4 Ways To Tighten Loose Skin After Pregnancy
Your body changes in all kinds of mind-blowing ways after giving birth. Not only do you feel and think differently due to the influence of rising and falling hormones such as estrogen and progesterone, but your physical appearance will look different as well. It’s not uncommon for breasts to grow larger, shrink smaller, or revert to their pre-pregnancy size after you have had a baby. The abdominal muscles or core muscles (the muscles located at the front of the torso or trunk between the ribs and pelvis) are also often permanently altered by pregnancy due to being stretched by the growing bump as well as fetal movements, so they may be weakened and separated by the time you’ve had your baby. Another part of your body that will go through some major changes is your skin. A Mommy Makeover, explains Naperville’s Dr. John Bull at the John Bull Center for Cosmetic Surgery & Laser Medispa, is one way of restoring firmer skin and sleeker contours, but there are also other non-surgical methods you can use to improve laxity.
It’s perfectly normal for loose skin to develop on the stomach area after pregnancy because of the stretching. Sometimes the skin tightens up after several months have passed, but certain people may be left with some sagging skin. Even though this is normal and doesn’t cause any harm, some people dislike the way it looks. Continue reading for some of the most effective ways of addressing this problem:
1. Preventing Loose Skin
When it comes to loose skin, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. One of the best techniques for avoiding stretched skin on your stomach is taking steps to prevent it from occurring in the first place. One way of doing this is to maintain a healthy lifestyle with moderate intensity exercise so that you don’t gain excess weight too rapidly when you’re pregnant and you don’t put on more than the recommended weight gain. This will make it easier for your skin to snap back into position after having a baby. You can also strengthen your abdominal muscles by doing Pilates or yoga classes that are designed for pregnant women.
2. Slow Down
You might be more than ready to shed all of your pregnancy weight as quickly as you can, but remember that it’s better to be patient and aim to lose no more than one to two pounds each week through exercise. If you lose weight too fast, the rapid loss makes loose skin become much worse because it doesn’t have enough time to gradually adjust to the slimmer contours of your body.
3. Skin-Firming Topical Products
If you’re concerned about the condition of your skin—whether on your stomach, face, or elsewhere on the body—you can also try powerful products that boost collagen, elastin, and skin turnover, such as retinoids, an antioxidant called Q10, and vitamin C. While there are plenty of other products on the shelves that claim to make skin firmer, these three are known to have proven benefits for tightening skin.
4. Post-Partum Exercises
When it’s safe to start exercising again, you can get accustomed to a new exercise routine. It’s recommended that you aim for 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise each week if possible. Try cardio exercises such as walking, running, and cycling or other types of exercises like yoga to strengthen your ab muscles. Develop a cardio routine and gradually incorporate more intense exercise. Strength training is also important for improving the appearance of loose skin. Increased muscle mass fills out the area below the skin while sculpting and lengthening the abdominal area.
Learn more about how Mommy Makeover surgery can help patients restore their pre-baby appearance. Call The John Bull Center for Cosmetic Surgery & Laser Medispa at (630) 280-3913 or submit a contact form to request a consultation if you want to learn more about the benefits of this procedure.