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Flabby skin on the legs

 
, medical expert
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
 
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Most often, fat folds, as well as cellulite, appear on the buttocks and thighs - these areas are considered to be among the most problematic. In general, loose skin on the legs is a serious problem for many women, both old and very young.

Causes loose skin on the legs

There are many reasons why loose skin appears on the legs:

  • Hereditary factors;
  • The natural aging process of the body;
  • Improper nutrition;
  • Various bad habits;
  • Rapid and significant weight loss;
  • Problems with the functional activity of the endocrine system;
  • Metabolic problems;
  • Changed hormonal background;
  • Negative impact of environmental factors;
  • Low physical activity;
  • Lack of proper skin care.

Treatment loose skin on the legs

It is possible and necessary to fight loose skin on the legs. What should be done for this? Use various methods in a complex manner – do physical exercises, undergo cosmetic and massage procedures, do wraps, masks, eat right and take vitamins.

Physical exercise is considered one of the most effective methods – with its help you can restore the skin’s tone and make it more elastic (even in cases where the flabbiness is quite strong). Physical activity makes the blood flow to the skin, and with regular exercise the capillaries grow, which improves the blood supply to the skin. Thus, the skin receives more nutrients, regains its lost elasticity, rejuvenates, and tightens.

How to get rid of loose skin on legs?

You can get rid of loose skin on your legs by wrapping them with film and adding various mixtures – this helps to increase skin tone. The sauna effect helps to rejuvenate and cleanse the skin, making it elastic and smooth. You should do 3 procedures a week for a month.

After taking a shower with a scrub, you need to apply a mask to your thighs and wrap them in cling film. You need to sit under a blanket for about 30-40 minutes, then wash off the remains of the mask with warm water and apply anti-cellulite cream to your thighs.

Various masks can be used for wrapping procedures. The most popular among them are those made from cosmetic clay, oil, Dead Sea mud, algae, sour cream and honey. To enhance the effect of the product, you can add spices, essential oil, tea, coffee, chocolate or vinegar to the mixture.

How to tighten loose skin on legs?

For effective tightening of loose skin on the legs, proper and balanced nutrition is very important. Your diet should include products that improve the firmness and elasticity of the skin, promoting its rapid recovery.

It is necessary to maintain a balance of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates in your daily diet:

Proteins help maintain skin tone. They can be of animal or plant origin, and a person's daily menu should contain 1-2 g of them per kilogram of weight. Animal proteins are found in fish, meat products, eggs, seafood, and cottage cheese. You should choose products with a low percentage of fat, because animal fats can make up only a third of the total amount consumed. Plant protein is found in legumes, and in smaller quantities in some vegetables (such as eggplants) and cereals.

You should choose fats of plant origin - with their help the elasticity of sagging skin is improved. They can be found in various oils (it is best to use cold-pressed oils, as they contain polyunsaturated fatty acids). The daily diet should include at least 30 g of this substance. Fats are also found in nuts, but it should be taken into account that this product is quite high in calories.

Carbohydrates increase energy, so it is useful for the body to eat coarsely ground bread, as well as cereals with vegetables - they contain complex carbohydrates. As for simple ones, they can be obtained from honey and dried fruits or fruits.

You should also eat foods containing collagen to help your skin regain its elasticity. These include:

  • fish (salmon);
  • meat (turkey);
  • seaweed;
  • greens, as well as vegetables;
  • fruits with berries.

Vitamins

There are many different beauty vitamins: these are groups A, E, C, H, K. In addition to them, it is also useful to consume vitamins B and D. You should also consume substances containing glycosides, flavonoids and anthocyanins - they are found in plant products.

There are also a lot of vitamins in fats - they are found in products such as seeds, fresh cold-water fish, and unrefined sunflower oil.

Physiotherapy treatment

The best result can be achieved by using a complex of physiotherapeutic procedures, combining them with the right physical activity and diet. Nowadays, there are procedures that can speed up metabolism and increase the percentage of energy expenditure of the body. Among them: lymphatic drainage of the legs, myostimulation, microcurrent therapy, ultrasound therapy (cavitation), vacuum and LPG massage,

It should be noted that before starting physiotherapy treatment, you need to find out if you have any contraindications to it. Among them are the following:

  • An acute skin disease in the affected area;
  • Acute inflammations;
  • Feverish conditions;
  • Skin prone to bleeding;
  • Blood diseases;
  • Pregnancy;
  • Severe kidney and liver diseases, as well as heart problems;
  • Convulsive syndrome;
  • There is thrombophlebitis in the area that needs to be treated;
  • Benign or malignant neoplasms;
  • Active tuberculosis and other infections;
  • Inserted pacemaker.

