Losing weight is exciting, and an achievement to be proud of. The benefits of losing unhealthy weight are uncontroversial and objectively improve both lifespan and healthspan.
There are almost no downsides to losing unhealthy weight, except for one superficial, yet valid aesthetic concern – skin laxity. Although everyone looks objectively better at a healthy weight level with their clothes on, for many, rapid weight loss leaves visible signs of your previous weight, including scars, stretch marks, and lax skin.
Even though this is secondary to the health benefits of appropriate weight loss, no one can deny the unsatisfactory discomfort from seeing unwanted marks and sagging skin.
For some this can deter weight loss, or cause unpleasant insecurities that some may find more troubling than their self-esteem at their previous weight.
The good news is that Opulent Aesthetics in Caterham, has a solution to address lax and sagging skin, stretch marks and scars. Our procedures are non-invasive, relatively inexpensive, and above all, extremely effective at reducing the appearance of tell-tale signs of rapid weight loss.
Let’s explore the science of skin laxity and the treatments to address it.
What is skin laxity?
Skin laxity refers to skin becoming noticeably looser, often sagging over tighter skin, giving an aged appearance that many find undesirable on themselves.
The main causes of skin laxity are:
- Intrinsic ageing
- Extrinsic ageing
- Volume loss and gravity
- Lifestyle choices
Intrinsic ageing refers to your body’s natural ageing, caused by time. Extrinsic ageing refers to external influences like the sun, pollution, and harsh chemicals like chlorine. Volume loss and gravity is relevant to weight loss and pregnancy, as the loss of fat volume, combined with your skin’s reduced structural integrity from time-based ageing, causes unwanted sagging. Lastly, lifestyle choices like smoking, poor sleep and diet, contribute as skin laxity accelerators.
Our focus here is the effects of dramatic volume loss, which causes extreme sagging from weak skin structures. When substantial weight is lost, the skin can sag to the extent that it hangs and accumulates over tighter skin, often looking like a deflated balloon.
The extent of this much depends on the extent of volume gained and lost, how rapidly it was lost, and often your age. After age 30, your skin’s internal structures gradually decline, due to your body’s impaired ability to produce collagen and elastin at the same rate as in your 20’s.
By age 50, the deficiency in your body’s ability to produce elastin and collagen is highly pronounced, causing noticeable sagging, particularly after dramatic weight loss, or pregnancy.
How can skin laxity be treated?
The secret to treating skin laxity lies in addressing the underlying issues, i.e. collagen and elastin production, and accelerating skin cell turnover to generate new, firmer skin.
There are three principle ways to achieve this:
- Profhilo skin booster injections
- Microneedling
- Dermalux LED light therapy
Combined, these three treatments enhance your skin quality over time, tightening your skin, reducing sagging, and fading scars and stretch marks. Let’s take a closer look at how they work.
How they work together
Profhilo consists of high-concentration hyaluronic acid (HA) that is injected into the target treatment area. The HA serves two purposes; it stimulates collagen production, while providing your internal dermis with the building blocks necessary to manufacture the collagen and elastin, and it also deeply hydrates your skin.
Profhilo can be used to treat several body areas, including:
- Face, neck, and jawline
- Decolletage
- Upper and inner arms
- Inner thighs
- knee areas
- Abdomen / tummy
Over time, you will notice your skin tightening as the integrity of your skin’s internal structure improves. With Profhilo’s new ‘body’ formula, you can now target more sensitive areas like the inner arms, thighs, and abdomen, letting you tighten up those troublesome areas, particularly after rapid weight loss or pregnancy.
Microneedling adds to the enhancement by making micropunctures, triggering a wound-healing response that further stimulates collagen and elastin production, and new, stronger skin.
And finally, both processes are supercharged by the Dermalux LED light therapy, which literally excites and power-boosts your skin on a cellular level, ramping up cell turnover, while enhancing the efficiency and rate of collagen and elastin production.
The Dermalux LED light therapy is not to be confused with alternative home-use LED light therapy devices; it is classified as a medical device with more precise and powerful light transmission at the correct wavelength, putting other non-professional devices to shame with its powerful results.
Devising a treatment plan that works for you
Just like your weightloss, getting rid of your sagging and lax skin requires commitment. The good news is that it is far less challenging, the results are noticeable much sooner, it is easier to maintain, and you will actually enjoy the process as it feels like you are treating yourself, compared to weight loss, which can sometimes feel like self-punishment.
Opulent Aesthetics recommends beginning with Profhilo injections. The sooner you give your body what it needs to produce collagen and elastin, the sooner your skin will tighten.
After 1-2 weeks, Sadie recommends engaging with microneedling treatment in Caterham, at her luxury studio based in Time, Hair, and Beauty. This will trigger skin renewal and collagen production.
You can follow this treatment immediately with Dermalux red light therapy, which will heal your microwounds rapidly, enhancing your skin quality sooner, allowing for more treatments in a shorter period of time to achieve better results.
Opulent Aesthetics currently does a bolt-on deal for red light therapy: if you have it in conjunction with any other treatment, it is just £15, compared to £30 for a single session, or £250 for a block of 10 treatments.
Final thoughts
So, there you have it, a comprehensive treatment plan for lax and sagging skin. You no longer have to worry about the downsides of rapid weight loss. Instead, you can feel proud of your achievement, and watch your skin become tighter and more youthful.
Opulent Aesthetics’s treatments for lax skin deal with it at every level; the cellular level through Dermalux red light therapy, epidermis, through microneedling, and dermally, through Profhilio skin boosters injections for the face and body. Combined, you’ll turbocharge your skin’s improvement.
So, if you have concerns about sagging and lax skin, give Sadie a call at Opulent Aesthetics in Caterham. You will be glad that you did.
If you need reassurance, see our online testimonials, where you can see that clients travel from neighbouring towns like Purley, Bromley, Beckenham, and Croydon, for the best beauty treatments around.