Losing excess weight can definitely feel great, but what do you do with all of the loose skin that has been left behind?

This can be an even bigger problem if you have lost your weight quite rapidly.

Don’t worry, there’s plenty you can do!

Here are eight ways to tighten your skin back up after losing weight:

1) Build Up Some Muscle

Muscle mass often decreases when a person loses weight, and this can heavily contribute to the loose skin that is experienced afterwards.

Expanding your muscles will tighten the skin over the top of them, giving your face or body its definition back.

How do you build muscle?

The only way is through exercise.

If you are trying to maintain your weight loss, then this is something that you should be doing anyway.

Of course, there are certain exercises you should focus on when it comes to building muscle mass…

Resistance training is the key.

Resistance training is also known as:

• Weight training
• Strength training

What exactly is it?

It makes use of a force of some sort, such as a weight, to give your muscles a workout. However, you need to do this consistently and repeatedly in order for your muscles to actually build up some strength.

How often should you be resistance training?

Around two to three times a week in order to gain maximum benefits. Make sure that you rest each group of muscles for 48 hours in between workouts too.

2) Regular Massages 

Massages are not only wonderfully relaxing, but they bring with them several different health benefits.

When it comes to loose skin, a massage gives your blood circulation a huge boost. This increase in blood flow means that your skin cells are able to receive a far greater amount of oxygen and nutrients, which enables them to really thrive.

With regular massages, the skin takes on a firmer and tighter appearance.

How regular is regular?

Ideally, around twice a week.

Yes, this can get expensive at a spa, but there is no reason why you cannot massage your skin yourself at home. All you need is an oil, or, even better, a skin-firming skin care product…

3) Topical Skin-Firming Products

Let’s begin by answering the big question that is probably on your mind…

Do topical skin firming products really work?

The quick answer is yes, although different types work in different ways.

There are two main categories out there when it comes to topical skin-firming products:

• Short term – these contain ingredients that give you an immediate but temporary firming effect
• Long term – these contain ingredients that help to firm your skin up in the long term

Which one is better?

Well, you would be best off using both. The short term creams will help you instantly, while the long term creams will stimulate your skin’s collagen and elastin production, to give your skin better elasticity in the future.

Of course, the effect that a firming product has depends on its quality…

Here are a few key ingredients to look out for:

• Peptides – to promote the production of collagen and elastin, while also thickening up the skin
• Caffeine – perks the skin up, giving it a tighter appearance, while helping to dehydrate any fat cells
• Carnitine – works in a similar way to caffeine when it comes to dehydrating fat cells
• Growth Factors – to encourage collagen and elastin production, improving skin tightness, tone and texture
• Retinol – to increase collagen and elastin production, brighten up the skin tone and speed up skin cell turnover
• Guarana – an Amazonian berry that provides temporary skin-tightening benefits, thanks to its high caffeine content 

4) A Healthy Diet with Plenty of Water

Ok, so a healthy diet on its own isn’t exactly going to tighten up your skin. However, combined with these other methods, a healthy diet will definitely enhance your results.

How?

Because certain foods out there help to promote collagen and elastin production, helping with firmness and tightness from within.

You probably want to know which foods you should be eating more of…

Here are some of the best for skin tightening:

• Lean protein – lean proteins contain specific amino acids, such as lysine and proline, that are vital when it comes to the production of collagen and elastin
• Fresh fruits and vegetables – these contain important vitamins and antioxidants. Some vitamins, such as vitamin C, are key when it comes to collagen and elastin synthesis 
• Seafood – not only does seafood contain omega fatty acids, which hydrate, strengthen and protect your skin, but certain types of seafood, such as oysters, are fantastic sources of selenium and zinc. Both of these minerals can significantly increase your skin’s elastin levels, while also providing antioxidant benefits

Drinking plenty of water is so important too.

Why?

Because water naturally detoxifies your body, enabling it to flush out toxins. These toxins can actually contribute to loose and sagging skin quite a bit. Research has found that eliminating these from the body, while keeping your body fully hydrated, can leave your skin noticeably tighter and smoother. 

How much water should you be drinking?

Around eight glasses a day.

If you’re struggling with this…

Try adding some fruit into your water to give it some extra flavor. Tea also counts towards your daily water intake, whether you opt for green, black, herbal or anything else. Both fruit-infused waters and different teas have the added benefit of nourishing your body with antioxidants, as well as keeping it hydrated.

5) Oral Supplements 

If you are struggling with eating enough of the foods mentioned above, then it may be worth considering oral supplements.

Which supplements should you look into?

