The newest trend in health and wellness is none other than the weight loss patch. While transdermal patches have long been used to combat everything from addiction to cosmetic aging, they have only recently gained traction as a weight loss tool.
Combined with smart eating habits and a daily fitness regimen, weight loss patches have the ability to help you achieve your weight management and nutritional goals.
Here is everything you need to know about weight loss patches and how they contribute to your physical and mental wellbeing.
What Are They?
Weight loss patches are large adhesive patches that are meant to curb your appetite and help your body burn more calories, just like weight loss oral supplements would. The difference between a patch and a pill, however, is in the administration.
Since patch application is transdermal, the active ingredients in a patch move straight into your bloodstream and avoid the digestive system altogether. This is especially helpful if you suffer from gastrointestinal issues, such as stomach aches or diarrhea, as a result of taking oral supplements.
What’s in Them?
Weight loss patches boast a blend of natural ingredients, such as herbs and extracts, that are meant to organically boost your energy and metabolism.
For example, the popular weight loss program Thrive Experience incorporates green coffee bean extract in their transdermal products. Derived from raw, unroasted coffee beans, this ingredient is supposed to act just like a cup of caffeinated coffee would in speeding up your heart rate and thus giving your weight loss efforts a much-needed edge. It also gives the body a good dose of antioxidants.
Other common ingredients found in weight loss patches include green tea extract, bitter orange, flaxseed oil, acai berry, yerba mate, rockweed, guarana extract and white kidney bean extract. Cosmoperine is another frequent ingredient which essentially enhances the penetration of the herbs and extracts into the skin.
How Do You Use Them?
Using a weight loss patch is surprisingly easy.
You simply have to apply the patch to the skin as you would a bandage. Some require you to place the patch on the area of the body you would like to troubleshoot, such as the arm, the thigh or the stomach. Others, however, can be applied on the hand to work their magic.
Once on the skin, the patch ingredients are immediately released through the skin into the body.
Make sure to read the instructions prior to application. Some patches control the dose of ingredients over a 24-hour period, while others recommend multiple six to eight hour stretches spread throughout the week.
No matter the position or time frame, you will quickly find that the weight loss patch offers maximum absorption of ingredients into the bloodstream.
What Are the Results?
The benefits of transdermal patches have long been documented.
Weight loss patches, in particular, work to reduce your cravings and speed your metabolism. The patch delivers its complex blend of vitamins, minerals, caffeine, probiotics and enzymes into your bloodstream throughout the day. The result is a boost to your immune system, improved productivity, better digestion, and an overall easier path toward weight loss.
Additional documented positive effects include increased bone density, reduced eye pressure and headaches, fewer asthma symptoms and more testosterone for the building of muscle.
Those who are younger than 18 years old, pregnant, breastfeeding, prone to heart palpitations or skin irritation and who drink an excess of caffeine should avoid using weight loss patches due to their natural ingredients. You will also want to avoid using the patch when you feel ill.
While the weight loss patch is not a single solution to weight loss, its benefits can prove exponential when incorporated into a larger diet, exercise and weight loss plan. Its ability to kickstart your immune and digestive systems is extremely beneficial when you are working toward reaching your peak health goals.
Before adding a weight patch to your routine, talk to a medical professional or nutritionist to see if it is right for you.
