How Can I Maintain Results After Loose Skin Removal?

Dear Compassionate112709,

I understand your concern. It is best that you consult your plastic surgeon regarding post operative care and management (i.e including massage techniques and timing) specific to your case. Your surgeon knows your condition well and has preferences on when and what to use for faster healing and recovery. Post operative care and management depends on the type of surgery performed and the technique used during surgery among other factors.
It is best, however, that you follow your plastic surgeon's advice on post operative care management for a smooth and faster healing and recovery.


Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Thank you for your question regarding how to maintain your results after weight loss and loose skin removal surgery. First, congratulations on your transformation and your breast lift procedure—that's a huge accomplishment. You’re absolutely right to focus not only on the surgery itself but also on how to preserve your results over time.

Yes, wearing a supportive bra after a breast lift can help delay gravitational sagging, especially in the months and years following surgery. Similarly, when it comes to maintaining the results from procedures like a body lift or tummy tuck, compression garments and supportive shapewear can be helpful—but mostly in the early healing phase. These garments support healing tissues, reduce swelling, improve circulation, and help skin conform to the new contour. For the first 6 to 12 weeks, wearing medical-grade compression consistently is especially important. After that, while it's not necessary to wear compression garments long-term, some patients choose to wear supportive shapewear during physical activity or while traveling to give their tissues extra support.

However, it’s important to understand that shapewear and compression garments will not stop the natural aging process or eliminate the effects of gravity and time. Long-term maintenance relies more on your lifestyle choices, including:

Stable weight: Rapid weight fluctuations are the number one cause of skin re-stretching after body contouring.

Muscle tone: Maintaining strong underlying musculature through weight training can help support your skin from the inside out.

Hydration and nutrition: Healthy skin is supported by a nutrient-rich diet with adequate protein, vitamins A, C, E, zinc, and omega-3 fatty acids.

Sun protection: UV damage can weaken collagen and accelerate skin aging, so daily sunscreen is key, even on areas like the arms and chest.

Avoid smoking: Smoking compromises blood flow and collagen production and leads to faster skin degradation over time.

Ultimately, surgical tightening will give you a huge head start, but your daily habits are what will maintain those results for the long term. If you're ever unsure about the best garments, exercises, or skincare for post-surgical support, check in with your plastic surgeon or a knowledgeable post-op care provider.

If you have any more questions about breast lifts, body lifts, skin removal, or long-term results, please consult with an experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon who specializes in post-weight loss body contouring. Look for someone who has performed hundreds of these procedures and can show you clear, consistent before-and-after photos of long-term outcomes.

Sincerely,
Dr. Katzen
(President of the American Society of Bariatric Plastic Surgeons, Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Fellow of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, American College of Surgery, International College of Surgery, and American Board of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, and member of the American Society of Plastic Surgery, American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, and RealSelf Hall of Fame.)

Congratulations on your weight loss. After your skin has been tightened during your breast lift, it is prudent to wear bra support as much as possible, so that the weight of your breast tissue does not have to be supported only by your breast skin. There is always some stretching of the skin that occurs after a skin tightening procedure and it tends to be slightly more in people who have lost a great deal of weight as their skin quality and elasticity is less than ideal. Gaining weight can increase the volume of your breast tissue and put additional weight on your breast skin and accelerate the stretching of the breast skin. Wearing body compressive suits will not improve the quality of your skin and hence your skin will not shrink more if you’re wearing them. The treatment for excess skin after weight loss is removal of the skin, so your skin is snug annd smooth and then maintenance of weight so that your skin is not stretched further.

Stretched skin as well as aging skin suffers from loss of both elastic and collagen fibers what ultimately results in decreased skin elasticity. As a result of this it is more likely to have looser skin some time after surgical tightening. It is something that you will have to accept; skin looks very tight after surgery like TT or body lift, breast lift, but laxity happen sooner than in regular population who did not have excessive weight issue. Hope this helps.

Congratulations on your weight loss! When it comes to maintaining results there are some things that are within your power and some things that are not. Obviously age and genetics are factors you cannot control. But there are several things you can do. First closely follow your surgeon's post op instructions to help your body heal favorably from surgery. Maintain your weight by eating a healthy, balanced diet. Maintain muscle tone through regular exercise. Treat your skin right by using sunscreen even on cloudy days. I've included a video I hope you find helpful.

There’s really nothing you can do to maintain results from a body lift.
If the procedure is done correctly, you won’t need to.
By far the most important variable is provider selection and understanding your candidacy for the procedure.
The decision of if you need a circumferential tummy tuck, a.k.a. body lift a.k.a. wraparound tummy tuck Versus a friendly pattern or just extended tummy tuck is going to be really important.
Without seeing pictures, we can’t begin to make an assessment.
My best recommendation is to be highly selective when it comes to providers and choose your provider only after having multiple in person consultations.
Have pictures of your body to use as a reference during each consultation.
During each consultation, ask each provider to open up their portfolio and show you their entire collection of before, and after pictures of previous patients who had similar body characteristics.
This is where having pictures of yourself is helpful,
Understand in advance, what quality results should look like.
Generally, speaking patients with significant skin laxity need long incisions and more extensive skin resection rather than less.
Significant weight loss can cause skin laxity, and both horizontal and vertical direction.
The design of the procedure is going to determine your long-term outcome not any compression garments or what you do.
Focus your efforts on provider selection, and when in doubt, slow down and schedule more consultations.
Picked the right plastic surgeon, and everything fall into place.
Average plastic surgeons do average work.
Only exceptional plastic surgeons do exceptional work.
You want an exceptional outcome so it’s your responsibility to find providers who are in that category.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom MD