When you’re losing more than a few pounds, loose extra skin from the weight loss can be a troubling challenge. After all your hard work and dedication to your goal, this obstacle can be disheartening.
Why Does Extra Skin Form from Weight Loss?
Extra skin can be one of the most frustrating results of weight loss. This doesn’t typically occur if you’ve lost a handful of pounds. However, when you’ve been keeping up your strategy for quite some time and have lost quite a bit of weight, you may start to find that your fat levels are shrinking faster than the skin that contained them.
When your body was larger, your skin was required to grow and stretch in order to fit your shape. When your shape gets smaller, your skin can reduce in size, but it may do so much more slowly than your rate of weight loss. Folds of extra skin from your weight loss can develop in areas such as your belly, arms, and thighs. Even your face and neck can seem looser and slacker than they had.
Yes, You Can Firm Extra Skin Caused by Weight Loss
If your weight loss journey is an especially large one, the extra skin you develop may be substantial. People losing 75 or even 100 pounds or more often carry loose skin that must be surgically removed in order to return it to its original shape. However, in less extreme amounts, it is possible to partially prevent it and encourage it to recover even after it has occurred.
The following are some great ways to keep your skin tightened as you keep up your efforts toward your goal weight.
- Don’t rush to your goal weight – By following your doctor’s recommendations for gradual weight loss, you’ll give your skin the time it needs to keep up with a reduction rate similar to that of your body size.
- Focus on strength training – As a part of your efforts to be physically active, include strength training. You may not want to bulk up, but some lean muscle can help to fill in some of the sagging skin or may prevent it from happening in the first place. Moreover, it will also provide you with a stronger body that will be more resistant to regaining the weight.
- Protect your skin – Take care of your skin to help it to be at its best. This includes staying hydrated, using a good moisturizer and especially practicing good sun protection. The sun’s rays destroy collagen, which is precisely the opposite of what your skin needs to look healthy and plumped as opposed to sagging. Stay in the shade, avoid heading out during times when the sun is at its highest, and slather on that sunscreen!