Amanda Bynes has been candid about her weight loss journey, and the former child star is proudly sharing her progress with fans. The Easy A actress recently revealed that she’s lost nearly 30 lbs. using Ozempic, sharing how it’s pushing her to continue her health goals.
The former child star shared a recent snap of herself out in L.A. — admitting she usually hates pap pics — but this one of her rocking a white tee and ripped blue jeans hit different for her, proudly revealing she’s down 28 pounds. Amanda explained she kicked things off at 180 pounds and is now down to 152.
Amanda Bynes has gotten the hang of her weight loss goals with the use of Ozempic. The actress and visual artist gave her nearly 460,000 TikTok followers an update, sharing that she’s “so excited” to have dropped twenty pounds and plans to lose an additional fifteen.
While Amanda’s weight loss success is inspiring, rapid weight loss—whether through GLP-1 medications like Ozempic or other methods—can sometimes lead to loose, sagging skin. Understanding how to prevent this common concern can help you achieve both your weight loss goals and the toned appearance you desire.
Why Does Loose Skin Occur After Weight Loss?
Loose skin is common after major weight loss or bariatric surgery. It happens when skin loses elasticity and doesn’t shrink to fit your smaller body size.
Your skin consists of elastin and collagen, two essential proteins that give your skin its firm appearance, strength, and elasticity. The fibers in collagen and elastin help skin stretch without tearing during weight gain and periods of rapid growth. Weight gain and old age can weaken these protein fibers, causing them to become damaged. When significant weight loss occurs, it’s then hard for the collagen and elastin fibers to return to their original, pre-weight-gain state. This is mainly observed when rapid weight loss occurs, as the fibers shrink and contract too quickly.
Losing weight is an incredible achievement, but many people who experience rapid weight loss with GLP-1 medications like Ozempic® and Wegovy® face an unexpected challenge—loose, sagging skin. While these medications help individuals shed pounds effectively, the skin does not always retract, leaving behind excess folds on the face, neck, arms, abdomen, and thighs.
Factors That Contribute to Loose Skin
Several factors determine whether you’ll experience loose skin after 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: Rapid loss of substantial body weight 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. Genetics: Genes may affect how your skin responds to weight gain and loss. Sun exposure: Chronic sun exposure reduces skin’s collagen and elastin production, which may contribute to loose skin. Smoking: Smoking leads to a reduction in collagen production and damage to existing collagen, resulting in loose, sagging skin.
Loose skin due to rapid weight loss is usually seen in people who undergo bariatric surgery for large amounts of weight loss (more than 100 pounds). About 70 percent of people who undergo this procedure are left with excess skin. “Losing weight rapidly doesn’t give our skin adequate time to gradually contract and this results in loose, hanging skin.”
How to Prevent Loose Skin During Weight Loss
1. Lose Weight Gradually
Slow, consistent weight loss of about 1 to 2 pounds every week helps your skin adapt to a minimal, consistent loss. This pace allows collagen remodeling to occur alongside fat loss.
Slow, gradual weight loss gives that all-important collagen and elastin in the epidermis time to retract. The CDC recommends trimming down at a rate of 1-2 pounds per week.
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2. Incorporate Strength Training
Engaging in regular strength training is one of the most effective ways to build muscle mass in both young and older adults. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends doing strength training twice a week. While research isn’t currently available, it’s possible that an increase in muscle mass may help improve the appearance of loose skin.
Strength training, which focuses on muscle growth, has been shown to improve skin elasticity and thickness.
The key to minimizing loose skin is maintaining healthy muscle tissue, improving the percentage of lean muscle mass, and consequently having a taut skin appearance.
3. Focus on Nutrition and Hydration
Stay hydrated and eat a balanced diet rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to support healthy skin. Drinking enough water keeps the skin hydrated, while foods like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats promote skin regeneration and collagen production.
To prevent loose skin while losing weight, aim for gradual weight loss, maintain a balanced diet rich in vitamins A, C, and E, stay hydrated, and incorporate regular physical activity.
4. Support Collagen Production
Collagen makes up about 75% of your skin’s dry weight and provides structure. Supporting your body’s collagen production can help maintain skin elasticity during weight loss.
