Do You Get Excess Skin Losing Weight

Weight loss can seem like an endless pursuit, but even when you’ve put in the hours at the gym and adopted a healthy lifestyle, you might still not be seeing the results you want in the mirror. As we age, it’s common for excess skin to be an unfortunate side effect of weight loss. It can be very discouraging to achieve the number you’ve been working toward on the scale and still not fit into the clothing you desire to wear. 

If excess skin is a problem for you, surgical options are available. Buckhead Plastic Surgery has several options to help you, depending on your goal. Call our offices today and book your consultation. Our specialists will help you determine which treatments best satisfy your aesthetic goals. 

Many people think liposuction is the right procedure for excess skin. Liposuction can do a lot when it comes to sculpting the body. However, it does not tighten the skin. In addition, removing fat in areas where skin elasticity is challenging can leave skin looking even more loose as the fat that supports it is released. However, BeautiFill is a common, less invasive alternative to traditional Liposuction. With BeautiFill fan can be removed and transferred to another body area where you’d like to see more volume. The BeautiFill system also stimulates the body’s natural collagen production, giving a subtle skin tightening effect. 

Will You Have Excess Skin After Weight Loss Surgery?

A body lift is an ideal solution to deal with excess skin surgically. This surgery improves the shape and tone of the underlying tissue that supports skin and fat while also removing any excess sagging skin. It’s possible to remove excess fat during this procedure, and it can also improve the look of cellulite or other dimpled, irregular skin surface. 

Body lifts are incredibly customizable and can be performed on the abdominal area, buttocks, thighs, arms, and neck. However, because this surgery can address so many body areas, it can require a lengthy recovery. This, of course, depends on the places you’d like to treat and your body chemistry.

Tummy Tucks (or abdominoplasty) is probably the most popular surgical option for dealing with excessive loose skin after extreme weight loss. Tummy tucks are not a new procedure and are commonly performed after extreme weight loss or pregnancy. This procedure targets loose skin and can tread diastasis, a condition that occurs to women during pregnancy. Diastasis can lead to a rounded abdomen because the muscles in the abdomen separate and don’t correctly reshape after the baby is born. This is a prevalent condition and causes weak abdominal muscles. Dr. Larsen can restore weakened or separated muscles during a tummy tuck and create a smoother and firmer abdominal profile. 

The Best Ways To Deal With Excess Skin After Weight Loss

Although tummy tucks are popular for both male and female patients, many women prefer to opt for a total “mommy makeover” procedure when they consider a tummy tuck. This “One and done” approach targets many areas affected by loose skin after pregnancy. After a significant weight loss, many patients are disappointed to find that they could not achieve a flat and well-toned abdomen even with a healthy lifestyle. If this is the case for you, a tummy tuck might be the answer. Dr. Larsen can remove excess skin and repair and re-contour the abdomen into a more pleasing silhouette.

Buckhead Plastic Surgery is proud to offer Accent Prime, a revolutionary device that is FDA approved to treat skin laxity on the face, body, and neck. Accent Prime has been getting a lot of attention lately because of its unique technologies. Accent Prime utilizes a combination of ultrasound and radiofrequency energy. Combining these two technologies allows it to reduce fat and tighten skin simultaneously. 

The Accent Prime device is an excellent option if you need to tighten a small amount of lax skin and deal with stubborn pockets of fat on the body and face. However, it’s not as effective as a body lift if you have excessive amounts of loose skin after significant weight loss. Nevertheless, accent Prime is an excellent option for tightening and contouring your curves. 

Discover The Secret To Getting Rid Of Loose Skin After Losing Weight

Dr. Larsen is a double board-certified plastic surgeon with years of experience in skin tightening procedures. In addition, he has carefully chosen his entire surgical team to ensure they share his people-first attitude to ensure your comfort throughout the whole procedure. 

Dr. Larsen prides himself on communicating clearly and providing you with realistic options for your optimal results. He takes great pride in his surgical skill and is known for his kind and direct approach with his patients. 

