An itchy stomach during weight loss is a common experience, often linked to several factors as your body transforms. It's an unwelcome guest at a party: unexpected, irritating, but ultimately manageable. This article explores the reasons behind this itchy sensation and shares some tips to help manage it.
Common Causes of Itchy Skin During Weight Loss
Several factors contribute to itchy skin during weight loss, including skin adjustment, dehydration, and irritation from shrinking fat cells.
Skin Stretching and Stretch Marks
As Aesthetic Director at Wellaholic, Serene Chiam explains, skin stretching and the formation of stretch marks can cause dryness and itchiness as your body adapts to its new shape. The skin requires time to adjust, leading to itchiness, particularly around the abdomen. Stretch marks are caused by the stretching of your skin that causes tearing at the dermis, the layer below the epidermis. This tearing allows what’s in the layer below the dermis to fill in and cause stretch marks. This usually occurs when you gain weight in a short amount of time, and your skin has to compensate for the rapid growth. At first, new stretch marks are pink, red, or purple in color. Fresh stretch marks are also more prone to itchiness. As stretch marks heal, they can turn white.
Shrinking Fat Cells
Another factor contributing to an itchy stomach is the shrinking of fat cells. As you lose weight, these cells release their contents, which can irritate nerve endings in your skin. This is a normal part of the process, but it can be uncomfortable.
Dehydration
Dry skin is also a common culprit for itchiness during weight loss. Changes in diet and exercise routines can sometimes lead to dehydration, affecting your skin’s moisture levels. As Wellaholic’s Aesthetic Director Serene Chiam notes that customers who stayed hydrated at Laser Clinics Australia had fewer skin issues.
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Allergic Reactions
Allergic reactions can also cause an itchy belly during weight loss. Your body is going through changes, and sometimes this can make your skin more sensitive. New diet foods or supplements might trigger reactions you’ve never had before.
Underlying Health Issues
Sometimes, an itchy stomach during weight loss can signal an underlying health issue. Itchy skin turned out to be linked to thyroid problems or diabetes. While it’s not always serious, it’s worth getting checked out if the itching doesn’t go away. Remember, your skin often reflects your overall health.
Increased Sweating
This itching can also be linked to increased sweating due to physical activity. Sweat can irritate the skin, especially in areas where there is more friction or skin folds.
Managing and Preventing Itchy Skin
Fortunately, there are several strategies to manage and prevent itchy skin during weight loss.
Hydration
Proper hydration can help flush out toxins and reduce skin irritation. Staying hydrated is key. Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day to help keep your skin elastic and reduce itching. Drinking an ample amount of water every day can also keep skin hydrated and reduce itchiness.
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Skincare
Choosing the right skincare is crucial. Use a gentle moisturizer to keep your skin hydrated and supple. Look for products with ingredients like aloe vera or oatmeal. These soothe the skin and reduce irritation.
Loose Clothing
We also recommend loose, breathable clothing during your weight loss journey to minimize friction. Avoid wearing tight clothing that can cause friction and irritation.
Dietary Adjustments
Certain foods can trigger itching. Try to avoid spicy foods and excessive sugar.
Professional Treatments
Advanced skincare treatments can help soothe irritated skin and improve its elasticity.
Additional Factors and Considerations
Rapid Weight Loss
Rapid weight loss can contribute to itching on the stomach. When weight is lost quickly, the skin may not have enough time to adapt, leading to dryness and itchiness. Gradual weight loss can help minimize this issue. Slow and steady wins the race, and experts agree that’s the best strategy for weight loss, too, especially if your goal is to trim down by 100 pounds or more. Slow, gradual weight loss gives that all-important collagen and elastin in the epidermis time to retract. Gradual weight loss is also considered better for your general health. The CDC recommends trimming down at a rate of 1-2 pounds per week.
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Skin Elasticity and Age
Skin elasticity is what allows for your organs to expand beneath the skin when you gain a lot of weight, build up your muscle mass, or are pregnant. As you age, your body produces less of this essential protein, which can also cause skin to sag. Loose skin can be caused by a number of things, including:
- How quickly weight is lost
- The percentage of total body weight lost
- How long you’ve been at your starting weight
- Genetics
- Age
Nutritional Deficiencies
If you're eating to lose weight, odds are you're eating less than you used to. In doing so, you may be inadvertently skipping over some important nutrients that your skin needs to stay healthy. You're more prone to dry skin if your diet is low in the following nutrients:
- Iron
- Niacin
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin D
- Zinc
You can also develop dry skin from not eating enough in general. If your diet is too low in calories, you're likely not getting enough of the nutrients your skin needs to stay healthy.
Chafing
Some exercises, such as bicycling or running, can cause your skin to rub against itself or clothing or other objects. "Depending on how much and what exercise you are doing to lose weight, itching also can be related to frictional irritation," Dr. Nino says. This is known as chafing. Common places you may experience chafing include the breasts, nipples, thighs, armpits, groin, buttocks, and feet. If you're starting a new exercise routine at a higher weight, that could also increase your risk of chafing. People with more body fat have more skin folds, which makes them more prone to chafing.
Skin Infections From Excessive Sweating
If you sweat a lot when you exercise, you're more prone to fungal or bacterial infections that can cause your skin to itch. As mentioned, a skin infection called intertrigo can form when skin rubs against itself in warm, moist areas, including those most prone to sweating. These may include the armpits, creases of the neck, between or beneath the breasts, between folds of the belly, or between your inner thighs, among others.
