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After weight-loss surgery, patients may have to deal with loose skin.

Here are some recommendations to improve this situation.

  1. Eat a healthy diet. Ensuring you get all the nutrients in your diet will help your skin keep its elasticity. Protein is fundamental for the formation of tissue, so you must follow your doctor’s indications on the amount of protein you should consume, which must be included in every meal. Meat and eggs are high in protein, so you may want to include these in your everyday diet. Avoid sugar, as it does not help with skin elasticity and makes it harder for the skin to tighten up over time.
  2. Take Supplements. These will provide the vitamins and minerals your skin needs to stay healthy, however, you shouldn’t rely only on supplements alone to get these micronutrients that are essential for your skin. Eating plenty of vegetables is important as well, but as a bariatric patient, taking supplements is necessary due to the fact that you will be eating small portions of food, and with them, we guarantee you are getting all the micronutrients your body needs. For example, taking vitamin C will enable collagen production, which is a major component of your skin. It plays a vital role in strengthening the skin, it benefits hydration and elasticity.
  3. Build Muscle. By creating muscle tissue, loose skin is less likely to occur, it will help skin tighten up, and also give you a healthier appearance. Resistance training is the most effective way to build muscle tissue. After you work out, your muscles regenerate and grow stronger and bigger. Protein again is essential to build muscle tissue, so make sure you eat enough protein during your day.  
  4. Massage the Area. Massage is a great way to get blood flow in the skin area you do it. Good blood flow is very important for all of the skin’s recovery processes. A study even showed that collagen and elastin production of the skin increased after massaging the area. Therefore, improving circulation will help to keep skin healthy and elastic, which will help it adapt to body mass changes.
  5. Use Skin Creams. Using skin creams that contain anthocyanins, a substance extracted from plants that contain antioxidants will help give skin elasticity to tighten up to your new body mass. Some creams are even firming, they contain collagen and elastin, however scientific research states collagen must be created inside the body and collagen molecules are too large to be absorbed through the skin. We recommend sticking to creams from plant extracts that are high in antioxidants.
  6. Keep Hydrated. There is proof that drinking enough water improves the skin’s condition and hydration and water is also essential for building muscle, so drink up! 

There are several factors that can lead to loose skin, these include the time you spent being overweight, the amount of weight loss, genetics, age (the older you are the less elastic your skin is), smoking and sun exposure.

With over 12 years of experience, the Mexicali Bariatric Center has one of the world’s most successful weight loss programs. Our multidisciplinary team of experts will follow through each individual case to give you the best follow-up post-surgery.