Losing weight is a great thing for most people to do, assuming that you started out at an unhealthy high weight. But sometimes losing that weight comes with unwanted consequences, like loose skin. If you've been bothered by your loose skin but have just dismissed it as a fact of life and something you have to put up with, you might want to know that's not really the case. There's something you can do about it and you probably should, as that loose skin could cause problems for you. Here's what you need to know about these issues and what the solutions for them are.

Problems During Exercise

Loose skin — depending on how much of it you have — can get in the way, literally. Loose skin can make it difficult to do your regular exercise routine, especially when you're trying to do cardio. Loose skin bounces and moves around like any other kind of skin, but without the taut structure that most skin has, it will really move around. You may experience problems like literally having your own skin hit itself, and compression clothing can only do so much to stop this.

Extra Weight

Are you so close to your goal that you can taste it, but you just can't seem to get there? It's possible you've already passed your goal point and just don't know it yet.

Even though the loose skin that you have doesn't have much subdermal fat in it anymore, that skin still weighs a considerable amount. Many people who have their loose skin taken in after they've lost weight discover that their weight drops further just because the loose skin was so heavy. This is especially true if you have loose skin coming off of multiple parts of your body, like your belly, arms, and legs.

Threat of Infection

Loose skin doesn't just serve as a nuisance keeping you from meeting your goals and exercising. It can also be dangerous to you.

When skin hangs down, it tends to rub against itself and neighboring taut skin. When it does this, it can create inflammation and even infection. This is particularly dangerous because bacteria can potentially hide in the folds of the skin as bacteria tends to thrive in warm, damp environments, like the underside of sweaty loose skin. This bacteria can get into any small sores that your skin may develop from rubbing and create a significant infection that can make you very sick. This will also likely trigger a temporary increase in your weight as inflammation develops and fluid gathers from an infection.

If you have loose skin, there's no good reason to keep it. Contact a doctor about the prospect of getting a tummy tuck and any additional loose skin surgery you may need to put these problems behind you for good.