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Flabby skin on the abdomen
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 05.07.2025
The problem of loose skin on the stomach has been discussed in women's magazines and on websites for decades. Many people still think that a perfect flat stomach and smooth skin after childbirth or rapid weight loss are from the realm of fantasy. And in fact, only a few can do it. But at the same time, there are plenty of examples showing that the impossible is possible, even in rather neglected situations. If you have not succeeded, this means that you are doing it wrong. In addition, you need to prepare yourself for long-term work: loose skin on the stomach will make you work hard. Using a rational approach, armed with patience, persistence, knowledge, in a few months you will be able to be proud of the result: elastic abs with smooth, toned skin.
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Causes of sagging skin
Sagging can occur for many reasons, but most often it is due to one of the following or a combination of them:
- Pregnancy. Loose skin on the abdomen after childbirth upsets many women. During pregnancy, the woman's uterus increases in size many times over and strongly compresses and stretches the abdominal muscles. The skin and muscles lose their former elasticity, and if the birth was with a cesarean section, the problem worsens.
- Rapid weight loss. During rapid weight loss, skin adaptation occurs more slowly than fat reserves are lost. As a result, sagging and flabby skin on the abdomen after weight loss.
- Lack of physical activity, when muscles atrophy and metabolism slows down.
- Unbalanced menu. Carbonated drinks, fast food, semi-finished products – such a diet has a deplorable effect on the figure and health of the skin. Stress loads, which often cause a strong desire to eat not the most healthy products. Unfortunately, with age, the skin also loses elasticity.
What to do if you have loose skin on your stomach? Definitely don't despair!
Sport is the basis for a beautiful belly
Correct and regular abdominal exercises are the first and most important step towards a beautiful tummy. Not everyone knows that the most popular exercises are not always the most effective, and the effect of all the efforts will only be noticeable after a long time. It is unlikely that 20-30 daily crunches will make your stomach perfect, and the hula hoop, beloved by many, only causes a condescending smile from an experienced fitness trainer. But the main strength exercises - plank, deadlift, squats - work out the abdominal muscles perfectly.
Almost always, loose skin implies the presence of a certain fat layer, which the gym will help to deal with. Trained muscles visually reduce the volume of the abdomen and restore skin elasticity.
Healthy diet
Fitness trainers never tire of telling their trainees that 10% of body beauty is the result of training, and the remaining 90% is nutrition. Of course, this is an exaggeration, but it has some basis. Without revising your diet, it is very difficult to turn a flabby, protruding belly into a toned one. The main enemy is saturated fats and fast carbohydrates. The basics of a balanced diet have remained unchanged for many decades. Saturate your menu with products containing vitamins E, C, A, B1 (fruits, berries, vegetables, cereals, nuts, sesame), polyunsaturated fatty acids (seafood). If you are wondering how to get rid of flabby skin on your stomach, you will have to say goodbye to some of your usual patterns. If you have embarked on the path to achieving your goal, for this time, give up some products that were on your list of healthy ones. All dairy products and fruits are on this list. Dairy products retain fluid, which makes the body more flabby. Fruits contain a lot of sugar, which will not help you lose weight at all. In addition, such food provokes bloating in the intestines. It is better to build your diet on products with a high protein content (lean meat, fish, seafood), cereals, green vegetables. Eat small portions 5-6 times a day, and the long path to a beautiful belly will be much shorter. If you decide to act more radically and stick to a low-calorie diet, do not forget to support your body with a vitamin complex during this period.
Cosmetic care and salon procedures
Cosmetics are a nice addition to the main measures, but not a panacea. Masks and belly wraps with clay will help restore the elasticity of stretched skin. White or blue clay is best: the composition of these types copes with the task better than others. In order to get results, a clay mask should be done weekly for several months. Essential oils of orange, juniper, neroli or fennel can be used for baths. If you add a little essential oil to the jojoba base oil, you have a ready-made mixture for massage. If you prefer to use ready-made products, choose tightening creams containing linoleic and hyaluronic acid, retinol and caffeine.
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Salon procedures and physiotherapy treatment
Are you trying your hardest, but there is excess skin on your stomach that doesn't respond to any training or cosmetics? Then salon procedures will help. But be prepared: you will have to pay a lot for them. And going to a salon only makes sense when all other methods have exhausted themselves. Salon procedures are effective, but if you have neglected your diet, the effect will be short-lived.
There are many rumors and legends about the wonders of physiotherapy. Partially, manufacturers of miracles and beauty salons are to blame for this, warming up a special interest in this topic. But this is dictated not only by financial interest. A good physiotherapist can create almost magic with flabby skin on the stomach, but this will require weeks or months of regular procedures. How to get rid of flabby skin on the stomach with the help of physiotherapy?
Physiotherapy stimulates metabolism, increases energy expenditure, accelerates metabolism, turning weight loss into an easy and enjoyable process.
Physiotherapeutic methods that stimulate brain centers are called general action methods. Another group is local action methods. They are designed to activate metabolism in adipocytes and adjacent cells.
