Can skin on your arms, shins and thighs be tightened to remove wrinkled, sun damaged skin? (Photo)

Question

I recently lost 80 lbs. through diet and exercise and have noticed that my skin on my arms and legs have taken on a crepey, very wrinkled texture. I also spent years in the sun, so I think the combination of sun, age (I'm 46) and loss of fat has caused this ugly texture to my skin. Is there anything that I can do to tighten and smooth out my skin, invasive or non-invasive procedures?

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Morpheus 8 is a non-invasive skin and soft tissue tightening treatment that is consistently amazing in our patients. We use the Morpheus to exact fractional induced RF into the skin or tissue in order to tighten collagen and stimulate contraction of the tissue. For acne scars, it is quite useful to build collagen in patients who have atrophic scars but is not very productive for ice-pick scars which require TCA Cross. For tissue tightening, Morpheus is ideal for the face and neck and we often combine it with CO2 laser or Ultherapy to further enhance results. Chemical peels and skin resurfacing should be done at least 5 to 7 days after, but can be performed earlier, depending on treatment severity. Avoid exfoliating skin treatments before Morpheus and expect a period of 2-4 weeks for skin contraction to set in.

Best, 
Dr. Karamanoukian 
Realself100 Surgeon

Richard E. Moore, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question and congratulations on your weight loss! If you are looking for a non-excisional procedure to tighten the skin of the arms and legs, I would suggest BodyTite. This minimally invasive procedure can reduce the surface area of the skin by up to 30% with best results seen 3-6 months out. I sometimes add Sculptra into the areas to further stimulate the production of collagen. There are non-invasive RF devices such as Venus Legacy and BTL Exilis which can firm up the skin as well. I recommend scheduling a consultation with a physician experienced in the treatment of skin laxity following weight loss. I hope this was helpful - Dr. Moore.

Jean M. Casello, MD · Answer

congratulations on your healthy weight loss.  From your photos it would seem that you could benefit from a  surgical procedure such as a thigh lift.  If you would like to explore non invasive or minimally invasive procedures there are several which would smooth out the skin.  In my office we use the exillis or lutronic inifini.  Other devices to look at would be ultherapy or thermage.

Can skin on your arms, shins and thighs be tightened to remove wrinkled, sun damaged skin? (Photo)

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Everything you need to know about Skin Tightening

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Can skin on your arms, shins and thighs be tightened to remove wrinkled, sun damaged skin? (Photo)

Answers (3)

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Everything you need to know about Skin Tightening

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.