If you have excess skin and are ready to deal with it, give us a call today and schedule your consultation. Most of our patients report their only regret is not calling sooner. So call us today at 404.367.9005 to book your free consultation and see what a difference Buckhead Plastic Surgery can make in your life. 

Real Talk: Exercise & Loose Skin

“Great outcome! Exactly as described and desired. I receive compliments all the time and my body is back in the shape it was before children and c-sections (if not a bit better).”* *Your results may vary.We all carry with us reminders of the person we used to be. It’s just a lot more literal for some than others. People who lose a massive amount of weight are often surprised at how unhappy they still are with their bodies. The fat is gone, but all that skin that held it in place? It didn’t go anywhere.

It's a less explored part of extreme weight loss. The body may be lighter, but it’s now weighed down with folds of sagging skin, causing a wild amount of emotional and physical (think: chafing) pain.

More extreme weight-loss patients are choosing to remove the loose skin through cosmetic surgery, and a recent study showed that the bodies and minds of those who do end up faring much better.

Skin Tightening Treatments To Target Loose Skin After Weight Loss

“What I’ve found, it’s very interesting -- they go and get these surgeries, and then they come in and they’re still not happy, ” says Dr. Steve Wallach, a cosmetic surgeon in Manhattan.“I had one patient who specifically said, ‘I’m wearing a fat suit; I feel like I’m a thin person inside wearing a body that’s twice the size of mine.’

Franklin Santana, a 29-year-old who lives in the Bronx, had gastric bypass surgery in October 2011, and before the surgery, he weighed 395 pounds. Two years later, as of late last year, he was down to 170. To the public, he seemed like a trim, even skinny, guy. But underneath the clothes, he said his sagging skin reminded him of “a deflated balloon.”

I’m wearing a fat suit; I feel like I’m a thin person inside wearing a body that’s twice the size of mine.

How To Avoid Loose Skin When Losing Weight

“To me, it looks gross, ” said Santana. “You know how a pumpkin looks, at the beginning of October? And then, at the end of October, it’s all sad and saggy and deflated. I guess you could say it looks like that.”

Fantana had done his research before getting the surgery done, and he knew that he’d probably be saddled with “loose skin” after it was over.

Deborah Olmstead, who first had weight loss surgery done in 2001, knew to expect it, too; she just didn't know how awful it would make her feel.

Loose Skin After Weight Loss

I was not really comfortable even looking at myself in the mirror, with all the excess flesh, said Olmstead, who lives in New York state and had cosmetic surgery in Manhattan, led by Wallach, to remove the sagging skin in 2004. You've done all this work, you've made this big, massive change that you see on the scale, but you don't necessarily see it in your clothing, or the way you feel about yourself.

The loose skin is caused by losing a huge amount of weight – as in, 100 pounds or more – in a very short amount of time. It can happen when the weight is lost through diet and exercise, but it happens more often to weight-loss surgery patients. With a slower, more gradual weight loss, it's easier for a person’s skin elasticity to sort of snap back into place, shrinking back down as the fat is lost. But when too much is lost too fast, the skin’s elasticity doesn’t have time to catch up.

Jasmin Maldonado shown before her gastric bypass surgery at left, and after her body contouring surgery at right.Left: Courtesy of Jasmin Maldonado / Right: John Makely / NBC News

How To Minimize Excess Skin After Significant Weight Loss

To get rid of the loose skin, exercise helps, a little. Jasmin Maldonado, a 36-year-old living in Brooklyn who lost 130 pounds after weight-loss surgery nearly a decade ago, says a daily routine of squats, sit-ups and pull-ups has made a difference. But she’s still embarrassed about the way she looks. “Just, with my husband, I’m embarrassed to show myself. I’m always covering myself, ” she said.

You've done all this work, you've made this big, massive change that you see on the scale, but you don't necessarily see it in your clothing, or the way you feel about yourself.

The most effective way to remove the excess skin is through cosmetic surgery, in one or more of an array

Tailoring The Dress Or Suit: The Benefits Of Skin Removal Surgery After Major Weight Loss