Red light therapy for loose skin

#1

I found a 2019 thread about red light therapy and was wondering if anyone had any insight into its reduction of loose skin. I want to know if it is actually worth the results.

Background: I’ve lost over 40 lbs with keto and been at this weight since around June of 2020. I have lots of loose skin around my stomach to the point that it is painful to exercise without support. I am 42, 2 kids via c-section many years ago. I have been doing exercises to help for several months now with no results. I try to fast 16 hours or more. I try to keep my protein low and always have. I have never tried an extended fast because 16 hours is already pretty long for me. I have just recently started (probably bogus) collagen creams and tightening lotions. I don’t have the money for surgery.

#2

a few thoughts:

  • even though periods of low protein will facilitate autophagy, I doubt that low protein in general is good for improving skin elasticity * [Also not sure what you mean by “low”]

  • time probably helps (June 2020 isn’t that long ago)

  • exercise improves lymph flow - which should be great for your skin - but it will take time to show results

  • skin brushing might help

  • extra collagen might help (taking it internally, that is; not sure if collagen cream makes any difference - however, the massage and stimulation from rubbing in the creams might be good)

Congratulations on your 40lb weight loss!

*this is a huge topic. As you may know, there are wide ranges for protein recommendations

#3

Thank you!
I realize I need to clarify a bit. I have always been exercising but have been now focusing on rehab moves as opposed to just walking, jogging and weights. My body fat, by doctor’s scale, is 25%, muscle mass 23%. My BMI is about 26.
I read through a thread about protein and loose skin that was very informative with, as you said, lots of different ideas. Low to me is cronometer recommendations. For my weight, that is 47 g. As such, it is difficult to stick to and I go over occasionly (Twice a week?). So, I am not exactly sure where collagen would fit into that calculation.

#4

ok. I can tell you that for me 47g would be really hard to maintain (I’m probably more around 100g of protein per day at 130-ish lbs) but I know there are so many theories about protein and in any case there’s a lot of personal variance.
If you want to increase autophagy you might want to try going more cyclical with your protein intake rather than staying low in general.

It might help to think of your skin as alive and dynamic - I hate it when folks compare it to a baggy pair of jeans! - and if I had loose belly skin I would probably be diligent about skin brushing and massage as well as looking at food intake and minerals. I think @Janie has mentioned on that thread or elsewhere that she finds collagen very helpful for skin health and appearance.

Red light therapy might be great! I’ve actually done it but only on my face and I can’t say for sure what effects it had since I’m always experimenting with a lot of different things.

(Robin) #5

I’ve lost the same amount. On previous diets, when I lost the weight, my tummy was super soft and flabby with extra skin. I still have some, but mostly I am seeing my old shape return… like I am reorganizing. I do take collagen. I also use a rowing machine for an hour every day (with few exceptions). I think rowing has made the difference. My core (abs!?) has tightened up instead of sagging. So maybe its a combo of collagen and rowing. I highly recommend rowing. A workout for your entire body, but does not put the pressure of weight on my arthritic knees. In fact, I’m more flexible and have less pain in my knees. (Which I realize can also be attributed to weighing 40 pounds less.)

#6

Red lights work… but not to the level people want them to. I would never expect one to tighten up loose skin. Slightly help with scars over a LONG peroid of time, sure. I sold both my Platinum and Joovv.

Stop keeping your protein low! Aside from the fact it’s used to generate new skin just like it does muscle your entire body needs it, it’s an essential macro. Second to that, you need it to grow or even maintain muscle mass. You know what happens when you have skin with no muscle under it? LOOSE! That fits perfectly with your months of exercise with no results. Just supplement in your collagen into smoothies or something, you don’t have to buy overpriced creams. Also don’t count collagen as protein intake. There are other ways to kickstart the skin to tighten it up and get it’s elasticity back but that’s more entering the bio-hacker sphere and not for everybody. Either way you need to up your protein and put some muscle under it.

#7

“Also don’t count collagen as protein intake”
This was what I wanted to know. Why does it not count? Is it not used by the body in the same way? Is there research somewhere?
Based on body scans, I have gained a half pound of muscle so it isn’t much of a concern to be this low with regard to that. Or, my higher protein days make up for it. Not sure.
Thank you for your comment about red light therapy. I figured it sounded to good to be true. I wasn’t willing to fork out the money without some first hand information.

#8

While this does not happen to me, many people report that around 16 hours is when they get hungry on a fast and then if they can make it past that it improves and they can go many more hours. The general thought for Autophagy is you need about 72 hours for peak (not sure where I read that and please do your own research I am no expert). The guru of fasting is Dr. Jason Fung. He claims that many of his patients have lost 100 lbs or more and he does not know of even 1 who went for a tummy tuck or other loose skin repair. His website has gotten much slicker but his old blog posts are still there if you take the time to look https://thefastingmethod.com/blog/ however there is a lot of more commercial material there now too

#9

Collagen doesn’t count because it is a very incomplete protein.

(Laurie) #10

Re why collagen should not be counted as protein, even though it is a protein: Different proteins have different functions in our bodies. When we say “You need XX grams of protein,” this is a shorthand for the kind of protein you get from meat, etc. – not collagen. Sorry, I can’t provide any sources.