What Causes Loose Skin After Weight Loss and Can You Tighten It?

What causes loose skin after weight loss?

The skin is the largest organ in your body. It forms a protective barrier against the environment.

The innermost layer of your skin consists of proteins, including collagen and elastin. Collagen, which makes up 80% of your skin’s structure, provides firmness and strength. Elastin provides elasticity and helps your skin stay tight.

During weight gain, skin expands to make room for increased growth. Pregnancy is one example of this expansion.

Skin expansion during pregnancy occurs over a few months. The expanded skin typically retracts within several months of delivery.

By contrast, when skin has been significantly stretched and remains that way for a long period of time, collagen and elastin fibers become damaged. As a result, they lose some of their ability to retract.

Consequently, when you lose a lot of weight, excess skin may hang from the body. In general, the greater the weight loss, the more pronounced the effect of loose skin.

What’s more, researchers report that people who have weight loss surgery form less new collagen, and its composition is not as strong as the collagen in young, healthy skin.

What causes skin to lose elasticity after weight loss?

Several factors contribute to loose skin following weight loss:

• Length of time: In general, the longer someone has had overweight or obesity, the looser their skin will be after weight loss due to elastin and collagen loss.
• Amount of weight lost: Rapid loss of substantial body weight typically results in a greater amount of loose skin than more moderate weight loss.
• Age: Older skin has less collagen than younger skin and tends to be looser following weight loss.
• Genetics: Genes may affect how your skin responds to weight gain and loss.
• Sun exposure: Chronic sun exposure reduces skin’s collagen and elastin production, which may contribute to loose skin.
• Smoking: Smoking leads to a reduction in collagen production and damage to existing collagen, resulting in loose, sagging skin.

Can excess loose skin after weight loss cause problems?

For some people, loose skin from a lot of weight loss may cause physical and emotional challenges:

• Physical discomfort: Excess skin may be uncomfortable and possibly interfere with normal activity.
• Emotional discomfort: An older longitudinal study found a possible increase in self-consciousness after weight loss.
• Decreased physical activity: While a 2022 study found that weight loss encouraged more people to exercise, excess skin was found to interfere with exercise in some people after bariatric surgery.
• Skin irritation and breakdown: An older 2014 study found that of 124 people who requested plastic surgery to tighten skin after weight loss surgery, 44% had reported skin pain, ulcers, or infections due to the loose skin.
• Body dissatisfaction: Loose skin from weight loss may negatively affect body image and mood.

Can you tighten loose skin from weight loss naturally?

The following natural remedies may improve skin strength and elasticity to some degree in people who have lost small to moderate amounts of weight.

Perform resistance training

Engaging in regular strength training is one of the most effective ways to build muscle mass in both young and older adults. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends doing strength training twice a week.

While research isn’t currently available, it’s possible that an increase in muscle mass may help improve the appearance of loose skin.

Take collagen

Collagen hydrolysate is very similar to gelatin. It’s a processed form of the collagen found in the connective tissue of animals.

Although it hasn’t been tested in people with loose skin related to major weight loss, an older study suggests that collagen hydrolysate may have a protective effect on skin’s collagen.

In a controlled 2019 study, skin elasticity, along with texture and hydration, increased significantly after 12 weeks of taking a liquid collagen supplement. The drink also contained vitamins C and E, as well as biotin and zinc.

Collagen hydrolysate is also known as hydrolyzed collagen. It comes in powdered form and can be purchased at natural food stores or online.

Another popular source of collagen is bone broth, which can also provide other health benefits.

Consume certain nutrients and stay hydrated

Certain nutrients are important for the production of collagen and other components of healthy skin:

• Protein: Adequate protein is vital for healthy skin. The amino acids proline, hydroxyproline, and glycine play a direct role in collagen production.
• Vitamin C: Vitamin C is needed for collagen synthesis and also helps protect skin from sun damage.
• Omega-3 fatty acids: The omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish and plant sources, including walnuts, chia, and flax, may help increase skin elasticity and have anti-aging effects.
• Water: Staying well-hydrated may improve the skin’s appearance. An older 2015 study found that women who increased their daily water intake had significant improvements in skin hydration and function.

Can medical treatments tighten loose skin from weight loss?

Medical or surgical treatments are more invasive options to tighten loose skin after major weight loss.

Body contouring surgery

People who have lost a significant amount of weight via bariatric surgery or other weight-loss methods often request surgery to remove excess skin.

In body contouring surgery, a surgeon makes a large incision and removes excess skin and fat. They then suture the incision with fine stitches to help minimize scarring.

Specific body contouring surgeries include:

• Abdominoplasty (tummy tuck): Removal of skin from the abdomen.
• Lower-body lift: Removal of skin from the belly, buttocks, hips, and thighs.
• Upper-body lift: Removal of skin from the breasts and back.
• Medial thigh lift: Removal of skin from the inner and outer thighs.
• Brachioplasty (arm lift): Removal of skin from the upper arms.

Multiple surgeries are usually performed on different body parts over time after major weight loss.

Body contouring surgeries may require a brief hospital stay, followed by a period of recovery time at home. There may be also some complications from the surgery, such as bleeding and infections.

Several studies have found that body contouring surgery may improve quality of life after significant weight loss.

Alternative medical procedures

Although body-contouring surgery is by far the most common procedure to remove loose skin, less invasive options with a lower risk of complications include:

• Radiofrequency treatment: Such treatments may use a combination of infrared light, radiofrequency, and massage to reduce loose skin. While this treatment doesn’t induce weight loss, it may help reduce small areas of fat cells.
• Ultrasound: A 2019 research review of ultrasound treatment for skin tightening found it to be efficacious, effective, and safe with minimal adverse effects.

It appears that although there are fewer risks with these alternative procedures, the results may not be as dramatic as with body contouring surgery.

Takeaway

Having excess loose skin is common after losing a lot of weight. You may choose to seek treatment if the loose skin is bothersome.

For small to moderate amounts of weight loss, your skin will likely retract on its own. Natural home remedies may also help.

However, more significant weight loss may need body contouring surgery or other medical procedures to tighten or remove loose skin.