Skin Firmness: How to Reverse the Aging Process
Hey Beautiful!
Have you noticed a few changes in how your skin sits on your face? Maybe you’ve noticed a loss of volume in certain areas or some saggy skin.
As we age, our skin becomes less resilient and bouncy. We can start noticing a bit more wrinkles and perhaps thinner skin.
But don’t panic!
These physical changes can be slowed down and improved with a few products, treatments, and patience.
It is important to remember that every skin is different. This means that the best way to approach your anti-aging treatment may not be the same as someone else’s regimen.
It is also worth noting that there is no miracle cure or elixir of youth that can magically tighten your skin. But we can work with what we’ve got to rejuvenate the skin and make it look its healthiest.
What Causes Sagging Skin?
Naturally, as we age, our skin starts losing volume. Fat loss, cartilage and collagen loss, and loss of elastin are things that naturally occur as we age.
These different kinds of volume loss affect how skin rests on our faces.
Excessive sun exposure can also do a number on the skin over time. And as a result, it can cause wrinkles and saggy skin that becomes more prominent later on.
Elastin can be found in the skin. These elastin fibers help the skin keep its bouncy and firmer appearance. When it starts breaking down, the skin loses its ability to snap back to its firmer form after stretching.
Gravity then does the rest, causing the drooping of the looser skin. This is when some people start noticing jowls and double chins.
How To Reverse the Signs of Aging
Although aging is inevitable, there are a few routine and lifestyle changes you could consider incorporating to support and slow down skin aging. There are a few professional treatments you can have done as well.
Adding retinol to your skincare routine
Including Vitamin A in your skincare routine could be extrememly beneficial. It can target a multitude of skin concerns like fine lines and wrinkles as well as promote healthier skin.
When talking about Vitamin A in skincare, it can be commonly distributed in the form of retinol or a retinoid. Retinol is what you can buy over the counter and retinoids are only available through prescription.
There is plenty of good over-the-counter retinol that you can use. They may be lower in potency and take a longer time for you to see the results.
Retinoids, like Retin-A, need to be prescribed for you to get your hands on them. This means going to your dermatologist. They can best assess your skin and give you the proper strength of retinol to address your skin concerns.
Retinoids are the gold standard when it comes to topical skincare ingredients. They are usually a lot stronger in potency as well. While you may see some results quicker than using retinol, you would still need to be patient.
Support healthy skin with peptides
Peptides are a chain of amino acids that link together with the peptide bonds already present in the body. They can send signals to the skin to help improve itself.
Peptides can promote collagen production, improve skin texture, and even strengthen the skin barrier. A strong and healthy skin barrier can retain moisture for longer and protect the skin from harmful stressors that can aggravate skin aging.
You can usually incorporate peptides in your skincare routine using serums and moisturizers.
Regular chemical peels
A chemical peel is a minimally invasive cosmetic procedure. It removes the damaged skin cells on the epidermis or the outermost layer of the skin.
It can also penetrate the skin deeper than a mechanical exfoliator.
The sloughing off of dead skin cells using these dermatology-safe chemicals allows for fresh new skin cells to be pushed up to the epidermis.
Chemical peels also stimulate collagen production. With regular treatments done by a professional, you will be able to see improvement in your skin’s firmness.
Consider laser resurfacing treatments
Laser resurfacing treatments are one of the most effective when it comes to tightening the skin.
Usually used to address concerns like scar and wrinkle removal, it does an amazing job at improving skin texture.
Talk to your dermatologist to discuss the best laser resurfacing treatment and schedule. To achieve the results you want, it could take a few sessions.
While the recovery time can take a few weeks, the results can last up to 5 years with proper upkeep.
Face and neck lift for more advanced cases
Face and neck lifts are usually surgical procedures. This is done by pinning the skin taut giving you the appearance of firmer skin.
Now over the years, technology and procedures have advanced. There are more non-invasive procedures like Ultherapy and threading that can lift and tighten targetted areas of the face.
Again, it is best to sit down with your dermatologist so you can receive the best procedure and care that targets your specific skin concerns.
Aging Gracefully
Aging is a wonderful gift that can sometimes leave a few physical reminders.
While it is impossible to stop the clock entirely, you can do a lot of things to support a healthier lifestyle. Things like a healthier diet, a more active lifestyle, cutting out vices like smoking and drinking, as well as reducing stress can support your overall skin health. After all, it is the largest organ we have.
It is always best to talk to a board-certified dermatologist or a beauty professional so you can talk about your skin concerns. You can better address these concerns and you can even learn more about them along the way.
Do you have any questions? Thoughts about skin aging? Drop them in the comments below!
Remember, the more you know the more you glow!
With love,
Jentri