Ideally, after weight loss, the skin gradually shrinks on its own and adjusts to changes in body mass. However, in some cases, people face the appearance of a double chin or uncomfortably sagging skin when the skin cannot cope with the weight loss on its own.
This may be because the body stores a lot of fat just under the skin, making areas like the chin prone to losing elasticity. Other factors include the degree of elasticity of your skin and the amount of weight you've lost. The most effective way to tighten your skin is to keep it healthy.
Why does skin loosen and sag?
With the growing popularity of weight loss procedures and medications, more and more people are losing large amounts of weight quickly. The skin is an organ and needs time to adapt to changes in weight. According to Columbia Health, if you lose between 50 and 100 kg quickly (there are cases), your skin is less likely to shrink and tighten over time. If you lose less than 50 kg at a rate of 1 to 3 kg per week, your skin is more likely to adjust to the reduced body mass.
Skin care
Give your skin the best conditions to recover by giving it the nutrients it needs. Aim to drink at least 9 to 13 cups of water daily. Water keeps your skin hydrated, which protects its elasticity. Wear sunscreen every day with at least 15 SPF to protect skin from sun damage. Foods containing protein, such as cottage cheese, milk, legumes, tofu, lentils, seeds, nuts, almonds and seafood, contain collagen and elastin, as well as oils that help maintain healthy skin.
Whether you've lost a lot of weight, recently given birth, or simply gotten older, loose and sagging skin can appear around your stomach, waist, arms, thighs, or face. Loose skin on the body can also be a sign of poor muscle tonicity, in which case you will need to build and exercise these underdeveloped muscles to create a toned, tight and aesthetically pleasing appearance to your body. Keep in mind that skin elasticity naturally decreases with age, but tightening creams combined with proper nutrition and exercise can help.
Step 1
Drink at least eight glasses of water every day. Even mild dehydration can have an adverse effect on the texture of your skin. Dehydration can affect your face, dark circles under the eyes can become more prominent, fine lines and wrinkles can look deeper and more defined, the complexion can look grey.
Step 2
Moisturize your skin every night with creams rich in vitamin A, vitamin C or creams with AHA (alpha hydroxy acids) and BHA (beta hydroxy acids) to tone the skin of your face and body. These active ingredients can help improve the appearance and health of the skin by acceleration of metabolism in cells and renewal to create new, healthier skin cells. ANA and BHA are not only chemical exfoliants that remove accumulated dead skin cells and make the skin smoother, more supple, but they also hydrate the skin, attack fine lines and stimulate collagen synthesis so you can enjoy tighter, more supple skin with a more even complexion and smooth texture.
Step 3
Incorporate strength exercises into your workout to help build the muscles beneath the body's poorly toned skin. For example, if you notice sagging skin on your upper arms, lifting weights can help build the triceps and biceps underneath the skin to give your arm skin a more toned appearance. This is especially helpful for people who have lost weight through drastic dieting and cardio, but haven't focused their efforts on muscle-building exercises. Use weights that are heavy enough, but not too heavy, that you can do 12 reps of each exercise with. Do the exercises at least two or three times a week for results.
Step 4
Add collagen capsules or a combination of borage oil and fish oil to your daily diet. Taking these nutritional supplements has been found to increase skin elasticity over a period of eight weeks. This is due to the fatty amino acids they contain, which support the body's metabolic activity. The most important of them - gamma linolenic acid (an important source of omega-6 fatty acids) - supports the cardiovascular, respiratory and endocrine systems, improves blood circulation, nourishes hair, skin and nails. Caution: Do not take more than the amount indicated in the leaflet of the nutritional supplement.
Things that you need:
- Tightening cream moisturizer;
- Sunscreen;
- Vitamin A, vitamin C, lotion with alpha- or beta-hydroxy acids;
- Capsules of collagen or borage oil and fish oil in the form of a food supplement.
Tips
Apply a sunscreen with at least SPF 15 to all exposed areas, as sun damage will weaken the skin's elasticity even more. Choose a firming cream moisturizer with SPF included to save time applying two different products. Combine your workout with a nutritious diet that includes low-fat, high-protein foods such as lean meat, chicken, fish, nuts and seeds to help you build muscle without gaining excess fat.
Avoid the use of alcohol and cigarette smoke, because they are the number 1 enemy of healthy skin.
See also what the winter foods for beautiful skin are. Do you know what happens to the skin during weight loss?
