Minimise Stretch Marks While Being Pregnant
As the famous saying goes prevention is better than cure. You should consider minimising the appearance of stretch marks on your skin while being pregnant. As your body starts to grow, the skin eventually stretches to accommodate the growing fetus during pregnancy. Taking necessary steps beforehand will help you keep your skin tight after childbirth. You can ask your doctor to recommend a stretch mark cream or oil to minimise stretch marks on your skin. Using a stretch mark cream or oil can help nourish your body significantly and allow your skin to expand and stretch naturally without causing any scar marks.
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Effective Ways To Tighten Loose Skin Post Delivery
Along with the joys of meeting your newborn, pregnancy brings with it various changes in a womans body. From stretch marks to hormonal changes, women go through it all. One of the most alarming and worrying changes is the loose skin around the belly which leaves most women clueless. Women crave to get their pre-pregnancy bodies back as soon as possible. Loose skin around the belly is not just emotionally disturbing but also very unpleasant to look at. Post-delivery, the skin around the belly appears dark and loose.
However, you need not worry. This pregnancy pouch will eventually tighten and get back to its normal shape in due course of time. Your uterus and abdomen stretch during pregnancy to accommodate your growing baby and it is but natural that the process of getting back in shape will also take some time.
How Long Will It Take To Get The Previous Body
It took nine months for you to grow and deliver the baby. So, it is a must to give your body another nine months to get in shape. For most, women it takes more time and for some women, it takes less than nine months.
The change in the body largely depends on your diet, how much active you are pre, and during pregnancy. But always remember, that you have given birth to someone, your body has gone through a lot of changes, and it may or may not be transformed back to the original.
So, these are some of the ways through which you can tighten Loose Skin On Stomach After Pregnancy. But remember, your body has gone through a lot of physical changes, so give it little time to recover.
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Does Everyone Have Loose Skin After Pregnancy
Its hard to give you any exact numbers, but most women will experience some degree of skin changes postpartum.
Some women will be able to get rid of their extra skin naturally, while others will need to follow the tips I have provided for you below.
Theres also a possibility that the strategies above wont help you lose the loose skin on your belly entirely. Either way, you should do as many of them as you can as they will help you to become the healthiest version of yourself!
How Long Does It Take For Skin To Bounce Back
For a lucky few with extremely good genetics, their skin will not overstretch, and they will bounce back fairly quickly. A lot depends on how active they were before and during their pregnancies and how good their diets were. For most women, it will take a concentrated effort over many months to regain their pre-pregnancy bodies.
The rule of thumb is that it takes nine months for your body to change and grow a baby. It should take no less for you to change back.
That said, it is important to keep things in perspective. Your body has done this amazing thing, and it has been changed forever. It may never be what it once was, and that is okay.
This is especially true if you are one of the 21% of women who have a c-section.
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Factors That Influence The Loss Of Skin Elasticity
Several factors contribute to loose skin following weight loss:
- Length of time. In general, the longer someone has had overweight or obesity, the looser their skin will be after weight loss due to elastin and collagen loss.
- Amount of weight lost. Weight loss of 100 pounds or more typically results in a greater amount of loose skin than more moderate weight loss.
- Age. Older skin has less collagen than younger skin and tends to be looser following weight loss (
17 ).
In a controlled study, skin elasticity, along with texture and hydration, increased significantly after 12 weeks of taking a liquid collagen supplement. The drink also contained vitamins C and E, as well as biotin and zinc .
Collagen hydrolysate is also known as hydrolyzed collagen. It comes in powdered form and can be purchased at natural food stores or online.
Another popular source of collagen is bone broth, which provides other health benefits as well.
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Loose Skin After Pregnancy: 10 Best Ways To Tighten Your Skin Without Surgery
Your bundle of joy has just arrived, and we bet you are overjoyed. Having a baby is a huge milestone that comes with lots of changes, both physically and mentally. Physically, you will gain weight, and your skin, made of collagen and elastin, will expand to accommodate your baby and the extra pounds.
Because of all that stretching around the tummy, most women experience loose belly skin after pregnancy. It may not be a sight to behold, but it is one to cherish. It is a reminder of how powerful and complex your body is. Even then, it is understandable if you want to get rid of all this loose skin and snap back to your pre-pregnancy belly.
Find out the best ways to get rid of loose skin after pregnancy below.
