Does Sagging Skin After Weight Loss Go Away

Everyone dreams of a defined, tighter body so we often work hardly to slim down the weight. The aftermath of losing a bunch of your excess pounds – smaller size of the pant, a higher endurance, and a more toned body for examples – are expected. But sagging skin after weight loss is a real possibility, too. Does it go away on its own?

Loose, saggy skin after weight loss is quite common

It is a common condition affecting people who have commitment to work hard in losing their excess pounds. This is particularly true for rapid weight loss, for example after a bariatric surgery. Most patients who undergo this surgery are left with loose skin, studies show [reference]. Some common areas where it occurs are abdomen, arms, thighs, male chest, breasts, backside, and even face.

Your skin can expand, it’s elastic. But this elasticity has a limit, if pushed beyond what your skin can do you’ll pay the price in some consequences such as loose, extra skin. This is particularly true if you lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time.

Probably, it’s less likely to occur if you drop your pounds gradually. But sometimes it’s an inevitable thing, even though if you lose weight gradually. The good news, the saggy folds from gradual weight loss are relatively mild, which is likely not as severe as found in rapid weight loss.

Your skin is like the rubber of balloon. At first, a balloon that you first blow up is really tight and elastic. But in time, it will deflate. Once it gets deflated, it’s hard to make it back to its original shape.

The same goes for your skin. Once the skin has become stretched out, it’s less likely to pull back. The longer you were overweight, the less likely it is to snap back. Therefore, even though the fat mass underneath the skin has gone, the surface area may stay the same.

The problem could also be a consequence of the weight gain itself. The more pounds you gain, the more likely your skin looks saggy after weight loss.

Age and genetic factors, for examples, may also have a role. As you age, your skin loses more collagen, making it less elastic. The problem is more common in people at the age of 50 or older.

Lifestyle factors, such as cigarette smoking and loving night owls, would also make loose skin post-weight loss more likely.

So, does sagging skin after weight loss go away?

Unfortunately, it’s not a thing that you can fix easily on your own. But ‘yes’, you can get rid of that loose skin. A number of treatments are available, which is the best one? This is dependent on your circumstance.

Treatment options! In most cases, some kind of medical procedure is required to push and snap it back into place. This may include non-invasive and minimally invasive procedures.

Non-invasive procedure like Thermage, a radiofrequency therapy, would provide a modicum of tightening. It works best if your loose skin is mild. If the problem doesn’t improve, minimally invasive procedure like liposuction may help.

But sometimes liposuction is not enough if you have excess folds of skin from extreme weight loss. In such case, a body contouring invasive procedure probably is recommended.

Each procedure has drawbacks, consider speaking to your health care provider for more advice!

Will it go away naturally ‘without treatment’? Not really – it’s complicated, docs say! But it’s still possible to expect some changes in time, depending on your situation.

Several factors would have a role on this. The main ones could be your skin health (how well it is), age, genetic, and how much pounds you lost. What’s more?