How Long Does Skin Take To Tighten

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From Women's Wellness

Losing a bunch of weight—whether it's through diet and exercise, surgery, or a combination of unlike approaches—isn't all glitter and smiling "after" photos. If you shed a significant number of pounds, having loose peel is normal—and extremely mutual. Also normal? Feeling a little bummed about it.

"This is a legitimate business that patients have when seeking obesity surgery," says Vivek Prachand, G.D., a bariatric surgeon and associate professor of surgery at The University of Chicago Medicine.

Why does loose skin later on major weight loss happen? The mayhap-a -niggling-downer (but real talk) truth: If you were in a larger torso previously, excess fatty likely stretched out your peel. Couple that with the fact that collagen and elastin (an elastic protein) in the skin naturally subtract every bit y'all age, and y'all've got a recipe for excess peel, explains Manish Shah, M.D., a board-certified plastic surgeon in Denver.

"At that place may not be sufficient elasticity for the peel to contract back downwardly to your new, smaller body size," says Constance Chen, One thousand.D., a lath-certified plastic surgeon in New York City.

Stretch marks are one sign of peel being, well, stretched past the betoken of no return: One time you see them, "it's much more probable that meaning weight loss will result in loose, hanging skin," says Dr. Chen.

Does everyone have loose skin after major weight loss?

Nope—it's not inevitable, says Dr. Prachand. But it'south also non piece of cake to predict who is going to experience it, he says. He's had some patients who have lost 200 pounds in a year after obesity surgery and have very little backlog skin. On the other hand, some have lost as little every bit 60 pounds and take more.

"The magnitude of weight loss doesn't predict how much excess peel you may accept," he says. Other factors, like genetics, smoking (which degrades collagen and elastin), and sun exposure also play a role in your skin's springiness.

It'south likewise normal to assume that losing weight quickly could cause sagging skin, but that's not necessarily the case, either. "Sometimes, patients will consider doing surgery that doesn't permit them to lose weight as rapidly because of the fright of excess skin," says Dr. Prachand. "I understand these concerns, but at that place's no strong evidence that how chop-chop you lose plays a role."

Will loose skin ever go away on its own?

Information technology might, but that can take a long time.

"In full general, it can accept anywhere from weeks to months—even years," says Dr. Chen. If after one to two years peel is all the same loose, it may non go any tighter, she says.

Is information technology possible to tighten loose pare without surgery?

Sadly, probably non. "Nonsurgical methods that assistance tighten the skin will generally not exist effective enough to tighten the corporeality of loose skin that occurs with massive weight loss," says Dr. Chen.

For case, abdominal binders can assist relieve back hurting merely do nada for pare. Pinch garments tin exist worn to concur in excess skin, just they too won't practice anything to effect more long-term change.

Dr. Shah says that if you take modest amounts of loose skin, then devices like Bodytite and Renuvion, both of which are minimally invasive body-contouring technologies, may help. "The best results come from surgery by far," he says.

What is surgery for loose peel similar?

Body-contouring surgery oft involves a "tum tuck" with arm, breast, face, lower body, or thigh lifts, per the American Society of Plastic Surgery.

Dr. Prachand and Dr. Chen say in that location are certain indicators they expect for earlier recommending loose skin-removal surgery to patients:

Patients have to be at least two years out from their weight-loss surgery.
Their weight has to accept remained stable for at to the lowest degree six months.
Their BMI should ideally exist nether 30.
Patients tin't smoke.
Patients with diabetes need stable blood-glucose levels.

Oh, and if you've had bariatric surgery to lose the weight, hither's a surprise: surgery to remove excess skin is tougher to recover from.

"Torso contouring requires more overall body healing than obesity surgery itself, which is a minimally invasive process," says Dr. Prachand. Information technology'south of import not to brush off the seriousness of the surgery thinking that information technology's "cosmetic," because it'southward much more than than that.

Indeed, y'all'll likely need two to iv weeks to recover, with total recovery taking as long equally vi months afterward surgery, says Dr. Shah. (That ways you might not meet the results you lot're looking for aesthetically until that signal, either.)

"The pain for surgery is relative and simply moderate in intensity," he adds. Still, you lot probably will be also exhausted to go to piece of work: During the first couple of weeks, a simpler daily routine is a must, says Dr. Shah.

Y'all should too know going in that you lot may demand touch-up surgery. "Scars demand to exist finessed, some skin loosens and needs to exist retightened, and there may exist asymmetries to perfect," he says.

Long-term, this surgery may really assist you lot keep the weight off. Research in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery institute that patients who received trunk-contouring surgery were more likely to maintain their weight loss, compared to those who had bariatric surgery lone.

"After body contouring, the improvements in physical and social functioning helps reinforce healthy lifestyle changes," says Dr. Prachand.

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