A rigorous weight loss regimen can help you lose those extra pounds. But what about the loose, heavy folds of skin that are left behind? Diet and exercise cannot help with that! The solution lies in plastic surgery. There are various minimally invasive procedures designed to remove sagging skin and improve the appearance of affected areas such as the arms, thighs, breasts, buttocks, face, and abdomen. Popular procedures such as breast lift, tummy tuck, body lift, and thigh lift surgery can be performed using laser liposuction or vaser liposuction in NYC. These can remove excess skin and improve your overall appearance.
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Reasons for Loose Skin after Weight Loss
After losing weight, loose skin is typical, especially for people who drop 100 pounds or more. One consequence of such a drastic reduction in size is that the skin may become less elastic and droop. Collagen and elastin are two proteins that make up a portion of skin. These proteins give the skin its structure and enable it to retract after stretching. Stretching the skin for a long time damages the collagen and elastin fibers in the skin. Your skin might not have the proteins it needs to regain its natural structure after losing weight. When this happens, the skin becomes less firm and hangs on the body. Your skin’s composition changes and its collagen content decreases when you lose weight. Other factors that affect the composition of your skin include age, smoking history, overall health, and family history.
Side Effects of Having Loose Skin
- Chafing: This can happen when extra skin folds over upon itself and scrapes against one another. A painful and itchy rash may result from this.
- Infections: It can be challenging to completely clean each fold when loose skin folds over itself. An infection can result from the accumulation and overgrowth of bacteria. Your skin can become infected if it chafes and rips a little.
- Pain and discomfort during exercise: Excess loose skin can be uncomfortable, especially when one is exercising. According to a 2013 study, women who had bariatric surgery-related loose skin said that their skin prevented them from engaging in physical exercise. Exercise became uncomfortable as a result, and shame and emotional distress followed.
Popular Procedures That Can Remove Excess Skin and Enhance Your Looks
- Tummy Tuck: A tummy tuck improves the abdominal contour impacted by pregnancy or significant weight reduction by eliminating stubborn extra fat and tightening sagging skin and weak muscles. Anyone with localized fat accumulation in the area is a good candidate for this procedure. Skin and extra fat are carefully removed, and the abdominal area becomes tauter and more defined as a result of muscle tightening. The operation enhances contour and proportion, reshapes the abdomen, and yields results that look natural.
- Face Lift: This extensive procedure efficiently minimizes wrinkles and lines, redistributes fat on the face, tightens the skin, and revitalizes the appearance of the face. Deep folds beneath the lower eyelids are treated, underlying muscles are tightened, and sagging skin is removed, all of which improve the appearance of the face, chin, jawline, and neck. A facelift’s multidimensional technique can restore a more youthful and energetic aesthetic while creating a balanced and revitalized look.
- Arm Lift: Flabby arms are very common after weight loss. To remove extra skin and fat, an incision is made along the inner or rear of the upper arm during an arm lift procedure. It rapidly tightens and firms the skin in addition to eliminating extra fat, with little to no downtime or adverse effects. The unique capacity of the BodyTite arm lift to tighten the skin up to 40% more than traditional liposuction is well known. It is a minimally invasive procedure that results in excellent skin tightening without leaving any visible scars.
- Thigh Lift: Thigh lift can remove excess fat from the inner as well as outer thighs. The process sculpts the legs to give them a firmer, tighter appearance while treating loose, sagging skin and fat on the thighs. Having attractive thighs can improve your perception of your body and your sense of self. It can also help you feel more at ease and confident when you dress, whether you’re wearing a swimsuit, shorts, or skirt. This will make it easier and less painful for you to engage in physical activities like walking and running.
- Breast Lift: Losing weight can make the breasts sag and seem out of proportion. A breast lift is the best way to give your breasts a more youthful appearance, boost your self-esteem, and increase your confidence. It entails creating an incision to remove extra skin and fat from the inner or rear of the upper arm. The surgeon will assess your objectives, the amount of breast tissue and extra skin that needs to be removed, and recommend the procedure that will yield the best results with the least amount of scarring.
In case of extreme weight loss, a body lift using vaser liposuction in NYC could be the ideal solution. Excess sagging skin is removed from the abdominal area, and the buttocks, thighs, abdomen, waist, hips, and arms are lifted and tightened. If the buttocks have lost volume, a butt lift can help.
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Do you have questions about body contouring after weight loss?
Read our blog: Body Contouring After Weight Loss – FAQs
All these surgical procedures carry risks and you should know about them before you go ahead. So, discuss your options with your plastic surgeon including the benefits and risks involved. Recovery is easier and quicker with minimally invasive techniques, though the time may vary based on individual conditions. Finally, remember that to be a good candidate for any aesthetic procedure, you should be healthy and not have any chronic medical conditions such as diabetes or heart disease. You should also have realistic expectations about the outcome. It’s necessary to stop smoking for a few weeks before and after the treatment, and once complete, stick to a healthy lifestyle to maintain the results.