20 Ways to Tighten Skin after Weight Loss …
There are lots of
ways to tighten skin after you lose weight, and many reasons to do so. And really, this is a good thing! I mean, you’ve done it! After months of making healthy lifestyle choices, you’ve
lost weight. But even though you’re at your goal weight, you still feel bulky, and the culprit is loose, sagging skin. How do you
tighten skin after weight loss, so you can fit into the clothes you want, and look as gorgeous and healthy and toned as you know you are? How can you tighten skin after weight loss, so you feel more accomplished, better about finishing your weight loss journey and living a healthier lifestyle? My dear, I can help. If your skin is slow to rebound, keep reading. Here are 20 ways to tighten skin after weight loss… you can do it!
1. Lose Weight Now!
As we age, our skin naturally loses elasticity. This means that the younger the age at which you lose weight, the better your skin will rebound… if you have a weight issue, lose weight now! The sooner you lose weight, the better the chances your skin will tighten on its own. Sweetie, seriously… don’t put it off! Do it now!
2. Don’t Yo-yo Diet
If it seems like you’re always gaining and losing weight, more than 25 pounds each time, that’s yo-yo dieting, and it’s terrible for your body, including your skin. The constant growing and shrinking puts stress on your skin, so stop the yo-yo dieting. Rather than gain and
lose weight over and over again, talk to a pro about making a few PERMANENT key lifestyle changes. These healthy changes will help you lose weight, and keep it off, long term.
3. Don’t Lose Weight Too Quickly
Slow and steady wins the race, and helps tighten your skin after weight loss. Your skin tightens slowly, so help the natural tightening process by losing weight safely and slowly, too. Besides, losing weight permanently by making broad lifestyle changes takes time, but it also helps prevent yo-yo dieting, something else that can help
tighten skin after weight loss. Bonus!
4. Scrub to Tighten Skin after Weight Loss!
Scientists think the reason using sea salt scrubs (or other scrubs) helps
tighten skin after weight loss is that they encourage increased blood flow, which in turn encourages healthy, elastic skin. Whatever the exact reason, it does seem to work for many people… try using a good scrub in the shower twice a day, several times a week, and see if it helps you!
5. Use a Collagen Cream
Another way to
tighten skin after weight loss is to keep it nourished with a collagen cream, one designed specifically to cope with loose, sagging skin. They can be pricey, but well worth the expense when they work. Note that collagen creams won’t work for everyone (nothing ever does), so ask family and friends for recommendations before you invest in a range of products that aren’t effective.
6. Try Massage Therapy
I have a particular friend who swears her weekly massage therapy helped her
tighten skin after weight loss. She complain of sagging skin, particularly on her upper arms and upper thighs, and is delighted to show off her non-saggy parts now. Why not give it a go? At best, it will help tighten your skin… at worst, you get an invigorating massage.
7. Perhaps a Wrap?
Another friend tells me his skin was tightened when he got a seaweed wrap at a local spa, and now he goes every 6 to 8 weeks to enjoy its benefits. Online, I’ve found rave reviews on the local spa he frequents, and not a single negative review. Find a spa near you and do some digging… are their clients as happy as the clients at m local spa? If so, give them a try!
8. Add Weight Training
Chance are, you used weight training to help you get to your goal weight, but if not, it’s time to add them, to help
tighten skin after weight loss! If you’re worried about looking overly buff and masculine, don’t be. Simply add weights to your workout three times a week, because building toned, lean muscle under your skin will help it look tighter… and sexier!
9. Drink Water to Help Tighten Skin after Weight Loss…
healthy skin is hydrated skin, and despite the debate in the scientific community about whether or not drinking 64 ounces of water a day can help keep skin healthy and happy, I’ve seen the results myself. Perhaps it’s because, if you’re drinking that much water, you’re not drinking soda, loaded with unhealthy chemicals… or perhaps it’s because healthy, elastic skin really does need water. Either way, it works.
