If you have prioritized your fitness recently and managed to lose a significant amount of weight, you may find that your body now has a lot of loose skin. Although your initial impulse may be to continue dieting and exercising to try to eliminate this excess skin, this will not produce the results you are looking for. In this blog, Dr. Ary Krau explains why a healthy lifestyle is not enough to address stretched skin, as well as what steps you can take to re-contour your body.
Why Do You Develop Loose Skin?
As you get older, your skin loses elasticity because your body slows its production of collagen and elastin, two proteins responsible for maintaining skin tightness. Although your skin can still stretch to fit over your larger frame when you put on weight, that skin may not be able to retract and drape your slimmer frame more snuggly when you subsequently lose that weight. The unfortunate part is that it may leave your body looking less ideal than you hoped when you began your weight loss journey.
Can Diet and Exercise Have Any Impact?
Diet and exercise are the most effective ways to burn surplus fat. However, neither one can do anything about getting rid of loose skin. While you may be able to build muscle with exercise that can cause your skin to appear less saggy in certain areas, no matter how many workouts you undergo, they cannot do anything about excess skin. With dieting, calorie restriction allows your body to burn extra fat it has in reserve, but that does not do anything to your skin.
What Is the Answer for Loose Skin?
If you are dissatisfied with the way your body looks due to excess skin, the best solution is aesthetic surgery. Cosmetic procedures can remove and tighten your skin to achieve sleek contours. Tummy tuck (or abdominoplasty) is arguably the most popular because it reduces skin from around the midsection. Breast lift removes loose skin that causes breasts to sag to help rejuvenate their appearance. Skin can also be tightened in a variety of areas such as around the thighs, upper arms, and buttocks.
Interested in Toning Your Body with Plastic Surgery?
Don’t let loose skin hold you back from having your dream body. Dr. Krau is an internationally recognized plastic surgeon with a strong reputation for achieving outstanding body contouring results. To book a consultation (virtual or at his office in Miami) please contact our office today.