What’s Hanging Skin, and How Can You Remove It?

September 26, 2022

Remove loose and dangling skin from various parts of the body.

Body contouring procedures can help hanging skin and those with bat wings or drooping breasts, fine lines and wrinkles on the neck and face, and excess skin on the abdomen or lower body.

People are normally ecstatic after losing weight, and they have every right to be, as losing weight is a difficult task. When people lose a large amount of weight, however, they are frequently left with some degree of loose skin. Skin that is too loose can have an impact on a person's looks, self-esteem, and overall quality of life¹.

Dealing with excess loose skin after a significant weight loss contradicts the aim of weight loss because the effort to get a more contoured physique continues. Although people feel healthier after reducing weight and know they are healthier because they can perform jobs they couldn't before, excess skin nevertheless causes problems in their daily lives.

What causes droopy skin?

Firm skin can stretch and bounce back into its place easily. Elastin fibers help the skin to snap back from stretching or making different facial expressions. The following factors play an important role²:

For some patients, it really helps when they start their diet, as that gets rid of some of the unwanted fat and can leave some hanging skin afterwards. Of course this way, the surgeon has a better chance at getting rid of the excess skin as he can now work far more efficiently, due to the patient's previous weight loss due to their diet plan.

What is the cause of my sagging skin and what can I do about it?

 If you've spent hours at the gym attempting to lose weight, you're probably well aware that sagging skin is a common side effect. Fat loss is frequently related to sagging skin on the face and torso. Another reason for droopy skin is the degeneration or reduction of collagen and elastin in the dermis.

Saggy skin can affect anyone, although it is more common in people as they get older. People who have dropped a large amount of weight are especially vulnerable. It's also possible that certain medical disorders are to blame. Sagging skin is difficult to treat at home, but there are a variety of skin-tightening alternatives available, such as surgical procedures.

What causes the skin to sag?

Firm skin is readily stretched and snapped back into place. Skin begins to droop when it lacks this capacity. Saggy skin can appear on the body in a variety of places. Saggy skin is commonly seen in the following areas:

Saggy skin can be caused by several factors:

Aging skin

Elastin and collagen, two key proteins produced in the dermis, are lost as skin ages. Elastin gives skin elasticity, as its name implies. It gives you tight skin which bounces back when you stretch it.

As people get older, their ability to produce elastin and collagen decreases. External factors can also cause these two proteins to degrade over time, such as:

Too much sun exposure combined with a lack of attention to your skin and health might hasten age. At a younger age, this might cause your skin to appear droopy and wrinkled.

 

Weight loss

The collagen and elastin fibers in your skin might be damaged by carrying extra weight for a lengthy period. The skin has a harder time snapping back as you lose weight because of this. You may have sagging skin if you drop 100 pounds or more.

When weight loss is quick, such as following bariatric surgery, sagging skin is more probable. These weight loss methods can often result in a lot of sagging, drooping skin hanging around the body. Because younger skin recovers more quickly, your age at the time of weight reduction may influence how sagging your skin gets.

Pregnancy

 After pregnancy, it's common to develop some saggy, loose skin. The age of the mother could also be a factor, women who are pregnant with multiples, such as twins or triplets, may have more drooping skin around the abdomen than women who are expecting a single child.

What cosmetic procedures are available to reverse this process?

When it comes to firming up drooping skin, these procedures can help, of which you can learn more about here.

Peels with chemicals

Chemical peels are non-invasive procedures that improve the skin's texture. They do so by eliminating damaged skin cells from the epidermis, or the outermost layer of the skin. Chemical peels are commonly utilized on the face, but they can also be used on other parts of the body, like the neck and hands.

The type of chemical peel you have will determine how quickly you see results. For instance, there are three distinct types:

Resurfacing with a laser

It's been dubbed the most effective skin tightening therapy. One of two lasers, carbon dioxide (CO2) or erbium, is required for laser surfacing.

Scars, warts, and wrinkles can be removed using CO2, while fine lines and wrinkles can be addressed with erbium. Both, on the other hand, improve skin texture by lasering the epidermis. The effects aren't instantaneous, and recuperation could take weeks.

Skin tightening using laser

Laser skin tightening is a great way to get a powerful lift. The heat from the laser waves tightens the skin. This treatment penetrates the skin layers deeper than laser resurfacing. As a result, collagen production is boosted, resulting in smoother, firmer skin over time.

There is no downtime, and while you may see a difference right away, the best benefits will take 3 to 6 months.

Heat therapy is a fantastic alternative for slack skin caused by weight loss, pregnancy, or heredity. It's a great way to target loose skin on the abdomen while being far less invasive than a stomach tuck³.

To schedule your consultation and discover more about hanging skin and its removal process, or finding a procedure that is suitable for you, call us or visit our website at VIDA.

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References

1. How To Tighten Skin After Weight Loss Naturally: Tried-And-True Ways To Deal With Hanging Skin - BetterMe
2. Get rid of loose and hanging skin from different areas of the body (cosmeticoplasty.com)
3. Skin Firmness: How to Reverse the Aging Process (healthline.com)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Francisco Bucio takes pride in offering exceptional service to prospective cosmetic surgery patients. For over 25 years, Bucio Surgicenter and plastic surgeon Francisco Bucio, M.D., has welcomed Tijuana area residents and patients traveling from the United States to his practice at VIDA Wellness and Beauty.

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