Central methods are divided according to the mechanisms of action:
- Metabolic methods (oxygen and ozone baths). In water, the body is affected by mechanical, temperature and chemical factors. Oxygen bubbles perform a light massage, instantly rise from the water and enter the lungs, due to which the blood is actively saturated with oxygen and the metabolism is activated. Ozone molecules are able to affect the subcutaneous fat tissue, penetrating the skin. Significant acceleration of metabolism due to ozone or oxygen promotes rapid breakdown of fat.
- Hormone-correcting methods (carbon dioxide and radon baths). Carbon dioxide molecules easily penetrate the respiratory tract or epidermis, activating metabolism in cells. Due to this, the centers of the medulla oblongata are stimulated, the supply of oxygen to the organs is increased, and the blood vessels are dilated. Radon accumulates in fatty tissues. This stimulates the adrenal glands, and as a result, the activity of tissue lipolytic enzymes changes. A course of 10-15 baths can increase weight loss by up to 3-4 kilograms if combined with a low-calorie diet.
- Vasoactive methods (Charcot shower, circular shower, underwater shower massage). Jets of varying power, temperature and direction cause skin deformation for a short time and irritate receptors that react to mechanical action and temperature. Due to this, the concentration of vasoactive peptides that affect the vessels increases: they expand noticeably and the skin turns red.
Almost all electrical procedures offered in salons for weight loss and to increase the elasticity of flabby skin on the abdomen, thighs and other parts of the body use pulsed current. Myostimulation, lymphatic drainage, lipolysis - these are words familiar to many. This is where pulsed currents are used, when muscle tissue is consistently stimulated and the lymph nodes are affected by microcurrents.
LPG massage intensifies blood circulation, promotes cell renewal, tightens the skin and reduces the fat layer. Some may find it too painful, and several sessions are required.
Nanoperforation is a laser procedure where the skin area is exposed to micro beams. This triggers the process of self-healing of cells. After nanoperforation, it is necessary to give the body a chance to recover, but the result can be impressive.
Pressotherapy and vacuum therapy are also used for these purposes.
Despite the huge variety of physiotherapy procedures, there are no miracle cures among them: they will give good results only in combination with diet and an active lifestyle.
Abdominoplasty is the most extreme measure. It involves surgical treatment, when the surgeon removes excess skin in one simple operation. As a result of the operation, you can become the owner of a flat and toned stomach with a small scar, which can then also be removed. However, this procedure has many contraindications. You should first consult a surgeon about the prognosis of the operation, weigh the pros and cons and decide whether the operation is worth such costs - physical, psychological and financial. Remember, if you do not eliminate the causes, the stomach may sag again, and it will be much more difficult to correct this even with a repeat abdominoplasty operation.
Folk recipes
Not everyone can afford expensive procedures in salons or physiotherapy complexes, but every woman can use folk recipes at home to make flabby abdominal skin more toned and elastic.
One of the popular recipes is a vinegar wrap. You need to stock up on fruit vinegar instead of the usual table vinegar. Apple or grape vinegar will do. Dissolve 1 tablespoon in a glass of water. Fold the fabric or gauze in several layers, thoroughly soak it in the solution and apply to the stomach. Then wrap this area with cling film and put on thermal pants or regular woolen pants, even a woolen scarf will do. After an hour, finish the session with a contrast shower and apply a rich cream. The film greatly enhances the effect of the composition used, helping it to be better absorbed through the epidermis. Shilajit, honey, and seaweed are also used for wraps. It is advisable to pre-steam the skin with a warm shower or bath, and keep the wrap for at least an hour and repeat the procedure every week.
It is difficult to find a girl or woman who does not know about the magical effect of ordinary ground coffee on the skin. Coffee tones the skin, increases blood circulation, helps to cope with the "orange peel". For a scrub, you can use coffee grounds in their pure form, or you can combine them with shower gel or - even better - with olive oil. After applying the mixture to problem areas, the skin is gently massaged.
If you apply a yeast mask to the flabby skin of the abdomen 2-3 times a week, it will help restore lost elasticity. To do this, mix 20g of dry yeast in milk, add a little honey and leave the mixture to brew for half an hour. Then apply it to the sagging belly, and after 15-20 minutes, wash it in the shower.
Plant Based Recipes
Baths with milk thistle decoction are an excellent preventative for sagging skin. Many have already seen that this is the best herbal remedy. 200 g of dry milk thistle are poured with 2 liters of boiling water and boiled over low heat for 20 minutes, then the strained decoction is added to the bath and taken for 15-20 minutes no more than 1-2 times a week. A course of 10 procedures is recommended.
Herbal wraps perfectly tone the skin. Even regular green tea will do for these purposes: it contains many antioxidants and catechins. You can make a decoction with chamomile or sage, adding ginger or cardamom.
Aloe juice will help reduce stretch marks. To do this, mix 100 ml of juice with the same amount of olive oil, add 10 drops of vitamin A and E. Store the mixture in the refrigerator and apply to stretch marks twice a day.
Many women face the problem of loose skin on the stomach. This is female nature: you always want to remove the excess here and correct your figure there. You have to make a choice: either do nothing, worrying about your far from ideal stomach, or start working on your figure, which, in the end, is not as difficult as it may seem.