If electrical procedures are performed, the possibility of high sensitivity to pulsed current should be taken into account.

Nowadays, methods that physically affect the body are usually used – for example, those aimed at stabilizing metabolism. Thanks to this, it is possible to regulate the central mechanisms of fat metabolism, as well as increase contractile thermogenesis.

There is another group of treatment procedures, which act locally on different areas of adipose tissue. Thanks to them, metabolic processes are activated in adipocytes, as well as in the tissues located near them.

Folk remedies

Leg massage is often used as an effective way to eliminate loose skin, in which the inner thighs and shins are massaged. This procedure should be done after a workout so that the muscles are warmed up.

A proven folk method is a bathhouse. The ideal option is considered to be one in which a steam room and a broom are used - this procedure allows you to renew and cleanse the skin, as well as make it elastic and resilient.

You can also influence the skin using temperature contrasts – immerse yourself in cold water straight from the steam room, and then back again.

If you can't visit a sauna, take contrast showers - these procedures stimulate capillaries, tendons, muscles, and the whole body. Thanks to this, metabolism becomes faster and blood circulation improves. Systematic procedures make muscles and skin elastic, and also burn calories. Thanks to this, cellulite and flabby skin on the legs disappear.

Salt baths are also excellent against the flabbiness that has appeared, as sea salt has a beneficial effect on the skin. Within 30 minutes after taking a bath, you need to rub your feet with a hard washcloth - this will speed up the blood circulation process.

Herbal treatment

To remove loose skin on your legs, you can use a mask made from peppermint tincture in milk. Take 2 tablespoons of mint leaves, pour 100 ml of hot milk, leave for 15 minutes, then strain the mixture. Apply the resulting product to your legs from bottom to top, hold for 5-7 minutes and rinse with slightly warm water. This will make your skin smooth and soft.

You can also use aloe for treatment - cut off the bottom leaf from the plant (the aloe must be at least 3 years old), cut it in half, and perform a light massage with it, using circular movements. This procedure should be repeated 1 time per week.

Surgical treatment

In some cases, cruroplasty, an operation on the inner thighs, may be performed.

It can be performed at any age from 18 years old, if there are no contraindications. Women aged 20-35 years have elastic soft tissues, so their skin is still quite elastic and has a good blood supply, so the effect after the operation will last longer. But after 40 years, a high-quality result is possible only if the patient carefully follows all the doctor's recommendations during the postoperative period.

Such an operation lasts approximately 2-2.5 hours (depending on the number of surgical tasks). When the patient has only small excess fat tissue, and the elasticity of the skin is normal, liposuction is performed.

But if there is sagging skin, in addition to liposuction, incisions (about 2-4 cm) are made in the area under the buttocks, as well as in the groin folds. Excess tissue is cut off, and the soft tissue is pulled up and attached to the tendons of a large muscle on the inner thigh surface. After this, the incisions are sutured with a special intradermal suture, and a special elastic patch is applied to it, which does not disrupt the blood flow.

Prevention

There are several ways to prevent the appearance of loose skin on the legs.

Regular physical exercise is considered the most effective method. Moderate exercise tones the muscles and improves blood circulation. Active blood circulation within the skin makes it elastic and flexible, thereby slowing down its aging.

It is also necessary to eat properly and in a balanced way. For example, antioxidants have a beneficial effect on the skin - in addition to improving its tone, they rejuvenate it. Antioxidants are found in prunes and strawberries, as well as cranberries, apples, beans, potatoes, etc.

The skin needs constant hydration, because water can cleanse it of toxins and poisonous elements, as well as renew cells. Try to drink plenty of fresh and clean water.

The skin also needs external hydration. There are now many nourishing creams that help restore skin cells. The elements of such preparations must necessarily contain caffeine, retinol, hyaluronic acid, various plant extracts, and in addition, vitamins of groups A and C.

Forecast

If you follow a proper diet, take vitamins, and are physically active, you will no longer have loose skin on your legs.

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