Losing vast amounts of weight quickly might sound like an attractive prospect, but it can leave you with folds of loose, saggy skin.
And as an estimated 3.3million adults in the UK are expected to use weight-loss injections this year, many of whom can expect to lose around 20 per cent of their body weight within a year, this is a growing problem.
The approval of a pill form of Wegovy by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) last month, will likely add to the numbers affected.
The drugs work by mimicking the GLP-1 hormone in our gut that tells the brain we are full. ‘People rapidly lose a lot of weight with GLP-1 medications,’ says Dr Rakesh Anand, a consultant dermatologist at Skin Associates, a private clinic in London, and a spokesman for the British Skin Foundation.
‘But if you think of your skin as an envelope, if you lose a lot of fat and potentially muscle too, then the envelope can’t catch up with what’s inside,’ he adds.
‘If the skin has been stretched beyond its ability to recoil, it may not fully adapt to the body’s new shape, leaving excess skin behind.'
And, he adds, ‘The longer and more significantly skin has been stretched, the less likely it is to fully recoil.'
It is mainly the proteins collagen and elastin within the dermis (the middle layer of the skin) which help skin stay tight – and it’s not only weight loss that has an impact on this.
After the use of weight-loss jabs, skin is often stretched beyond its ability to recoil and so may struggle adapt to the body’s new shape, leaving saggy excess skin behind
‘We know that collagen levels naturally fall after your 30s, and that there’s another dip for women when they hit menopause,’ says Dr Anand.
‘That’s why if you rapidly lost weight in your 20s, you might not get the same kind of sagging of the skin as someone in their 50s or 60s because your collagen levels will be higher.
'Sun damage makes saggy skin more likely generally and after weight loss, as UV radiation damages collagen and elastin fibres over time, making skin thinner and less elastic', he adds. 'Smoking also promotes the breakdown of collagen and elastin and impairs the skin’s ability to repair itself, resulting in thinner, less resilient skin.'
Dr Anand says limiting weight loss to roughly two pounds per week and ensuring your diet includes protein foods such as eggs, fish and meat, – ideally at every meal – prevents loss of muscle and supports the production of collagen, so boosting skin elasticity and helping to prevent saggy skin.
The gold standard treatment for saggy skin is surgery to remove it, but most rely instead on over-the-counter products that promise to help.
But can skin creams and home treatments really banish the aftereffects of rapid weight loss on your skin?
Here, Dr Anand gives his verdicts on six products that claim to make a difference.
We then rated them.
1. Elastik Skin system
£225 (for five different skincare products) elastikskin.com
This set includes five different skincare products including creams, serums, oils and gels which are ‘designed to support skin experiencing visible change during GLP-1 weight loss journeys focusing on hydration, elasticity, barrier comfort, texture and the appearance of firmness’.
Made with natural ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, antioxidants, ceramides, peptides and bakuchiol (a plant-based alternative to retinol – a derivative of vitamin A that improves collagen production). You use two every morning and three each evening.
An optional silicone LED face and neck mask – which uses light therapy said to ‘boost collagen and firm skin’ – is available for £299 and can be used morning or night, once or twice a week at first.
Consultant dermatologist Dr Rakesh Anand says this set from Elastik is more likely to result in small changes, such as skin plumping, rather than any meaningful difference in tightening
EXPERT VERDICT: ‘These claim to improve connective tissue support in the skin but essentially the main thing the creams will do is hydrate the skin and support the production of collagen.
'Creams can only do so much as they primarily affect the outer layers of the skin, whereas loose skin is fundamentally a structural issue, so I doubt you’ll get a meaningful difference in tightening, but you might notice small cosmetic benefits such as plumping of the skin.
'One of the products contains peptides, to increase collagen, elastin and other structural proteins. But there’s limited research on whether peptides can get to where they need to go through skincare.
'As for LED light, it can moderately increase collagen production and reduce inflammation, but these masks are quite expensive and the return for what you achieve is relatively small.’
RATING: 5/10
2. Masderm RF Body Flaccidity Treatment
£114, masderm.com
This small, handheld radiofrequency device comes with a body firming cream (containing among other things horsetail, a vegan alternative to retinol) which needs to be used morning and night.
Said to ‘promote the formation of collagen and elastin, helping to improve skin firmness,’ the device should be used at least three times a week for ten minutes on each affected area of the body.