While discovering how to prevent loose skin when losing weight, some individuals have reported positive effects on skin firmness and hydration after taking collagen drinks and supplements. Although research is still ongoing, collagen supplements may be worth a try. Collagen is also found in skin-on chicken, sardines, bone broth, and organ meats.
5. Use Topical Skin Care Products
Use topical firming creams and lotions with collagen-boosting ingredients like retinol, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin C. Apply these products regularly to areas prone to loose skin to support skin elasticity and create the appearance of tighter, younger skin. While they may not produce dramatic results alone, they can complement other natural strategies for managing loose skin.
6. Protect Your Skin from Sun Damage
Overexposure to UV rays reduces skin elasticity and causes premature skin aging. Research suggests that daily sunscreen use can stop this process. Using sunscreen won’t improve elastosis, but it will prevent further damage.
7. Quit Smoking
To prevent sagging skin during and after weight loss, it’s important to quit smoking, which damages the collagen and elastin fibers in your skin and reduces its elasticity.
Non-Surgical Treatments for Loose Skin
If you’ve already lost weight and are experiencing mild to moderate skin laxity, there are several non-surgical options available:
For mild to moderate skin laxity, non-surgical treatments can help firm and tighten the skin while improving muscle tone and skin texture. These treatments require little to no downtime and can provide natural-looking, gradual results. Radiofrequency and microneedling uses radiofrequency energy to stimulate collagen production, tightening loose skin. These treatments help restore elasticity and improve skin texture on the face, neck, arms, and abdomen.
Learn more about our Non-Surgical Skin Tightening treatments.
Surgical Options: Body Contouring After Weight Loss
For significant loose skin that cannot be addressed through non-surgical methods, body contouring surgery may be the best solution.
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, body contouring helps with skin removal after major weight loss. This surgery improves the shape and tone of your underlying tissue that supports fat and skin and removes excess sagging fat and skin.
Body contouring is a type of surgery that may be carried out after major weight loss. The surgery removes sagging skin and extra fat and improves the shape and tone of underlying tissue. Body contouring is often performed in stages and may take months or even years to complete.
Common body contouring procedures include:
- Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty): Removes excess abdominal skin and tightens the underlying muscles. Best for patients with loose, stretched skin after major weight loss.
- Arm Lift (Brachioplasty): Eliminates loose skin on the upper arms, often called “bat wings.”
- Body Lift: A body lift surgery removes excess skin and tightens the belly, buttocks, hips, and thighs after weight loss. Many people seek this procedure after bariatric surgery has helped them to lose a significant amount of weight.
- Thigh Lift: Thigh lift surgery, or thighplasty, can remove excess tissue from the inner or outer thighs.
Explore our comprehensive Body Contouring procedures to find the right solution for your needs.
Who Is a Good Candidate for Body Contouring?
Ideal candidates for body contouring are healthy adults who have reached a stable body weight but are bothered by loose skin or excess fat. If you have successfully lost weight and are now ready and motivated to continue on that journey with body contouring, you may also be a good candidate for body contouring surgery.
Your weight loss must be stabilised. Weight loss after surgery will create loose pockets of skin. Weight gain will stress your tightened skin and cause stretch marks and widened scars.
The Emotional Impact of Loose Skin
For some people, this may lead to feelings of self-consciousness and discomfort that may interfere with quality of life.
Loose skin from weight loss may negatively affect body image and mood. It’s important to remember that loose skin is a natural part of a significant weight loss journey and should be celebrated as a sign of your incredible achievement.
The Bottom Line
Amanda Bynes’ weight loss journey highlights the growing trend of using GLP-1 medications like Ozempic for weight management. While these medications can be effective for shedding pounds, it’s essential to take proactive steps to maintain skin elasticity during your weight loss journey.
When you’re trying to lose weight, experts recommend a gradual approach to avoid loose skin problems. If you’ve lost weight and have loose skin, there are a variety of nonsurgical measures you can take, including strength training, improving diet and hydration, and making healthy lifestyle choices. There are also surgical and noninvasive procedures you can have to lessen the appearance of loose skin or even improve its tone and elasticity.
Whether you’re just beginning your weight loss journey or dealing with loose skin after significant weight loss, consulting with a board-certified plastic surgeon can help you understand your options and create a personalized plan for achieving your aesthetic goals.
Ready to explore your options for skin tightening or body contouring? Schedule a consultation with our experienced team today to discuss your personalized treatment plan.