Here are a few that could help with skin tightening:

• Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids – these are key when it comes to keeping your skin moisturized and hydrated. This in itself can help to reduce the appearance of sagging skin by helping the skin to look fuller and more voluminous
• DMAE – has been shown to have a positive effect on skin firmness, as well as muscle tone. This can be taken as an oral supplement as well as used topically for double the results
• Vitamin B3 – is able to help with skin elasticity and wrinkles
• Proline and Lysine – as mentioned earlier, these two amino acids are key when it comes to the production of collagen and elastin in the skin
• Gelatin – this is basically cooked animal collagen. It contains a high concentration of glycine, which enables the skin to produce more collagen and elastin
• Vitamin C – essential for collagen and elastin synthesis

6) Dry Brushing

Have you ever tried dry brushing?

As you can probably guess from its name, it refers to brushing your skin while it is dry.

However, not any brush will do…

You would need to use a dedicated dry brush for this. It will have bristles that are gentle enough not to damage your skin, but strong enough to provide you with the skin-tightening benefits of dry brushing.

How does dry brushing actually tighten the skin?

In a few different ways…

To begin with, dry brushing removes the dead skin cells from the surface of your skin. This then enables your skin to properly breathe, while also speeding up the production of newer skin cells. This has the effect of also increasing collagen and elastin production.

Dry brushing also breaks up the cellulite that lies beneath the skin’s surface. This helps to give the skin a smoother and firmer appearance.

Finally, dry brushing also has a positive effect on your body’s lymphatic system…

The lymphatic system is responsible for eliminating toxins from the body. This allows the body to better cleanse itself, therefore strengthening the immune system and enabling skin cells to function better.

Want to try dry brushing both your face and your body?

Make sure that you purchase dedicated dry brushes for each. Dry brushes designed for the face will feature softer bristles, protecting the delicate skin on your face from damage.

7) Non-Invasive Cosmetic Procedures

While there are a few surgical procedures that could tighten up your skin, these do come with quite a few risks and side effects.

Fortunately, there are now plenty of non-invasive procedures that you can opt for instead.

If you only have a small amount of loose or sagging skin, you may want to consider a chemical peel.

Chemical peels are basically intense forms of exfoliation. They “peel” away the outer layer of your skin, which can immediately reduce the appearance of sagging and wrinkles. The new and fresh skin that lies beneath is usually much smoother, firmer and fresher.

Laser resurfacing works in a similar way to a chemical peel. It removes the outer layer of dead skin cells while also sending heat into the deeper layers of your skin. This promotes the production of collagen and elastin, giving you tighter skin in the long run.

You could also look into ultrasound skin tightening treatments.

How do they work?

They make use of a device that delivers ultrasound energy deep into the skin. The energy usually targets multiple layers in your skin, stimulating the production of new collagen and elastin. Results continue to improve in the two to three months following your treatment, as this is how long it takes for your body to actually produce collagen and elastin that it can use.

Another option is radiofrequency skin tightening treatments.

This makes use of radiofrequency energy, sending this deep into the skin. This has a couple of different effects:

• Stimulates tissue remodeling, which triggers the production of new collagen and elastin
• Kills off the fat cells in the targeted area, resulting in fat reduction

As you can see, there are plenty of non-surgical skin tightening options available to you. If you feel that one of these would help, you would be best off speaking to your dermatologist for further advice.

8) Yoga

You have probably heard of some of the many health benefits that yoga can bring to the body.

Did you know that skin tightening was one of them?

Doing yoga on a regular basis will not only help you to maintain your weight loss, but will also give you firmer and more toned skin over time.

There are certain yoga poses that are especially beneficial when it comes to skin tightening. These include:

• The Downward Dog
• The Cobra Pose
• The Upward Facing Dog
• The Plank Pose
• The Tree Pose
• The Sliding Table

What about if you are trying to tighten the skin on your face?

Then facial yoga is the answer!

This can make a huge difference to sagging and loose skin on the face. It basically lifts the muscles in the face, which then has the effect of lifting and tightening the skin.

Research has proven this to be true…

Studies show that practising facial yoga on a regular basis can take years of a person’s appearance. Not only does it give you smoothness and tightness, but it also leaves the skin with a youthful glow that no topical product could provide. 

How often do you need to practice facial yoga?

Every single day, for about 10 to 15 minutes. It will usually take a couple of months before you start noticing results, although this can take longer if you smoke, drink excessively, or spend a lot of time in the sun. Consistency is key here, as it does take time for the positive effects of facial yoga to accumulate.

Loose and sagging skin can be extremely frustrating to deal with, but there are quite a few steps that you can take when it comes to tightening your skin back up. While each of the methods on this list will help with skin tightening, you will experience far better results if you combine multiple methods together.