Dramatic Weight Loss & Its Effects on your Skin #ForeverYoung

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Back in 2010, I managed to reach my weight loss goal. I lost 145.5 lbs and reached a healthy BMI with a weight of 127 lbs. It took me 19 months. The problem with massive weight loss like that is that, for some of us, our skin doesn't bounce back to it's original shape. Think of blowing up a balloon and then deflating it. Inflating it stretches it out so that, when you deflate it again, it's looser and more pliable, when you deflate it. Our skin can be like that too. It remains stretched out and hangs loosely after losing a lot of weight.

I already had a road-map of stretch marks on my belly left-over from my first pregnancy and delivery. But now, I was left with loose, sagging skin on my belly and loose, sagging skin on my upper arms. Doing weights helped lessen the sagging skin on my upper arms, but it didn't completely get rid of it. Also, the more weight I lost, the less was left of my sagging belly, but there was enough of the left-over stretched-out skin to mean that I couldn't completely get rid of it.

I was told that the only way to completely rid myself of it was to have an apronectomy/abdominoplasty which would cut out the loose skin and pull what was left together to leave a smooth, flat belly. I was also told that it would be expensive to have done. There is also something called a panniculectomy. A panniculectomy removes any overhanging “apron” of skin and tissue from below the belly button. It is different from a tummy tuck, which tightens the underlying stomach muscles in that a panniculectomy only removes excess skin and fat.

How much loose skin a person is left with after major weight loss depends on genetics, how much weight was lost and how quickly the weight was lost. For the average woman undergoing this type of surgery, the abdominoplasty surgery itself removes about five more pounds of fat and skin from them when completed.

Tummy tucks have a higher incidence of complications than other plastic surgeries, so it is recommended that you think carefully before choosing this option to resolve your loose skin issues.

There is also a surgery to remove excess, sagging skin on the upper arms. It is called an arm lift, or brachioplasty.  An arm lift is a surgical procedure that reduces excess sagging skin, tightens the underlying supportive tissue and reduces localised pockets of fat in the upper arm region. Like the tummy tuck, it is an expensive procedure. It leaves a scar along the inside of the upper arms. 

There have been other technological advances that mean a person does not necessarily have to resort to surgery in order to get their desired results when it comes to tightening loose skin on areas such as the upper arms. For instance, radio frequency waves can be used. Radio frequency skin tightening is an aesthetic technique that uses radio frequency energy to heat tissue and stimulate subdermal collagen production in order to reduce the appearance of fine lines and loose skin.