How to Get Rid of Excess Skin Caused By Body Fat

Losing a lot of weight quickly can result in unsightly, sagging skin. After all the hard work put into losing the weight, this can be disheartening. Marcus and Lisa Warnes, experts with Weight Loss for Busy People, say sagging skin occurs for a variety of reasons, including rapid weight loss, mass of weight loss, loss of muscle, dehydration, poor nutrition, age and genetics. In most cases, all you need to do to lose the sagging skin is to keep doing what you've been doing, with a little modification. Only on rare occasions will plastic surgery be necessary.

Things You'll Need

• Exfoliating scrub
• Chart of typical calorie intake

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Instructions

• 1

  Get a good exfoliating scrub. Louis Dorman with Body Building recommends looking for products containing yeast extract, aloe vera and soy protein. According to him, these ingredients work to tighten the skin and encourage collagen and elastin production. Another ingredient that may be helpful is hyaluronic acid. Dorman says it is a natural chemical found in the skin that becomes depleted over time. Available in health food stores as a supplement, hyaluronic acid also helps to restore water to older skin and skin that has been stretched for some time. Sandy Simmons with the Connective Tissue Disorder Site points out that as of 2010, this supplement has not been well-studied. Because the body seems to have an optimum level, it is recommended that you get the advice of a doctor before using.

• 2

  Exfoliate every day to remove dry, dead skin cells. Although this is a process that occurs naturally, exfoliating increases circulation to the skin and encourages skin rejuvenation at a faster rate. The degree to which your skin will snap back depends on how long it was stretched, your age and your genetics. After your shower, use stretch creams to further help the skin recover.

• 3

  Keep on your diet to help you lose body fat, even after the scale says you've reached your goal weight. As Paul Brown, author of The Fat Guide, explains, fast-acting diets have an unwanted side effect of causing you to lose approximately a pound and a half of muscle for every pound of body fat lost. As a result, the scale may reflect that you've hit your goal weight even though there's an unpleasant amount of skin still gathered around your waist. This is because you still retain a good deal of body fat. Use your calorie chart to "break your diet" every so often---once a week or once a month---in order to replenish your lean muscle. Brown explains that you "break your diet" by continuing a nutritious meal plan, but adding extra calories for the day.

• 4

  Begin a resistance training program. Resistance training helps you to build and condition muscle in various parts of your body. The more toned your underlying muscle is, the faster you will see the results of melting fat. You don't necessarily need to invest in a weight training bench or gym membership. Simple exercises such as push-ups and crunches can be effective when performed correctly. Karen Sessions with Critical Bench recommends engaging in light resistance training approximately four days per week.

• 5

  Investigate plastic surgery only as a last resort after you have tried these other techniques and have been at your goal weight for some time. It takes time to replace body fat with muscle. Even if you don't lose all of the excess flab, you will be assured of having lost all excess body fat before seeking surgical options.