after weight loss is a more extensive surgery than a tummy tuck. It involves the abdomen, buttocks, and thighs – these are the most problematic body parts after weight loss. Similarly to a tummy tuck, it removes the loose skin and tightens the abdomen muscles. Since it is a serious surgery, you need to be in good health to be qualified for it. More details about body lift after weight loss are in an article dedicated to body lift, which is available on our website.
The skin removal surgery cost is rather high as it is a complicated surgery performed under general anesthesia. The price of tummy tuck in the UK is 6000 GBP on average and the price for a body lift is 9000 GBP on average. Such a cost is too high for many people, but there is also one alternative. Namely, removing loose skin after weight loss surgery cost abroad may be much cheaper. More and more people decide to travel to such countries as Turkey, Poland or Mexico because they offer the surgery at a much lower cost. E.g. tummy tuck in Poland costs 3000 GBP on average and body lift cost is 4500 GBP on average.
Loose skin after weight loss may be very problematic, but as we proved, it can be effectively treated. There are many home remedies for small sagging, cosmetic procedures for moderate sagging, and plastic surgeries for considerable sagging. Of course, not everyone faces this problem, some people avoid skin sagging even after bariatric surgery. Just remember that once it happens, it is not the end of the world. You have still made a huge achievement, which is significant weight loss, and tackling loose skin would just be the icing on the cake.
“5 Effective Ways to Get Rid of Loose Skin after Weight Loss.” MaxedMuscle.com, 24 Nov. 2020, maxedmuscle.com/five-effective-ways-to-get-rid-of-excess-or-loose-skin-after-weight-loss/.
“Eating Foods That Brighten and Tighten Your Skin.” The Woodruff Institute, 22 Feb. 2017, www.thewoodruffinstitute.com/eating-foods-brighten-tighten-skin/.
“Five Belly Toning Exercises to Tighten Skin after Weight Loss / Fitness / Toning.” / Fitness / Toning, www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/toning/5-belly-toning-exercises-to-tighten-skin-after-weight-loss.html.
Gardner, Stephanie S. “Tummy Tuck Surgery (Abdominoplasty): Procedure, Preparation, and Recovery.” WebMD, WebMD, 26 July 2019, www.webmd.com/beauty/cosmetic-procedures-tummy-tuck.
June 19 2015 We all know that achieving the perfect body won’t happen overnight. “12 Steps to Tone up after Weight Loss.” DW Fitness First, www.fitnessfirst.co.uk/inside-track/fitness/12-steps-to-tone-up-after-weight-loss/.
Rhue, Holly. “How Laser Skin Tightening Works.” ELLE, ELLE, 18 Mar. 2019, www.elle.com/beauty/makeup-skin-care/a26775392/laser-skin-tightening-treatment-guide/.
“The Truth about Firming Creams: Paula’s Choice.” Eu.com, www.paulaschoice-eu.com/the-truth-about-firming-creams.
“What Vitamins Are Good For Skin Tightening.” Makeupandbeauty.com, 15 Sept. 2020, makeupandbeauty.com/vitamins-good-skin-tightening/.
Written By Pound Kakar On January 29. “How To Keep Your Skin Hydrated ( With 7 Simple Tips).” SkinKraft, 29 Jan. 2020, skinkraft.com/blogs/articles/how-to-hydrate-your-skin.
Klaudia started to work for Clinic Hunter many years ago, just after graduating from the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin in Poland and since that time, this job has become her biggest passion and inspiration.
She has gained necessary expertise and experience by serving patients from all over the world (mainly the UK, Scandinavian countries, and the USA), taking an active part in numerous live and video trainings with clinics in Poland, Hungary and Turkey, participating in international medical tourism conferences and events, and completing internal Clinic Hunter courses. Now, Klaudia is an accomplished patient advisor specialising in such fields as dentistry, plastic and bariatric surgery and hair loss treatment. Her main idea is helping people nad making their lives better, that is why this job brings her so much satisfaction and joy.
by Klaudia Grabowska, on 04.06.20
by Klaudia Grabowska, on 09.01.20
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