10. Practice Yoga
Yoga will help you relieve stress, be more flexible,
lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, and even help your skin rebound after weight loss. They key with yoga, and any other regimen for that matter, is to Start off slow, and within a few weeks, you’ll be surprised how much more flexible you, and your skin, can be.
11. Be Patient
I suppose I ought to mention that after a significant weight loss, your skin can take up to six months to tighten to the new, slender you. Be patient, then… if your skin doesn’t rebound immediately, keep in mind that it may take a little time. Just like setting realistic weight loss goals is important, setting realistic goals for your body to adjust is important, too.
12. Do Calisthenics
Calisthenics are great for building lean muscle, great for your heart, and they’re even great for
tightening skin after weight loss! Add a round of calisthenics to your weekly routine, three or four times a week, and enjoy the jumping jacks, push-ups, windmills, and more… they can be fun, and they’re helping your skin readjust at the same time.
13. Eat Plenty of Lean Protein
Adding lean protein to your diet will also help
tighten skin after weight loss. How? First of all, it helps build lean muscle, which will make you appear more toned (well, you WILL be more toned!). But lean protein also contains the collagen and other nutrients your skin needs to stay elastic. Protip: consuming lean protein after a workout will help boost the muscle-building effect.
14. Avoid High-fat Foods
foods that are high in fat are a dieter’s worst nightmare on two fronts. First, obviously, they can wreck your diet. Second, they do your skin no favors. If you’re trying to keep a healthy weight, or
tighten skin after weight loss, avoid foods that are high in fat. Even the ones that taste really, really good. ESPECIALLY the ones that taste really, really good! Studies have shown that these high fat foods can even be addictive… so stay away!
15. Try for Five
The USDA recommends we eat five servings of fresh fruits and veggies every day, to give us nutrients we need, and to help us maintain healthy weights. But did you also know these five servings will help
tighten skin after weight loss? That’s because most fruits and veggies have a high water content, which your skin needs to rebound. And again, they’re very good at helping ou maintain a healthy weight!
16. Avoid Sulfates to Tighten Skin after Weight Loss…
Sulfates are used in lots of body washes, soaps, and
shampoos because they’re good, cheap cleansers and they make lush lather. But sulfates can also over-dry and irritate skin, stripping it of vital moisture and making it less elastic. If you’re trying to
tighten skin after weight loss, shop around for sulfate-free products. L’Oreal offers a great line, for a very reasonable price.
17. Don’t Tan
The tanning process is horrible for your skin, especially when you’re using a tanning bed to boost your melanin. You might think it makes your skin look smoother and healthier, but it doesn’t. Wear sunblock when you’re outdoors, and don’t fake and bake. You’ll see your skin tighten more quickly, and you’ll also avoid a greater risk of skin cancer.
18. Rinse Away Chlorine
Excess chlorine from swimming pools and hot tubs can dry out your skin, making it less elastic, and less likely to rebound after weight loss. If you swim to keep fit, be sure to shower immediately after, and use cleaners designed to remove chlorine and moisturize your skin. Also, remember that you don’t need HOT water to rinse chlorine away, use warm water instead, which will also help keep your skin hydrated (hot water can strip away natural oils).
19. Dress The Part
Even the skinniest girl can have a
muffin top if the jeans she’s wearing are too tight. My dear, you may not have
excess skin, or
loose skin, after weight loss… you might just need to wear clothes that fit better. Give this some serious thought while clothes shopping. Wouldn’t it be better to be a hot, slender
size 8 than a muffin-top six 6?
20. Consider Surgery
Photo credit:
Kylie Woon Photography
If all of these tips fail to tighten your skin after weight loss, and you’ve waited six months since you dropped that last pound, you may want to consider surgery to remove the
excess skin. As with any surgery, there are risks, but for some, those risks are outweighed by the benefits. Talk to your doctor.
Sweetie, you’ve already done the hard part — you’ve
lost weight! Now follow these tips to tighten your skin after weight loss, and you’ll be bikini ready in no time… well, at least within 6 months! You can do it! Or… perhaps you already have? Which of these tips worked to tighten your skin after weight loss? Or do you have another skin care tip to share? Please do!
