What Causes Loose Skin?
When you put on weight, your skin stretches to accommodate your heavier frame. Later, if you take off that weight, your skin may not be elastic enough to retract and fit tightly around your slimmer figure. This results in excess skin hanging from your body. Unfortunately, that skin can distract from the nicer contours you have worked to achieve.
Can Exercise Help?
While exercise is a terrific way to burn fat, it does nothing to eliminate skin. At best, building muscle can increase your mass to make skin seem less stretched in some areas, but no amount of working out will cause that loose skin to disappear.
Dieting also fails to address loose skin. Restricting calories will prompt your body to burn the fat your body has in reserve, but that has no effect on skin.
What Is the Solution for Loose Skin?
The most effective way to remove unwanted, excess skin is with surgery. Cosmetic procedures can excise loose skin and tighten the skin that remains for a sleeker, toned appearance. Dr. Coscia offers the following procedures to patients who have lost weight:
Thigh Lift
Thigh lift targets the skin that develops around the thighs. Tightening the skin can also improve the appearance of dimpled skin and stretch marks in some patients. Because fat can be especially stubborn in this region, liposuction is often incorporated into thigh lift.
Tummy Tuck
You may find stretch marks or a “pooch” of fat around your belly after losing weight. Abdominoplasty tightens the skin to achieve a flatter stomach. It also repairs abdominal muscles that may have shifted out of place. This procedure is especially popular with women after a pregnancy.
Arm Lift
Weight loss can cause the upper arms to look deflated thanks to dangling skin. Brachioplasty involves making an incision from the armpit to the elbow to remove loose skin and excess fat to achieve attractive contours.
Upper and Lower Body Lift
If you have lost a dramatic amount of weight, it is likely that you have loose skin on several areas of the body. With body lift, Dr. Coscia addresses multiple areas simultaneously. An upper body lift typically focuses on the arms, chest and upper back, while a lower body lift involves the stomach, hips and thighs.
Discuss Plastic Surgery with Dr. Coscia
After losing weight, it can be frustrating to still find yourself dissatisfied with your body. Understanding that surgery is the only real solution for loose skin may be the motivation you need to consult with a plastic surgeon. Dr. Coscia is one of Sacramento’s finest plastic surgeons, and he would be happy to help you complete your physical transformation. Please send an email to arrange an appointment.
