How to get rid of loose skin
Whether you’ve just had a baby or have lost some weight as a result of diet, exercise, and/or prescription drugs, one potential downside is loose skin on your stomach, arms, and thighs. If you’re experiencing this, don’t worry—there are a variety of surgical and non-surgical solutions available, depending on how much weight you’ve lost and how loose your skin is. For more extreme cases, surgical skin tightening might be the best solution. But if your loose skin doesn’t fold over onto itself, there are holistic, minimally-invasive approaches that can do wonders. Check out these tips:
1. Switch up your diet
You can help boost your skin’s elasticity by eating a diet rich in fish, sweet potatoes, and blueberries while limiting refined sugars and saturated fats. These whole foods are packed with nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and vitamins A and C, which all contribute to increased skin elasticity. You should also reduce the number of alcoholic beverages you drink and avoid smoking cigarettes, which can decrease collagen and elastin production in the body. Be sure to drink plenty of water to help keep your skin well-hydrated.
2. Look into non-invasive treatments like Thermage
Non-invasive treatments like Thermage can tighten loose skin almost anywhere on the body. Thermage uses radiofrequency technology to heat the innermost layers of the dermis to tighten and stimulate the formation of new collagen, resulting in tighter skin, all with just one treatment.
3. Build more muscle
Focusing on strength training can help reduce the appearance of loose skin on the body. It can make your skin look tauter because, as muscles grow and develop, they can fill the excess skin left from weight loss. This helps to smooth the outermost layers of skin.
4. Take care of your skin
Use skincare products containing retinol that can stimulate collagen production, like LaserAway Beauty My Hero Retinol Repair Night Serum. You should also wear sunblock consistently since sun exposure can break down the body’s natural collagen and elastin, exacerbating loose skin. LaserAway Beauty BFF SPF 30+ Broad Spectrum Sunscreen Face & Body is a versatile mineral-based sunscreen that protects against UVA/UVB exposure.
5. Check out dermal fillers
After you lose a substantial amount of weight, it’s not always just the skin on your body that feels looser—you might notice loose skin on your face, too. Hyaluronic acid-based dermal fillers, like Juvéderm, can help lift sagging skin, such as jowls or nasolabial folds. They work by restoring volume to the face naturally, with results that last from six months to two years.
Can you prevent loose skin from developing in the first place?
There are things you can do to help prevent the development of loose skin on your body. For instance, rapid weight loss is more likely to lead to loose skin than slower weight loss. Also, how often you gain and lose weight can have an impact on your skin’s ability to bounce back. If you’ve recently embarked on a new weight loss journey or you are looking to drop some baby weight, remember that slow and steady wins the race.
Do you have more questions about how to get rid of loose skin? Then visit LaserAway, the nation’s leading aesthetic dermatology clinic.
References
- “5 Non-Surgical Ways to Tighten up Your Skin,” Self, May 25, 2016.
- “Here’s How to Tighten Loose Skin After Weight Loss, According to Doctors,” Men’s Health, January 8, 2020.
