Behind you are a few months of hard work - sacrifices in the kitchen, regular workouts, buckets of sweat poured at the gym, and in my head all the time this image of the perfect figure. In addition to occasional mishaps, you're doing great. Hard work translates into losing weight, better frame of mind and improved fitness. It seems that everything goes your way. Everything except the stomach, which does not look like it should. Instead of a flat surface and light muscle contours, you are welcomed every day with a picture of saggy skin torn by gravity. This problem, although it does not affect everyone, is common especially among people who have lost a lot of weight in a short time.
Excessive skin - how to deal with it?
Before you find that you are struggling with the problem of sagging skin - it’s worth seeking the opinion of a third party, preferably a specialist. Unfortunately, most people are a terrible judge for themselves. We see faults where they do not exist. We see advantages where there are disadvantages. We also see sagging skin where there is just fat. It's easy to make such a mistake because it puts this blame on a factor other than ourselves.
Why does skin sag after weight loss?
The skin is an organ whose main function is to protect our viscera from the outside world. Unfortunately, as people we have such a condition that for a long part of our lives we grow, constantly move and occasionally we will get a rough surface, creating a few wounds. Therefore skin, to be an effective protective coating, must be able to grow and stretch.
Overweight, obesity and the associated increase in the size of fat cells force an adaptive response on the inner layers of the skin, which try to create an additional place. These internal layers of skin consist of flexible connective tissue, blood vessels and lipids.
After reducing the size of fat cells, these elements do not necessarily return to their size immediately, hence the problem of sagging skin.
Control the weight loss rate
Instead of preventing the problem of excess skin after weight loss, it’s better to act preventively, which in this case means control of fat loss rate. Too fast weight loss process does not allow adequate adaptation on the part of the skin-forming tissues. The best recommendation is to lose 0.5 kilograms of body weight per week, the absolute limit should be 1 kilogram per week. Thanks to this, the skin will have time to adapt to changes in the volume of fat cells.
Build muscle
Skin problems after weight loss take place because we have too little fat to fill. However, we can replace the lost tissue with a new, different, much better-looking one. Extra kilos of muscle mass will ensure elastic skin filling. The best way to achieve this goal will be to start weight training during weight loss.
Hydrate yourself
Appropriate water supply throughout the day will ensure the proper functioning of all organs, including the skin. Thanks to this, its flexibility will improve and it will be possible to adapt to the new body weight more quickly. The water will also take care of the appropriate volume of muscle tissue. It’s also worth taking care of direct skin hydration by using a moisturizing cream.
Take care of your diet
Make sure that there are a lot of vegetables and fruits in your daily menu that contain a lot of water in addition to vitamins and minerals.
According to a study published in 2007 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the ingredients that specifically support skin regeneration are vitamin C and omega-6 acids.
Stop smoking
Naturally, this point only applies to people who are active smokers. This addiction is absolutely the worst harm you can inflict. It not only significantly affects health and the wallet – our skin will also feel its effects.
A study conducted in 2010 by scientists from Italy showed that people who smoke cigarettes biological age is 9 years larger than their chronological age. However, after 3 months of quitting, the biological age of the skin decreases by an average of 15 years!
Supplementation
Although there is no pill that can get rid of the whole problem in one go, some measures will help you speed up the entire process.
The following deserve distinction:
- gelatin - which in the amount of 250 milligrams per day allows you to improve the elasticity of the skin;
- omega-3 fatty acids - in particular eicosapentanoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid.
These two fractions of fats can be found in oily marine fish. They have anti-inflammatory properties and can make the skin firmer.
Give yourself time
If you are just starting to lose weight, then this process is worth planning. Calculate the caloric demand, so that the rate of fat loss is not too fast.
However, if you are already struggling with the problem of sagging skin - remember that even if you apply the above suggestions, the whole process will still take time. Part of the determination put in to lose weight is worth just turning into patience, because over time the skin will strive to adapt to new conditions.