When to Seek Medical Advice
In most cases, itching during weight loss is a temporary skin reaction and not a cause for concern. However, if the itching is severe, persistent, or accompanied by other symptoms, it’s advisable to consult a healthcare professional. See a doctor if you have persistent itchy skin and you develop other concerning symptoms. If the condition persists for three months despite treatment, see a dermatologist to be evaluated for skin disease.
Home Remedies for Itchy Stretch Marks
The key to getting itchy stretch marks under control is to treat the underlying itchiness. Try not to scratch, because it makes you more prone to cuts and infections. Instead, try these home remedies to stop the itch.
Cocoa butter
This is one home treatment that’s especially soothing for your skin during pregnancy. The thick, ultra-moisturizing cream help keep your skin hydrated while also decreasing itchiness.
Moisturizers and other topicals
Itchiness that’s caused by PUPPP may benefit from a moisturizer as well as topical corticosteroids or antihistamines. However, be sure you don’t use the corticosteroid for longer than recommended, as this can cause thinning skin over time, and an increased risk for future stretch marks.
Coconut oil and vitamin E
Coconut oil and vitamin E capsules and creams may also help alleviate itchiness. Other plant-based oils, such as almond and olive oils can also reduce the itch in your stretch marks. If your skin is on the oily side, try jojoba oil instead - this may help to cause less oil accumulation from your skin.
Use early and often
No matter which home remedy you try, it’s important to use it as early and often as possible for the best results. It can also take several days - even weeks - for any stretch mark home remedy to work. Massaging the product in your skin can make it more effective. Stick with your treatment until all signs and symptoms of itchy stretch marks have improved.
Taking Care of Your Skin After Weight Loss
Depending on the amount of weight you lose, at what age, and how fast you lose it, you may not be able to avoid skin sagging. But there are ways to take care of your skin during and after weight loss to keep it looking its best.
Gradual Weight Loss
Slow and steady wins the race, and experts agree that’s the best strategy for weight loss, too, especially if your goal is to trim down by 100 pounds or more. Slow, gradual weight loss gives that all-important collagen and elastin in the epidermis time to retract. Gradual weight loss is also considered better for your general health. The CDC recommends trimming down at a rate of 1-2 pounds per week.
Strength Training
Exercise is typically a key part of any ongoing weight loss plan. It helps burn calories and builds muscle. But that muscle mass becomes even more important when it comes to skin tone. Remember the lower layer of the skin called the hypodermis, where fat is stored? As that fat is burned or removed, skin can sag. Building muscle beneath that skin can help fill the gap. That’s why strength training, which focuses on muscle growth, has been shown to improve skin elasticity and thickness.
Diet and Hydration
Diet goes hand-in-hand with exercise when it comes to weight loss. But cutting calories should not mean cutting down on the nutritious foods that your body, especially your skin, needs. For both weight loss and to improve skin health and firmness, include the following nutrients:
- Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, tuna, walnuts, almonds, and edamame, to help restore collagen in your skin and help improve firmness
- Fruits and veggies rich in vitamins C and E to help prevent cell damage
- Plant or animal protein for the maintenance and repair of skin tissue and to help build muscle
But one of the most important things you can put in your body is water. Since skin cells are 64% water, it’s essential for healthy skin. Drinking 2 or more liters of water per day may significantly improve skin health.
Skin Care
Skin health can also be approached from the outside through a variety of products that help nourish, moisturize, and protect it. There’s no magic cream or lotion that can tighten up excess saggy skin, but some products do help prevent skin from loosening. The best example of this is sunscreen. Sun damage impacts the skin’s elasticity and can cause skin to sag over time. Applying plenty of lotion with sun protection factor (SPF) 30 or higher can help keep this damage from happening. Likewise, hydrating the skin from the outside in can help improve the appearance of skin and prevent dry, flaky skin.
Avoid Smoking and Alcohol
Research shows that tobacco smoke and the intake of nicotine have a toxic effect on skin and increase the chances of premature aging. The effects are caused both by the smoke and the breathing in of toxins. Like nicotine, alcohol is a toxin that can damage the skin on a cellular level. Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it makes you pee more. So drinking it can lead to dehydration. Since the skin is 64% water, dehydration can have a visible impact and can affect skin health beneath the surface. Drinking too much alcohol can also deplete the body of beneficial vitamins, like A, B, and C, that are essential for skin health.
Medical Procedures to Improve Skin Tone
Depending on the amount of weight you’ve lost and the appearance of your excess skin, you may want to have a medical procedure to improve your skin’s look and feel.
Nonsurgical Methods
Today, there are a variety of nonsurgical (also called noninvasive) methods to tighten loose skin. These procedures should be performed by or overseen by a licensed dermatologist, plastic surgeon, or cosmetic surgeon.
- Radiofrequency therapy: This treatment uses low-frequency electromagnetic waves to create heat that penetrates the skin and encourages collagen and elastin production as well as production of new skin cells.
- Ultrasound skin tightening: Similar to radiofrequency therapy, this procedure stimulates collagen growth by targeting skin tissue deep within the dermis.
- Laser skin tightening: This method uses a light to send heat deep into the skin to tighten loose skin all over the body.
Surgical Body Contouring
If you’ve lost a significant amount of weight (100 pounds or more), you may want to consider surgical body contouring. Performed by a licensed plastic or cosmetic surgeon, this procedure requires careful consideration and an assessment by your surgeon to confirm that you’re a good candidate.
- Arm lift (brachioplasty)
- Breast lift (mastopexy)
- Facelift (rhytidectomy)
- Lower body lift
- Panniculectomy
- Thigh lift
- Tummy tuck (abdominoplasty)