Many people are discouraged by the fact that exercise and diet don’t do away with excess skin around their abdomen. While this is usually a concern for older people and women who have just given birth, some people are in relatively good shape otherwise. This loose skin is usually the result of the combination of pregnancy, sudden and major weight gain or loss, and skin laxity.
Loose skin may also be linked to the removal of a high amount of weight after bariatric surgery — usually, anything beyond 100 pounds will result in a loss of skin elasticity. Additionally, the very same issues that are mentioned above may weaken the abdominal muscles.
The simplest way to avoid loose skin and stretch marks is to lose weight gradually via continuous exercise. Weakened muscles can be reinforced with strength training. Of course, this isn’t an option if you underwent weight loss surgery. While various surgical weight-loss surgeries can help avoid or fix extra skin and weakened muscles, non-surgical and minimally invasive procedures are also an option.
Non-surgical or Minimally Invasive Procedures
- Coolsculpting
Coolsculpting involves exposing your fat cells to very low temperatures until they eventually die off. The cold is such that the muscles and skin are left untouched. Once gone, fat cells will never grow back. Because Coolsculpting is done over several sessions, fat loss is very gradual and helps avoid loose skin after.
- Microneedling
Whereas Coolsculpting helps with gradual weight loss, Microneedling is a non-surgical skin tightening option that can be done after you have already lost weight. A Dermaroller will be used to puncture your skin with tiny holes, then a collagen-inducing cream is applied. This helps fill any loose skin in the affected areas.
- Exercise
Loose skin can be naturally fixed by building muscles. Essentially, you are replacing the fat you lose with muscles, thus keeping the skin from being too loose. Unfortunately, this may not be an option for post-childbirth women, whose muscles may be permanently weakened. For these cases, we now turn to body contouring surgery.
Surgical Procedures
- Liposuction
A body contouring procedure based on the permanent removal of fat cells. Unlike the gradual fat loss of Coolsculpting, liposuction directly targets and removes fat. As a weight-loss option, minor to moderate amounts of harvested fat won’t lead to loose skin. Depending on the depth and amount of fat to be removed, your plastic surgeon will use one or more methods for the best possible result. Liposuction is sometimes performed together with a tummy tuck.
- Tummy Tuck (and various other body lift procedures)
The tummy tuck is something of a nuclear option for loose skin. If none of the other methods work, this will surgically remove any excess skin and tighten and weakened abdominal muscles. Other tucks and lifts are also available for other parts of the body, such as facial lifts, arm lifts, and thigh lifts.
Which method is right for you?
This ultimately depends on which stage of weight loss you are in, as well as your willingness to seek out medical or professional help. It should be noted, however, that there are indeed stubborn areas of fat and skin that have to be mended surgically; if you encounter these, make sure to undergo the procedure from a board-certified plastic surgeon.
