What are My Options for Getting Rid of Excess Skin Around My Belly?

You reached your goal weight, and you feel great. But you may not like the sagging skin left behind. After losing large amounts of weight, many people have loose, saggy skin. But you have options for removing the excess skin around the belly.

At Transform Bariatrics in Greenbelt and Rockville, Maryland, our skilled bariatric and general surgeon, Dr. Hitesh Amin, helps many people transform their bodies and health. For our patients with excess skin around the belly, we offer cosmetic surgery to remove it.

Read on to learn more about your options for removing excess skin around the belly.

Why so much skin?

Skin is protective and resilient. It's also strong and stretchy. Most of your skin's strength and durability come from the structural proteins found in the dermal layer of skin — collagen and elastin. 

When you gain weight, your skin stretches and expands to cover the extra growth. Over time, the constant stretching and expanding damages the collagen and elastin fibers, diminishing your skin's strength and elasticity.

When you lose weight, your skin cannot retract, leaving behind loose, saggy skin. Additionally, your skin's ability to form new collagen after weight loss surgery is hindered, making it harder for skin to bounce back.

According to research, excess skin occurs in 90% of patients following weight loss surgery. 

Surgery to remove excess skin

Taking care of your skin before and after surgery may lessen the severity of the excess skin around the belly following weight loss. We recommend drinking plenty of water, protecting your skin from the sun, and regularly applying moisturizer to keep your skin soft and elastic.

However, home remedies can't eliminate the excess skin around the belly after you lose weight. You need surgery for that. We perform a tummy tuck or abdominoplasty for saggy skin around the belly. We remove the unwanted skin and fat for this procedure and tighten the abdominal muscles. 

Recovery from body contouring surgery

Removing excess skin around the belly is a major procedure and requires some downtime. You may need to take time off from work and limit strenuous physical activity and heavy lifting for several weeks.

Once some swelling subsides, you may see improvements in your look. Full recovery can take up to a year, but results are long-lasting. 

Body contouring surgery is your best option for removing excess skin around the belly. If you're unhappy about excess skin following your weight loss surgery, schedule an appointment with our experienced surgeon by calling our office or requesting an online consultation. We can discuss your options and help you achieve your body goals.