𝗟𝗢𝗢𝗦𝗘 𝗦𝗞𝗜𝗡 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗧 𝗕𝗔𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗖 𝗦𝗨𝗥𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗬

One of the things that people might fear and make them put off doing bariatric surgery is having sagging skin post weight loss. If one does a Google search on sagging or loose skin post bariatric surgery, you will see extreme pictures of excessive skin hanging around the body. However, in reality looseness of skin after bariatric surgery for most patients may not be so extreme and hugely dependant on the progress and lifestyle after surgery. In fact the problem is often more temporary than what is normally expected.

There are several factors that will influence your skin condition after bariatric surgery, namely age, nutrition, exercise and smoking status

𝗔𝗴𝗲: Younger people tend to have higher skin elasticity so loose skin might not be as bad for them. Older skin typically has less collagen than younger skin and tends to be looser following weight loss.

𝗡𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:Having a balanced nutrition e.g. enough protein in and appropriate vitamin supplementation after surgery is also important in determining the appearance of your skin after weight loss. This is to ensure that your body has the necessary building tools to heal the skin and wound. Post surgery, we will ensure that your nutrient levels are monitored and you have the necessary supplements, such as protein, iron and vitamin B12, to avoid malnutrition and give the sagging skin the best condition to heal.

𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗲: Exercise can prevent loose skin after weight loss surgery by maintaining lean muscle mass. When you gain muscle, they will take up the fat space and fill out your skin. After surgery, our team will work with you to come up with an exercise regime that helps with weight loss, maintain muscle mass and minimize any excess skin.

𝗦𝗺𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴:If you don’t smoke or stop smoking, your sagging skin will improve. Smoking will impair the blood circulation to the skin, making it harder to heal as they are not receiving the nutrients that they need from the blood.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻, 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘃𝗲?

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁:The most basic thing you can do is to wear compression garments inside your daily clothes. The tight garment will help improve the cosmetic appearance as the excess skin is loose and easily shrunken with pressure.

𝗕𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁:There are several body contouring techniques that can be employed to stimulate collagen production and improve the elasticity of the skin. Technique using technology like radiofrequency or ultrasound can help tighten the skin especially if done concurrently while the weight loss is happening. If you are not keen for a surgical procedure to remove the excess skin, this is a viable alternative that we can offer to patients who are worried about loose skin.

𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘆: If the excess loose skin is too much and is interfering with your daily lifestyle, cosmetic surgery of excess skin removal might be an option. Tummy tuck after weight loss surgery is one of the more common procedures. To do the surgery, it is best to wait until your weight stabilizes for several months (usually around 18 months after bariatric surgery). Otherwise, as you continue to lose weight you are likely to develop additional excess skin and you’ll need another skin removal operation after you lose more weight.

Therefore, if sagging or loose skin is one of your worries and keeping you off from going for bariatric surgery, don’t be! Most often they are not as bad as expected and we will guide you post operation on the best way to deal with it and obtain the best looking outcome for your body and health.