How Do You Get Rid of Loose Skin After Weight Loss?

Losing a significant amount of weight is a real accomplishment, but it often leaves behind loose skin that no amount of diet or exercise can tighten up. This hanging, wrinkled skin can cause chafing and discomfort, making it hard to feel confident in clothes that should fit your new body. Surgical excess skin removal is usually the only way to get rid of it. 

 At LaBrasca Plastic Surgery in DuBois, PA, Dr. Algie LaBrasca performs body contouring surgery to help patients near Pittsburgh finally finish out their weight loss journey. Call today to schedule a consultation and find out what your options are. 

Loose skin after weight loss 

When you carry extra weight for a long time, your skin stretches to accommodate it. Skin has some ability to snap back, but that elasticity has limits, and significant or rapid weight loss often exceeds them. The result is skin that hangs loosely instead of contracting to match your smaller frame. 

Age, genetics, and how long you carried the extra weight all affect how much skin bounces back on its own. For patients dealing with loose skin after weight loss, especially those who've lost a large amount, no amount of moisturizer, exercise, or time can fully resolve the problem. After weight loss surgery becomes one of the only reliable paths to remove what has been left behind. 

What to expect during excess skin removal in DuBois, PA 

Excess skin removal is generally considered a more invasive procedure. It's performed using general anesthesia and can take anywhere from 3 – 7 hours, depending on how much skin needs to be addressed and whether multiple areas are being treated in one session. 

Liposuction is often combined with the surgery to clear out remaining fat pockets before the excess skin removal takes place. Because this type of body contouring requires longer incisions than most cosmetic procedures, some scarring should be expected. Dr. LaBrasca uses precise techniques to keep incisions as discreet as possible, and you'll receive specific scar care instructions afterward to support the best healing possible. Most patients stay overnight following their surgery to recover. 

Body contouring recovery and results 

Recovery timelines vary depending on which areas were treated and how extensive the surgery was. Many patients need 1 – 2 weeks off work, with more strenuous activity restricted for 4 – 6 weeks while incisions heal. Swelling and bruising are normal in the early weeks and gradually subside. 

Once healed, the results are often described as transformative. Patients at our DuBois, PA, practice typically find that chafing and skin irritation from loose folds disappear, and clothes fit the way they were meant to. Because this procedure removes fat pockets and excess skin together, the contours tend to look smooth and proportional, not just tighter. 

Reveal your new contours 

Loose skin after weight loss doesn't have to be the final obstacle in your journey, and neither do lingering fat pockets or chafing. Dr. Algie LaBrasca at LaBrasca Plastic Surgery offers body contouring to help you feel comfortable in the body you worked hard to achieve. Call today to schedule a consultation in DuBois, PA, convenient for patients throughout the Pittsburgh area, and you can take the last step toward your goal.