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Two Workouts To Tighten Loose Skin:
1. Weight Training: If you are a cardio queen expecting to tighten and tone, you will be disappointed. You cannot cardio your way to muscle definition or tightened skin. Dont freak out, ladies, lifting DOES NOT bulk you up. Women have less testosterone than men, so we get leaner and tighter. And, if you just cant stand the thought of ditching your cardio days, know that weight training actually provides all the cardiovascular benefits you get from your aerobic classes, plus it increases muscle tone and metabolic burning capacity. Hello! Did you hear me? Weight training revs your metabolism! At BeyondFit, we are all about finding and creating hybrid weight training exercises that give you the results you want FAST! Weight training MUST be part of your tightening plan. Period.
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How To Lighten Skin With Milk
Did you know Cleopatra used to bathe in milk for its skin benefits? The question is, is can you use milk skin lightening? Many bloggers swear by its lightening properties. The reason is the lactic acid in milk works to reduce skin pigmentation. The great news is you can use any cows or goats milk for lightening. This can be achieved by applying the milk to the areas you want to affect. Here are some steps to achieving lighter skin with milk:
If you apply the milk daily, lightening should take approximately three weeks. Once you have achieved the lightening you desire, you should still apply milk to your skin at least twice per week. Doing this will help you maintain your new found lightened skin.
Milk has other benefits for your skin. It is packed with vitamin B, calcium and other powerful antioxidants. This means it will keep your skin moisturized while helping to treat free radical damage.
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The First One To Two Weeks After Birth
Limit your activity to caring for yourself and your baby.
If you had an exercise routine during pregnancy, ask your health care provider when you can begin again. You can start the gentle postpartum exercise routine described below the day after you give birth.
If you have concerns about your postpartum weight loss, talk with your health care provider.
If you had a Cesarean birth:
- Try not to lift anything heavier than your baby.
- If you have other children who want to be held, sit down and have them climb into your lap rather than lifting them.
- Limit your trips up and down stairs. Take the stairs slowly.
Types Of Skin Tightening Treatments
From birth, you have skin thats rich in collagen and elastin. These are the proteins that supply your skin with elasticity and structure. They keep your skin intact and ensure it doesnt lose shape.
However, due to the stretches that happen during pregnancy, your skin starts to appear saggy and with stretch marks. So, what most skin tightening treatments will do is target these loose areas on your skin and stimulate elastin and collagen production.
These treatments can be divided into two: in-office treatments and at-home treatments. Although at-home treatments have their merits, their results shrink in comparison to in-office skin tightening treatments. For the purpose of this blog, well be taking a look at some non-surgical in-office treatments to tighten loose skin after pregnancy.
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Why Does The Skin Loosen After Childbirth
Skin is the largest organ in the body. During pregnancy, many changes happen and you are likely to notice some of them such as varicose veins, spider veins, stretch marks on your skin. The skin stretches to accommodate the growing baby during those nine months. Hence, it takes quite a lot of time and effort to get back to the original shape and tighten the loose skin after pregnancy.
Final Words On Loose Belly Skin After Pregnancy
If you have loose skin after pregnancy, you are not alone.
Although many women experience skin issues postpartum, you can definitely take it upon yourself to do something about it!
It all starts with hydration, having a healthy balanced diet, and developing some muscle tissue!
Now I want to hear from you.
How long did it take for your stomach to go back to its normal size after having a baby?
Did you try any of these tips before with success?
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The 6 Core Exercises New Moms Need
Okay, now onto the core of the matter, pun intended. Isometric abdominal exercises will be your bread and butter for the first couple of months after the little darling arrives. These exercises are the most effective way to target the bulk of the abdomen while improving strength throughout your entire midsection.
You could rely solely on the lifts themselves to get you back into fighting shape, but I guarantee it will be a long haul and youll be lifting a lot lighter for a lot longer.
The American College of Sports Medicine used electromyography to determine which abdominal exercises most effectively activated the rectus abdominis and obliques. Researchers found the yoga boat, yoga dolphin plank on a ball, and the yoga side plank to be at the top of the list. Incorporate two to three sets of each of these exercises, holding each one for at least thirty seconds working your way up to one to two minutes, into your workout routine.
1. Belly Breathing
Belly breathing simply involves allowing your stomach to expand and contract as much as possible while you actively inhale and exhale as deeply as possible.
2. Abdominal Bracing
Begin by lying face-up on the floor. Brace your abdomen by contracting your entire abdomen as if you were preparing to get hit in the stomach. This is your starting position. From here, perform different movements such as raising one or both arms overhead or extending your legs while keeping your back flat against the floor.
