Losing 50 or more pounds is an astonishing feat for anyone. You have worked hard to change your eating habits and incorporated exercise for better health and increased mobility. Now that you’re at or near your goal weight, you may have loose skin that obscures your slimmer body shape. Our board-certified plastic surgeon in Troy offers after-weight loss procedures to eliminate sagging skin, including thigh lift, arm lift, tummy tuck, and mommy makeover.
Why Loose Skin Happens
Your skin stretches like a water balloon when you gain weight, and just like that latex material, your skin loses the ability to retract or snap back. Collagen and elastin are two youthful proteins that give your skin strength and flexibility, allowing your tissues to stretch and not tear during rapid weight gain or pregnancy. Unfortunately, natural aging and excessive weight gain stress and weaken elastin fibers, and collagen production starts slowing down in your mid-20s. The longer you hold on to the extra pounds, the more damage occurs to these proteins, making your skin less pliable, and the more weight you gain, the more your skin stretches. When you do lose the weight, the remaining elastin and collagen can’t shrink into place like they used to when you were thinner and younger.
Younger men and women have more youthful skin that can bounce back better than older tissue. The older you are, the more likely you are to struggle with sagging skin after weight loss.
Some people and situations make you more likely to have loose skin. Rapid weight loss shrinks the skin too quickly and may exacerbate the appearance of loose skin. Smoking, an unhealthy diet, excess sun exposure, and your genes may also increase your risk. Caucasian men and women often struggle with skin sagging more than other ethnicities. Older pregnant women or women carrying twins or triplets tend to have excess skin after losing their baby weight.
Can I Prevent Loose Skin After Weight Loss?
Incremental weight loss of one or two pounds per week allows your skin more time to adapt and retract. Slowly shedding pounds is also more sustainable for your long-term health and body shape. Some men and women may improve their skin integrity by avoiding excessive sun exposure and increasing water intake. Researchers have found that increasing hydration has a positive impact on the physiology of your skin.
Exercise is another way to reduce loose skin as it builds and maintains lean muscle. A nutrient-rich diet with antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids may improve skin health.
Surgery to Remove Loose Skin
Skin removal with plastic surgery can help if loose skin negatively impacts your quality of life, causing mental distress or physical discomfort due to skin chafing. Body contouring procedures with Dr. Mune Gowda remove the excess skin tissue and reshape the treated area for a tighter, smoother silhouette. Gowda, MD & Associates offers tummy tuck, arm lift, thigh lift, and breast lift. Women may combine some of these procedures for a mommy makeover surgery when they are finished growing their families.
Schedule a consultation with our board-certified plastic surgeon in Southeast Michigan. Contact our Troy office at (248) 530-0000 or our Novi office at (248) 305-8400.