Tighten Stomach Skin
If you’ve recently lost a lot of weight – either from a weight loss program or after giving birth – you might have some loose skin around your belly. To tighten that skin, focus on exercises that will tighten your stomach. You can also do things like drink more water, eat protein-rich foods, and protect your skin to help tighten your skin. Be patient and you could see great results.
Contents
Steps
Exercising to Strengthen Your Stomach
- Perform arm crunches. Lie on your back, making a 90-degree angle with your legs to the floor (they should be sticking straight up toward the ceiling). Hold your arms straight out in front of you (they’ll also be pointing toward the ceiling) and curl your shoulders and upper back up off the floor. After holding this position for a second, slowly lower your body back down. Repeat this move 10 to 15 times.
- You can hold dumbbells in your hands for an added challenge.
- Do an air bike exercise. Put your hands behind your head, bending your elbows. Raise your shoulders off the floor, and take your right elbow to your left knee. Then switch so that your left elbow touches your right knee. Continue alternating left to right for 10 to 15 repetitions.
- Make a side bridge. Lie on your side, with your weight resting on your elbow and forearm. Use your abdominal muscles to lift the middle of your body off of the floor. Your entire body should make a straight line from your torso to your feet. Hold this position as long as possible.
- Raise your legs while lying on the floor. Lie flat on your back, making a 90-degree angle with your legs to the floor. Slowly lower your legs until they almost touch the floor, then raise them slowly back up. You should keep your legs straight through this entire exercise.
- Make sure your back stays tight against the floor for this exercise. If you try to use your back to lift or lower your legs, you can injure your back. If you can’t lower your legs all the way without lifting your back off the floor, don’t lower your legs as far.
Taking Care of Your Body
- Drink more water. More water can increase your skin’s elasticity and smoothness. This likely won’t improve the appearance of a lot of loose stomach skin, but it can help if you have some slightly saggy skin.
- Eat protein-rich foods. Certain protein-rich foods, like cottage cheese, milk, fish, beans, and nuts – contain collagen. They can also help your skin form elastin. Both elastin and collagen can tighten up your skin’s appearance.
- Use a moisturizer with vitamin E. Vitamin E keeps your skin moister than most other vitamins. This moisture allows new skin cells to grow, which will decrease the appearance of loose skin.
- Don’t stay out in the sun. Being in the sun – or a tanning bed – can dehydrate your skin, which can make it look even looser. If you do go out in the sun, make sure you use sunscreen with a high SPF – at least 40.
- If you do go out in the sun, make sure your take a shower shortly after and apply a moisturizer to your skin.
- Be patient. If your loose skin is the result of rapid weight loss, keep in mind it’s going to take time to tighten it back up again. You might not notice a change overnight, or even in the first week or two. If you can stay patient, you might just see results.
Tips
- You might need to consider surgery to get rid of your loose skin if you’ve lost a lot of weight you’ve carried for a long time. If you’re trying to tighten skin after a pregnancy you probably won’t need surgery, but if you’ve been overweight for quite a few years, you probably will.
