“In general, it can take anywhere from weeks to months—even years,” says Dr. Chen. If after one to two years skin is still loose, it may not get any tighter, she says.
Because skin is a living organ, it can tighten up some over time. Age, the length of time excess weight was present, and genetics all play a role in how much your skin can tighten. Eating well, staying hydrated, and looking after your skin health can help.
Loose skin after weight loss is not permanent and will disappear over time. After a month or two, you should no longer see excess skin hanging from your body. If you are still having problems with excess skin, then you should see a doctor.
Skin starts to loosen or sag as people get older, due to changes in the molecules that keep it elastic, firm, and hydrated. Exercise, supplements, and laser resurfacing are some approaches that may help tighten loose skin.
Losing a lot of weight can result in more loose skin than simple lifestyle changes can handle. However, by using some methods at home and with a health professional, you'll be able to make some improvements to your skin quality and overall look.
Cardio such as swimming, aerobics, running or dancing will burn this excess fat store. HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) is the fastest way to trim down stomach fat.
The point at which unexplained weight loss becomes a medical concern is not exact. But many health care providers agree that a medical evaluation is called for if you lose more than 5% of your weight in 6 to 12 months, especially if you're an older adult.
Engaging in exercise such as resistance training can increase muscle mass. Building muscle through exercise can improve the appearance of sagging skin, especially in the legs and arms. Also, facial exercises may improve muscle tone around the jaw and neck. This may reduce sagging skin in these areas.
With a slower, more gradual weight loss, it's easier for a person's skin elasticity to sort of snap back into place, shrinking back down as the fat is lost. But when too much is lost too fast, the skin's elasticity doesn't have time to catch up. To get rid of the loose skin, exercise helps, a little.
“Your skin may not contract back to its smaller shape if weight is lost too quickly.” This inability for the skin to contract as well as it once would have, due to the weakening of the fibers over time, is what leads to excess or saggy skin during weight loss.
You should include foods that are rich in collagen and elastin to your diet. Milk, legumes, cottage cheese, beans, nuts and fish are examples of foods that contain elastin and collagen. They help with skin firmness, strength and elasticity.
Collagen is a protein that serves as one of the main building blocks for your bones, skin, hair, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. "Collagen is what keeps our skin from sagging, giving us that plump, youthful look," says dermatologist Dr. Ohara Aivaz.
Exercise will not tighten your skin. Exercise will help you lose weight. It will help to tighten the muscles of your belly. However, exercise will not do anything to help tighten your skin.
Resistance and strength training exercises such as squats, planks, leg raises, deadlifts, and bicycle crunches help you create a defined belly area. Tighten your belly skin with massages and scrubs. Regularly massage the skin on your stomach with oils that promote the formation of new collagen in your body.
You can reduce the overhang by reducing overall fat.
Many times, new mamas don't realize how much of the overhang is extra fat, not skin. You can't spot-reduce fat, but you can lose fat by walking more, eating whole foods, and focusing on protein and fiber to fill your diet (lean protein, veggies and fruit).
Losing belly fat and getting a flat stomach is done through achieving a caloric deficit by eating less, exercising more, and doing that for at least 6-12 weeks. The more stubborn your belly fat is, the more strict and consistent you need to be with your diet and exercises regimen throughout that period.
If you lose weight through diet alone, you could find that much of your weight loss comes from your muscle mass. So if you don't work to maintain your muscle tone while losing weight, you could find that you're left with sagging skin.
Loose skin depends on a lot of factors. If you gained your weight over a small period of time, and you lose it over a small period of time, you are really likely to get loose skin. On the other hand, if you got your weight on a slower pace and will lose in a slower pace, you are less likely to end up with loose skin.
Loose skin is more likely to occur with rapid weight loss rather than gradual loss. This happens because the elastic components of your skin not only lose the layers of fat that keep them stretched, but they also aren't given much time for their elasticity to adapt to your new shape.