This hand-held radiofrequency device, which comes with a body firming cream, helps improve the skin's strength and elasticity
EXPERT VERDICT: ‘Essentially the radiofrequency targets the middle layer of the skin, and the heat energy given off is meant to encourage collagen production. It also encourages cells, such as fibroblasts, the main cells responsible for producing collagen and elastin, which provide strength, support and elasticity to the skin to keep it firm and prevent it sagging.
'There are similar more powerful radiofrequency devices used in clinics (where they’re used by a trained specialist). At-home devices like this one are much less powerful and could plausibly help it’s difficult to know by how much.'
RATING: 8/10
3. Absolute Collagen Sculpt Pro Total GLP-1 Supplement Support
£99.98 for a 28-day supply, absolutecollagen.com
This claims to be the first supplement in the UK designed to support people taking GLP-1 medications and promises to help with side-effects, including improving skin elasticity.
Its key ingredient for this is 8,000mg marine collagen that comes as a sachet to be mixed with water and is taken in the morning.
The main ingredient in this supplement is marine collagen, which is meant to be mixed in with water and taken each morning
EXPERT VERDICT: ‘There isn’t a huge amount of evidence that collagen taken orally supports the skin as it is broken down into amino acids and peptides during digestion, but there’s no evidence that these will specifically be directed towards collagen production in the skin rather than being used elsewhere in the body.
'This product also contains creatine which has been shown to support muscle growth and increased muscle mass may improve body contouring, even if it does not directly tighten excess skin.
'It’s quite an expensive option.’
RATING: 6/10
4. Vol.U.Lift GLP-1 4D Skin Rebound Complex
£93.50 for 57g, cheshirelasers-shop.co.uk
A cream said to combat deflation or 'hollow skin' – deep wrinkles resulting from dramatic weight loss, specifically in the face and neck.
Active ingredients include L-ornithine amino acid, bakuchiol (a type of plant retinol), plant collagen fragments and kangaroo paw flower, which contains rutin, a compound said to increase skin elasticity.
Although this cream would certainly improve hydration, Dr Anand says it cannot guarantee to make up for the skin's lost fat volume after weight-loss jabs
EXPERT VERDICT: ‘Fat loss sometimes results in a hollow-looking face from weight-loss injections and skincare products cannot replace the lost fat volume.
'While this cream would improve hydration and make the skin look a bit plumper, the amino acids listed in the ingredients won’t do much for the skin.
There is less evidence for the effectiveness of bakuchiol, a (plant-based retinol) compared with standard retinol, which is made from vitamin A.’
RATING: 4/10
5. Paula’s Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment
£34 for 118ml, paulaschoice.co.uk
A lotion made with 0.1 per cent of retinol, as well as antioxidants and emollients, such as shea butter, it claims to ‘deliver softer, firmer, more radiant-looking skin all over’.
The retinoids in this treatment from Paula's Choice will improve the skin's texture, smoothness and overall quality
EXPERT VERDICT: ‘Retinoids, made from vitamin A, are the gold standard in skincare. We know that they improve the texture of skin, stimulate collagen production and improve skin texture when used regularly. I don’t think it’s going to make a big difference to very saggy skin, but it will improve texture, quality and smoothness of skin.
'But you can experience irritation from using retinoids on your skin, particularly if you have dry, eczema-prone or sensitive skin, so some people may want to use it two or three times a week rather than every day. It should be avoided when you’re pregnant, planning to get pregnant or breastfeeding.
'People should be aware that retinoids can increase sensitivity to UV rays from the sun.’
RATING: 8/10
6. Sera Vacuum Body Contour Device
£189, projectebeauty.com
This handheld device with a suction cup to place on the skin delivers vacuum therapy said to ‘improve circulation, as well as electro-muscle stimulation (EMS), and red-light therapy to boost collagen and tighten the skin’.
Dr Anand says this suction device could tighten the skin temporarily but is unlikely to deliver long-term results
EXPERT VERDICT: ‘Vacuum therapy can create a suction, and we know that suction can help to improve circulation. So it might temporarily tighten and firm the skin and reduce swelling and puffiness, but I think it’s impact would be limited and is unlikely to achieve long-term benefits.’
RATING: 5/10
