With non-surgical skin tightening, cosmetic surgeons can effectively tighten moderately lax or "crepey" skin on the face, neck and body, helping patients improve their appearance and postpone the need for surgery.
“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.
Usually, minimal saggy skin may return to normal shape after weight loss. However, the skin that has been stretched excessively for longer periods becomes saggy with weight loss and requires toning exercises or plastic surgery to remove the excess saggy skin.
It is almost impossible for adult skin to make more elastin, even with medical procedures. Most firming creams are a waste of money because the collagen and elastin in these products cannot fuse with the collagen and elastin in your skin to help rebuild or reinforce those structures.
Some good skin tightening exercises include crunches, bridges, and pelvic thrusts. Keep an eye out on the progress of your exercise routines. You may notice the reduction of flabby skin on your arms, legs, and belly over time.
Loose or saggy skin can be a result of genetics, but usually, skin laxity is attributed to sun exposure and oxidative stress over time. As we age, the dermis produces less collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid. As a result, strength, elasticity, and hydration are taxed and the skin becomes thinner and laxer.
The most common cause of loose skin is aging, and of course it's unavoidable. As we age, your body produces less collagen and elastin in the skin, both which give your skin its natural elasticity and keep it firm.
Getting rid of lower stomach fat
Exercises like cardio, yoga, and crunches may tone your muscles and strengthen your lower abs, but they won't “erase” fat deposits. The only way to lose fat on your lower stomach is to lose fat overall. A calorie deficit helps with this.
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.
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.
Skin-Tightening Treatments: Chemical Peels, Facials, and Ultherapy. In old Hollywood, many celebrities got plastic surgery to tighten their skin. But today, more celebrities are turning to modern, less invasive options, like chemical peels, specialized facials, and Ultherapy.
Eating foods rich in vitamin C and amino acids can increase the levels of hyaluronic acid and collagen in the body as both are important for skin. Foods such as oranges, red peppers, kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and strawberries are all rich in vitamin C.
#1 Retinol
Exfoliation – Exfoliation improves skin cell turnover. As dull, dead layers of skin fall away, fresh, glowing skin is revealed. Improved skin fullness – Retinoids stimulate collagen production, which helps diminish wrinkles and sagging, and leave skin looking fuller and tighter.
Dexpanthenol (pantothenic acid) is a medicated moisturizer used to treat rough, scaly, or dry skin. Studies have found it to be beneficial for preserving skin elasticity.
Facial movement lines become more visible after the skin starts losing its elasticity (usually as people reach their 30s and 40s).
Try the pinch test. Simply pinch the area of your concern. If there's more than a few millimeters of skin between your fingers, you most likely have some fat to lose. This doesn't mean you don't have loose skin too.