What causes loose skin after you lose weight?

By Mary Basiadima, 25 August 2022

What causes loose skin after you lose weight?

When you gain weight, your skin stretches and expands to accommodate changes to your body. Weight gain can be due to a variety of reasons: medication, birth control, pregnancy, lifestyle and diet. If slight weight is gained and lost in a short period of time (for example pregnancy), the skin usually retracts within several months during postpartum as hormone levels balance out. By contrast, if significant weight has been gained (and maintained) over a long period of time and then that weight is lost relatively quickly, the skin may lose its ability to retract and remain ‘sagging’ as excess skin. 

This is because as skin is stretched out, collagen and elastin protein fibres, which make up 80% of the skin, are and lose their strength and elasticity, thus reducing the skin’s ability to retract. In general, extreme weight loss (over 100lbs or 45kg) over a shorter period of time produces greater amounts of excess skin. 

Moreover, research has shown that individuals who undergo weight loss surgery (eg. gastric bypass) do not develop new collagen the same way a healthy person would, and that the of any new collagen growth is not as strong or as healthy as a regular person’s.

What problems arise from having excess loose skin? 

The excess skin may feel awkward and out of place on a person’s body. 

2. Less physical activity 

The skin is heavy and loose which may demotivate some people from partaking in physical activities. 

3. Skin irritation 

The skin may get pinched, snagged, or chafe against the body which can result in skin rawness, ulcers, infections and other pain. 

4. Body image issues and low self-esteem 

Despite the achievement of losing weight and becoming healthier, the individual may feel body-conscious due to the excess skin and may limit themselves to activities and situations that cover their body. 

How do you prevent loose skin when losing weight? 

This is the best method for healthy weight loss and to reduce the amount of excess skin. It gives the skin enough time to slowly adjust to the body’s new shape and mass. 

This is ultimately unsustainable and does not give the skin enough time to retract, increasing the likelihood of excess skin. 

Remember, the longer you are overweight, the more damaged the skin becomes. The skin also has a better chance of recovery the younger you are when you lose weight. 

Muscle makes the skin taughter, and the process of building muscle is a great way to burn fat. It fills the empty space where the fat used to be which can reduce the appearance of excess skin. 

Tips to help treat loose skin after weight loss: 

Fruits and vegetables rich in Vitamin A, C, and E will help the skin regain its elasticity and ability to retract. 

Drinking enough water will help maintain skin elasticity, whilst dehydration does the opposite. 

2. Protect your skin 

Wear sunscreen to yourself from UV rays. Find a good moisturiser that will keep your skin hydrated. 

3. Avoid alcohol and alcohol based products 

These will dry out your skin and make skin sagging more apparent. 

Do skin tightening creams and ointments really work? 

There are a lot of skin tightening creams and ointments on the market these days that claim to ‘tighten’ the skin, and whilst these can have some effect, many the extent that their products can do this. 

Skin creams cannot penetrate deep into the skin and have, very literally, a