It can be so disheartening to look in the mirror and see that some parts of your face are becoming loose and flabby. Even if you’re in prime physical shape, hanging skin can be extremely detrimental to your self-image.
I used to suffer from loose skin until I discovered a few simple ways to help me look my best.
Firming Creams & Supplements
Firming creams are manufactured to tighten and rejuvenate skin. Typically, they stimulate the production of collagen, an important protein that happens to be the body’s primary building block. Collagen can be found in the bones, the skin, the ligaments, and countless other places!
It’s important, when selecting a firming cream, to pick one that is packed with retinoids, a derivative of Vitamin A that keeps the skin healthy over longer periods of time. Here are some noteworthy retinoids that are commonly on ingredient lists:
- Retinoic acid
- Adapalene
- Tretinoin
All of these compounds give the skin a glamorous, natural glow!
Hyaluronic acid is also a fantastic ingredient. Much like collagen, it is an important part of the human body, but it works as a lubricant in our eyes and joints. It also has exceptional skin-tightening properties, and can:
- Address deep, problematic wrinkles
- Give the skin a firmer foundation
- Minimize skin roughness
Make sure to steer clear of products with lanolin, which can cause aggressive allergic reactions.
Here are some of this year’s hottest doctor-recommended firming creams!
Exercise
Exercise can burn fat in particular areas and therefore tighten the skin. However, results usually come slowly, as the skin needs to get used to the loss of bodily volume. Anyone who has exercised routinely knows that their skin initially becomes looser with the loss of fat, but that over time, their properly body adjusts.
But this would all be for naught without the right exercise methods!
Cardio is as great for the heart as it is for building healthy skin. Lifting weights, on the other hand, is fantastic for eliminating hanging skin. Generally speaking, muscles push against, and therefore tighten, looser pockets of skin.
Some of the best exercises for loose belly skin include:
- Air Biking
- Pelvic Thrusts
- Side Bridging
Using certain creams alongside your exercise routine can speed up results. There are even chin and jaw exercises that can help you look your best!
Diet, too, plays a critical role in skin health, as certain vitamins and nutrients pair well with specific exercises and activities.
Get Rid of Stubborn Fat
Subcutaneous fat is the most difficult fat in the body to eliminate, as anyone who has wrestled with it can attest. It is especially resistant to common diets and exercises, so consistency and persistence are key. Your body, however, will eventually plateau, so you should ramp up the intensity of your workouts to sweat more for longer periods (and to burn off more fat).
This, of course, is all easier said than done, especially if you don’t have the time for high-intensity exercise sessions in the first place.
A new, easy way to kill fat is with CoolSculpting, a device that permanently freezes and destroys fat cells and trims loose skin. CoolSculpting, also known as Fat Freezing, can even be administered in conjunction with regular exercise to strengthen overall results! While it is a simpler way to get fit, though, doctors recommend that you keep working out after treatment to maintain your physique.
CoolSculpting’s sister procedure, CoolTone, also treats loose skin and tones the body, effectively enhancing muscular appearance.
Honorable Mention: Laser Resurfacing
If none of these solutions cut it, why not try laser resurfacing? It might sound scary, but the technology, and the procedure, is surprisingly simple: a laser directs light and heat at the skin in hope of promoting the body’s creation of collagen. Laser resurfacing can usually deliver quicker and more noticeable results than most firming creams.
The most popular laser, the CO2 Laser, is powerful enough to reach the skin’s deeper layers so that, in the end, you’re left with smooth, tight, and beautifully exfoliated skin.
