Liposuction Surgery: Tightening Loose Skin

The biggest advantage of liposuction surgery is that it allows you to spot-reduce problem areas that diet and exercise just won't seem to touch. The biggest disadvantage of the process (especially for those who have a significant amount of fat removed) is the same as the disadvantage of losing a lot of weight quickly: you often wind up with loose skin. If you're young and fit, you can usually expect the skin to tighten back up with time. However, even youngsters may have trouble with loose skin in certain areas or with certain volumes of tissue removal. Here are some of the things you can do if you're unhappy with your loose skin.

Surgical Removal

Talk to your original plastic surgeon about having the loose skin removed following liposuction surgery. As this can be a fairly invasive and intense procedure, it will probably need to be scheduled separately from the actual lipo. If it is just a small amount of tightening around the upper arms or chin area, it may not be a tremendously involved procedure. If it is around the abdomen or involves quite a large area, you could be in for a bit of downtime. It's something you'll want to research and carefully consider, as it could be more extensive than your original operation.

Exercising

Doing regular cardio will send nutrients circulating through your body, giving your skin more blood, thus improving the situation. Some experts have noticed that when you reduce body fat past a certain percentage, loose skin has almost no choice but to tighten back up. The jury is still out on this science, however, and many will not care to go through the rigorous diet and exercise that will lower their body fat to a percentage that would impart this effect.

Building Muscle

One of the best things you can do to tighten and tone your physique is to start lifting weights. You see very few bodybuilders with loose skin issues, and many of them have no problem letting themselves go in the off season, gaining as much as fifty or more pounds of fat, only to lose it again when contest season rolls around again. Their skin snaps back when it's time to get on stage, and their tireless lifting routine doubtlessly has something to do with it. They also, however, benefit from getting down to nearly impossible percentages of body fat, as discussed in the last section.

Stay Hydrated

Your skin is not only another organ, it is the largest one you have. If you're experiencing loose skin following liposuction surgery, make sure you're drinking enough water. Staying hydrated can be a big help when it comes to tightening up your skin.