Alternatives to a Tummy Tuck to Tighten Loose Belly Skin

Losing weight too rapidly can lead to loose skin, especially around the midsection. Your skin is an organ with elastic properties, allowing it to expand with growth and retract as you lose weight. Losing weight at a rate in which your skin cannot retract at the same pace leads to loose skin. You can reduce the amount of loose skin around your tummy by taking several basic steps, without having a tummy tuck.

Monitor Your Nutritional Intake

• A healthy and nutritional diet will help reduce that loose skin around your tummy.

  Because skin is a living organism, the food that you eat will have an impact on it. According to fitness and triathlon expert, Ben Greenfield, collagen-rich protein foods such as seeds, nuts, fish, legumes, milk and cottage cheese are effective in replenishing the collagen necessary to increase the elasticity of your skin. Collagen and elastin are two primary elements that contribute to the elasticity in your food and you can get them through your diet.

Water is Your Friend

• Drinking a sufficient amount of water will help improve the health of your skin.

  Water plays a number of vital roles within the physiological functions of the body; one is hydration. Hydration is a prerequisite to increasing the elasticity of the skin. Drinking water is a fundamental necessity in maintaining good health. The lack of hydration has an immense negative impact on your body's organs, and your skin is an organ. You should drink a minimum of two liters of water per day.

Give Your Skin the Attention it Needs

• Use moisturizing cream daily to externally hydrate your skin.

  Take care of your skin. Avoid too much exposure to ultra-violet rays. Don't use tanning beds. You should also use a high quality collagen-rich moisturizing cream on a daily basis. This will help hydrate the skin externally. Exfoliate your skin on a daily basis, removing dead skin cells on the surface. This will improve the circulation in your skin. Avoid using harsh sulfate based soaps and detergents. These types of products will reduce the elasticity in your skin.

Sea Salt Bath and Scrubs

• Salt scrubs and baths can rid the body of harmful toxins in the skin.

  Sea salt baths and scrubs are an effective way to rid the skin of toxic-free radicals that cause damage. One negative side effect of losing weight is the exit of toxic- free radicals through the skin. These free radicals contaminate the skin as they exit, leaving toxic residue behind. Sea salt baths and scrubs will help your skin release these toxic-free radicals, creating healthier skin and providing a more firm and elastic property to your skin. Raw fruit and vegetables have antioxidants that will help remove these free radicals as well.

Shower Immediately After Swimming

• Chlorine can dry your skin out, destroying its elasticity.

  The chlorine from swimming pools have the capacity to make your skin dry. Dry skin loses its elasticity and will not retract as well. When you finish swimming in a chlorine pool, take a shower to rinse off the excess chlorine. When you exit the shower moisturize your skin with a collagen-rich moisturizing cream to replenish the moisture that was removed by the chlorine.