If you have recently given birth or lost a significant amount of weight, you might want to find a way to tighten loose skin. In some cases, taking care of your skin and engaging in regular exercise for several months or years after the pregnancy or weight loss can significantly reduce the amount of loose skin. In other cases, however, the only way to effectively tighten loose skin is to undergo surgery in which your excess skin is removed.
When skin is stretched significantly, it can become damaged and eventually loses elasticity. In this case, the skin is unable to snap back, and after a woman gives birth or a person loses a considerable amount of weight, the skin may hang in the folds off the body. For many people, this phenomenon causes great concern because it may be considered aesthetically unattractive and may even make fitting into clothing somewhat difficult. In addition to this being very damaging to the morale of someone who has worked hard to lose body fat, the folds of skin can become irritated and even infected, creating discomfort. If you experience any of these problems, you should see your doctor for assistance and treatment.
While pregnant or in the process of losing weight, it is wise to take good care of your skin by engaging in regular exfoliation and moisturizing. In addition, a diet high in antioxidants and water can also help keep your skin in good condition, perhaps increasing its elasticity. This may minimize your need to tighten loose skin after you give birth or have reached your weight goal. Many people also find that losing weight slowly may not only be a more effective way to achieve long-lasting weight loss, but that it may help reduce the risk of having excessive loose skin.
In situations where you are already contending with a significant amount of loose skin, you may wish to engage in a regular exercise program in order to promote muscle development under the skin. This may help reduce the appearance of loose skin. You may also wish to speak to a plastic surgeon who specializes in loose skin removal or the so-called body lift procedure. The plastic surgeon can also tell you about laser surgeries that treat the appearance of stretch marks.
Keep in mind that surgery to remove loose skin is a serious procedure that does leave scars. For this reason, many doctors recommend taking some time after losing weight to see whether time will tighten loose skin. You should also consider that health insurance does not always pay for loose skin removal surgery, so you may have to pay for the procedure on your own.