3. Pelvic Tilt
4. Yoga Boat
Massage Your Skin With Oils
A luxurious massage with oils will do you a lot of good. You can use castor oil to massage as it has strong emollient properties due to its high concentration of fatty acids. Not only that, but castor oil also promotes the synthesis of collagen and improves the elasticity of your skin, making it more rejuvenated and firmer . All you need to do is to warm a small amount of this oil in your palms, then gently massage your belly.
Olive oil is another miracle worker. You can use it to massage your belly or any other part of your body with loose skin. This oil is a powerful antioxidant as it contains vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids . It helps seal moisture in the skin cells and strengthens muscle tissue to tighten up the skin.
You can also use grapeseed oil to massage your belly and get rid of loose skin. Grapeseed is a carrier oil, and when used consistently over time, it helps tighten your skin. It has healthy fats and vitamin E, which are essential for your skins health. This combo helps hydrate your skin and boost collagen production .
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How To Tighten Loose Skin After Weight Loss Or Having A Baby
One of the most common questions that I get asked is How did you get rid of your loose skin after having two babies?I am always intrigued by this question because the truth is that there is not much that you can do after the fact though it IS possible. However, it is more of how to prevent the excessive stretching of the skin that really makes a difference.
A photo posted by Sia Cooper on May 27, 2016 at 8:58am PDT
There are 3 things that are dependent on your skins ability to tighten back up after baby:
- How much weight you gained during pregnancy and how fast you gained that weight.
- The amount of elasticity and collagen in your skin.
The number one way to prevent loose skin is to gain your pregnancy weight at a slow, steady rate. If you gain your weight too quickly, chances are that you will gain too much of it and then your skin will stretch so rapidly that it will ruin the elasticity of it. This means, the ability for your skin to shrink back will be damaged and you will be left with loose skin hanging around. Then again, some ladies are still left with the dreaded baby belly.
If you find yourself stuck with loose skin after baby or weightloss and you are wanting to find ways to tighten up, here are some great ways to do so:
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Can Taking Collagen Reverse Sagging Skin
Studies have shown that collagen can positively impact loose, sagging skin by greatly increasing its elasticity, firmness, and thickness .
Some of the foods that can help your body produce collagen are chicken , fish , pork , leafy greens, citrus fruits, egg whites, white tea, bone broth, and cashews.
However, taking collagen supplements may be even more efficient for improving your skins elasticity than eating these foods. In supplement form, the collagen is already broken down, making it easier for your body to absorb .
Collagen supplements may come in capsules or powders and can be found at most pharmacies, health food stores, and online.
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It Would Be Best If You Ate Healthy Proteins And Fats
With routine cardio exercises, you must also keep track of your diet. It would help if you ate healthy fats and proteins. It would help in building muscles and shed off that extra fat and loose skin. Proteins contain collagen. Be mindful that the recommended protein depends on how much physical activity you do and your weight and height.
If you are breastfeeding, then you would need more protein.
Will Strengthening My Abdominal Muscles Help Tighten My Loose Skin
Unfortunately, doing targeted abdominal exercises will not help you tighten loose skin. You should instead focus on eating a well-balanced & healthy diet while developing more muscle tissue.
With that said, it is still important to develop core strength in the postpartum period. Check out my post on 100 abdominal exercises you can do even with diastasis recti.
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Tips For Tightening Skin Post Pregnancy
If you want to tighten the loose skin after childbirth, heres what you can do.
- Increase your water intake
Water hydrates the skin as well as makes it more elastic and therefore is an excellent way to keep the skin tight and healthy. It also helps in burning calories efficiently.
Breastfeeding is recommended for up to 6 months of age. When a mother breastfeeds, the calories in the body gets used up for the production of milk and hence it helps in losing the extra weight. It has been seen that breastfeeding mothers lose weight faster than mothers who do not breastfeed.
- Include Protein-rich Foods in Your Diet
Protein helps in muscle growth. Protein also helps build collagen which is an essential part of the skin. The quantity of protein that needs to be consumed depends on the weight of the person, the physical activity, and the kind of exercise the person does. A healthy woman requires at least 50 grams of protein per day.
Another way to tighten the stomach skin after pregnancy is by using an exfoliating scrub on the belly while taking a shower. Exfoliation can help increase blood circulation in the area by increasing the blood flow. It can also help create new skin that is healthy and elastic.
- Use Lotions and Massage
Try using creams that have collagen and Vitamins K, C, E, and A. These help the loose skin become firm. After you apply the lotion, ensure that you massage the area well. Improved blood flow makes the skin look firm. Massage the skin at least twice a day.