How to Minimize Excess Skin After Extreme Weight Loss

richardthomas8383
richardthomas8383 Posts: 21 Member
edited November 2024 in Social Groups
You struggled and suffered for months to shed that excess weight. You exercised and trained daily, submitted yourself to restrictive diet plans and practically avoided any form of refined sugar. Finally, you made it – you lost those extra pounds that made you feel (and look) overweight, and reached your greatest goal.

However, even if you are now slimmer than ever, you must still deal with unaesthetic excess skin. But why does that happen?

Your skin progressively loses its elasticity over time. If you have been obese or overweight for a long time your skin kept being stressed for too much, and will have a hard time bouncing back when you lose some weight. It doesn’t matter if you lose this weight quickly or slowly though – what does matter is how long that skin was stretched.

In fact, the reason why your skin is now loose is not the weight loss. It is the weight gain. When you take too many pounds, the skin that covers an area such as the belly or the back, needs to accommodate the new fat tissue. What happens, is that the same amount of skin must now cover a larger area, and is then “thinned” out too quickly for it to be able to stay elastic.

When fat is lost, that new surface area is retained, leaving excess skin without tension, since its no longer being stretched by excess body fat. So what you can do about it?

Physical Exercise

Building muscle will help tone your skin and improve your appearance. during the weight loss process, you should limit muscle loss to maintain your skin’s suppleness. Engaging in strength training through regular physical activity is one of the most effective ways to overcome this problem.

30-60 minutes of cardio activity like jogging, swimming, biking or running every day is a good way to preserve muscles during a rigid dietary plan. It will also help you burn calories and improve your mood. However, after the diet is over, strength training such as weight lifting, yoga and resistance bands is better to build muscles in your arms, legs, back and shoulders.

Train your muscles until your last repetition is almost impossible to finish at least twice a week to achieve the best results.

Body-Contouring Surgery
If you lost a significant amount of weight that leaves you with a lot of excess skin hanging around, you might need a more radical approach. Body contouring surgery is often employed after bariatric surgery procedures that caused a patient to undergo drastic weight loss.

Excess skin and fat are removed from the tummy, limbs, back or breasts after an incision is made. If multiple body parts need to be treated, several surgeries are performed over the span of a year or two.

If you were an obese person, body-contouring surgery might improve your quality of life. However, if you think this type of procedure is going to be… too much for your wallet, don’t worry. Plastic surgery costs are now much more affordable than they used to, and many clinics now offer a lot of different payment plans to meet most budgets.

Take collagen supplements

Collagen constitutes the connective tissue that holds the inner layers of your skin. It is used to “rebuild” the loose layers of stretched skin and make your epidermis supple and elastic once again. Collagen hydrolysate can be found in many supplements, and some studies found to be effective to reintroduce this substance inside your dermis. Two to four weeks of supplementation are usually enough. You can find collagen in powdered form in many natural food online stores.

Eat well and stay hydrated

Certain nutrients will help your body replenish its collagen reserves. For example Vitamin C is used during the synthesis of this chemical and can be assumed in the form of pills or capsules. You can simply drink a lot of orange juice if you prefer to “stay natural,” though.

Adequate protein intake is also important, especially since the amino acids proline and lysine are also involved in collagen production. Other substances such as Omega-3 fatty acids and water can directly improve your skin’s appearance. Both these nutrients will make your skin more elastic. Staying well hydrated at all times is critical to maintain all dermal functions.

Conclusion

Loose skin caused by massive weight loss can be a serious issue. It might force you to endure many emotional and physical challenges, as it interferes in many ways with your everyday activities. Irritations and rashes can be annoying, but excess skin can even prevent you from being as active as you want.

Knowing how to deal with this issue is vital to preserve your body image as well. So don’t waste any more time, and get rid of that loose skin as soon as you can!
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