Dramatic weight loss and sagging skin removal

A recent BBC article shared the case of a young woman who underwent dramatic weight loss – losing 19 stone in just two years through and intensive exercise regime and gastric sleeve surgery. Although her body mass had been significantly reduced, the woman was left unhappy with the result as her skin no longer had enough elasticity to form a smooth layer over her slimmer frame.

Due to the amount of weight that has been carried, her skin has become stretched to the extent that it was unable to contract back. Its natural elasticity was unable cope with the task in hand and she was left with a huge excess of skin, meant she was still far away from achieving the body she’d always hoped for, despite such massive weight loss.

If you have got to this point then eating a healthy diet and continuing to exercise will be great at keeping you close to your target weight, however it will have a limited effect on the condition of your skin. Once the skin has become stretched beyond natural repair, your only options are to accept it or to look at surgical options for sagging skin removal.

What are your sagging skin removal options?

There has been a marked increase over the past two decades of patients requesting this type of procedure, and as a result there have been a great deal of advancements in how effective it is.

Excess skin can be removed from many different areas to tighten and firm up the body’s appearance, the most common of which being the abdominal region (via a tummy tuck or abdominoplasty), but it can also be performed on the breasts, under the arms and the inner thighs.

To set realistic expectations, a procedure like a tummy tuck is a major operation and the recovery time is significant. You do need to ensure that you give your body time to heal fully after surgery such as this, and you also need to realise that it is not a permanent fix if you don’t control your weight.

If you opt for removal of excess skin and then your weight climbs significantly again, you could find yourself back to square one. Once you have made the decision to get some surgical assistance, you’ll have to ensure that your lifestyle reflects the changes you have made, to ensure you get the best from the operation.