How to prevent sagging skin during weight loss

While you won't be able to completely prevent loose skin if you're losing large amounts of weight, there are steps you can take to firm up your dermis. A healthy lifestyle and specific strategies to boost collagen, the structural protein responsible for skin's plumpness and elasticity, can make a difference. Here are 5 ways to hold your skin tighter as you work toward your goal weight.

1. Lose weight gradually.

Most experts recommend aiming for 1 to 5 pounds per week, depending on your starting point. "Losing weight quickly, by means of fad diets and cleanses, will compromise the contours of your face, affect the health of your skin, and impact your overall success in keeping the weight off."

2. Build muscle.

Replace the fat that once filled out your skin with lean mass by focusing your fitness routine on strength training, "You want the muscle to essentially replace the fat that is being lost to prevent loose or sagging skin, when your underlying muscle is toned and tight, it really helps give your skin a strong foundation to rest on."

3. Practice good sun protection.

If you exercise outdoors, take steps to reduce your exposure to the sun's collagen-destroying UV rays. Plan your walk or run for the early morning or late in the day, when the sun is less scorching. Slather on sunscreen, and make sure the label says "broad-spectrum" that means it protects against UVA and UVB rays, which both damage your dermis.

4. Smooth on a serum or revel in retinoids.

Though there's no such thing as a magical skin-tightening potion, topical products can stoke collagen growth and improve your appearance if you use them daily and consistently. look for over-the-counter serums containing epidermal growth factor, which stimulates fibroblasts deep in the skin to ramp up collagen production. (One to try: Retinol Serum, $20.)

5. Drink up.

Water, that is. Dehydration can strike skin cells, too, leaving them shriveled and inflexible. aim for half your body weight in ounces of H2O each day.