It's an all-too-common occurrence -- you work hard to lose the extra weight that is taking a toll on your health, and when you finally lose the weight, you still don't feel confident "in your own skin" because you are now left with too much of it. You may be dealing with this problem right now or be currently on your weight-loss journey and worried that you will have this problem in the future. Like many people, you just want answers: Why are some people left with extra skin after weight loss while others have skin that seems to simply "snap back" into place? If you are currently losing weight, you may wonder if you can prevent it, and if you have already lost the weight, you want to know how you can get rid of that extra skin. Read on to learn the answers to these questions.
Why Some People Have Excess Skin After Weight Loss and Others Don't
If you lost weight and now have excess skin to deal with, but you have a friend who lost weight and their skin seemed to "snap back" into place, then it may frustrate you and make you wonder why you were so unlucky. To understand why post-weight loss bodies can differ so much, you first have to understand a few skin basics:
- Skin is elastic -- to a degree. Among the many cells that make up your skin, elastin cells are the ones that give it most of its "stretch."
- According to Dr. Mehmet Oz, when you gain a little weight, it stretches a little, but when you gain a lot, it tears.
- Your skin is constantly healing itself. As these small tears develop, your body rushes to heal them with new cells that essentially leave you more skin than when you were smaller.
Once you understand these facts, you can see why skin doesn't just "snap back" after dramatic weight loss. As a large amount of weight is gained, your skin essentially "grows" to accommodate your larger body.
However, this doesn't explain why others deal with more loose skin after weight loss than others. The number one factor is the amount of weight gained. With a little weight gain, skin may simply stretch and not tear, and elastin cells can bounce back a little. With a large weight gain, tears begin to occur that don't simply go away when the weight is lost.
Of course, this isn't the only factor, because two people who gain the same amount of weight are often left with different post-weight loss bodies, one with more excess skin than another. This is where genetics and age come into play: young skin is more elastic and can bounce back more easily, and genetics play a role in how elastic skin is in the first place; some people have more elastin cells in their skin than others.
You cannot control your genetics and age, so what can you do to prevent loose skin after your weight loss journey?
Tips to Prevent Excess Skin After Weight Loss
While there is no sure-fire way to prevent excess skin after weight loss, you can do your best to provide your skin the nutrition it needs and keep it in good health. If your skin is healthy, your elastin cells will be stronger. These tips will help the most if your skin has only been stretched to its limits and you were lucky enough to avoid dermal tears:
- Keep your protein intake high. Protein provides the "building blocks" of cells, including skin cells. Eating enough protein is essential for overall skin health.
- Also consume plenty of foods rich in B vitamins and vitamin A.
- Try dry brushing your skin daily. Dry brushing increases blood flow to your skin, and good blood flow aids in healing.
- Build muscle. This tip will only really help if you are just losing a bit of excess fat and not an extreme amount of weight. Replacing that fat with muscle will fill out that skin with a healthier body tissue.
What to Do if You Have Already Lost the Weight and Have Excess Skin
If you have already hit your weight loss goal and are left with a lot of excess skin, then the above tips will still help keep your skin in good health, but they are unlikely to provide the noticeable improvement in your skin that you need. Instead of spending years wasting your money on oils and potions that promise to restore your skin with little, if any, results, save the cash and look into local doctors who can provide skin removal surgery.
If you carried a lot of your extra weight in your belly, which is common, then a tummy tuck procedure can give you that flat tummy you already put so much hard work and dedication into obtaining. Your health insurance policy may even agree to cover the procedure if you suffer from frequent infections, including yeast overgrowth, due to the warm, moist environment under the apron of belly skin that weight loss left you. If your clothing rubs against that extra skin when performing your normal daily activities, causing sores that become infected, then your insurance may also agree to cover the procedure, as well.
While many facing skin removal surgeries become overwhelmed at the thought of full-body procedures, tackling one bad area at a time is not only less psychologically and economically overwhelming, but it is also typically safer for your body.
If you lost a dramatic amount of weight or are currently working to lose it, then congratulations on putting in the hard work and dedication it takes to lose weight and improve your health. Now you understand why some people have excess skin after losing weight and others don't, how to help prevent it, and how to eliminate it. Contact a clinic like Renaissance Center For Facial & Body Sculpting for more information.
