There is nothing more frustrating than looking in the mirror and seeing your skin starting to sag. Sadly, it’s not something you can cover up with makeup or hide with the right hairstyle. But with a few lifestyle changes, it is possible to firm up your sagging skin. You can even do it on your own.
We know that sagging skin significantly impacts your morale, and it might look like the only cures are costly treatments or surgery. But there are many easy, effective solutions that will strengthen your skin and improve your self-esteem.
Are you ready to get rid of your sagging skin? Read more about the science surrounding sagging skin and managing unwanted loose skin. It’s time to make your skin look as youthful as you feel.
Why Does Skin Sag?
Understanding why your skin sags is crucial to figuring out how to firm it up and prevent it from sagging more in the future. There are many reasons your skin might be sagging, including:
Age
Aging induces a reduction in your body's stocks of collagen and elastin, two proteins that offer your skin stability and resilience. Your capacity to create collagen and elastin increases in early adulthood and steadily declines with each subsequent year. Think about it: if you have fewer proteins accessible that make your skin resilient, you’re more likely to see loose skin.
Although aging is irreversible (ugh), it occurs at varying rates for all of us, based on our lifestyle, climate, and genetics. The good news is that slowing down your skin’s aging process is possible by always applying sunscreen while outside and by implementing some daily skincare routines.
Losing Weight
Weight loss is difficult to manage. While you'd like to believe that your skin will automatically adjust to your new form, unfortunately, this is rarely true. Your skin needs patience and support to adapt, and this transition is slower than any of us would prefer.
The more weight you lose, the more likely you are to develop loose skin. For instance, losing between 75 to 100 pounds is pretty much a guarantee that you're going to get a little loose skin.
The shorter the amount of time you lose weight in, the more likely you are to lose tight skin. Age also plays a significant role in this—younger skin is more resilient than mature skin.
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Losing Collagen and Elastin
Your skin needs collagen and elastin to maintain its health and firmness.
Collagen gives skin its robusticity and shape.
Elastin gives skin the ability to snap back into place, like a rubber band.
Loose skin, folds, and creases are linked to low levels of collagen and elastin. There are several explanations why the levels of collagen and elastin decrease, age being the most prominent.
If you smoke, are exposed to smog or UV rays, have an unhealthy diet, or consume high quantities of alcohol, you’ll find you have insufficient levels of collagen and elastin in your body, and thus, sagging skin.
Ways to Firm Sagging Skin
There are tons of ways to get rid of loose skin, so if one doesn’t work for you, there are plenty more to try.
Oral Collagen Supplements
As we said, collagen keeps your skin looking smooth. If your body isn’t making enough collagen on its own, these supplements ramp up that production and keep your skin on an even keel. Studies have found that collagen tripeptide is the most effective at increasing skin elasticity.
Slap on That Sunscreen
We are never going to stop emphasizing the importance of sunscreen. That’s how essential it is to your firm skin. Simply lather some on before you head outside, and you’re protected from UV rays while you enjoy some good old-fashioned fun in the sun.
UV rays are a huge contributing factor to the loss of collagen in your skin, and getting sunburned too often means you’ll see more wrinkles as you get older.
Water, Water Everywhere
Your skin has a loving relationship with water. Not only should you wash your face regularly, but it’s important to hydrate as well. Rain or shine, that water bottle should never be too far from your hand.
This might mean you need to take more bathroom breaks throughout the day, but isn’t radiant, firm, and glowing skin worth those few extra minutes?
Give Yourself the Gift of Face Masks
Face masks do wonders for your sagging skin, including tightening it and preventing wrinkles. Look for masks that rely on Vitamin C as a key ingredient since it promotes the body’s natural production of collagen.
Luckily, there’s no need to spend time brewing up a concoction in your kitchen because we have the perfect mask for you. It incorporates:
See A Professional
Okay, bear with us here. Although surgery is a valid option that we’ll list here, it isn’t your only option. There are less invasive ways that an esthetician or dermatologist can help you look as young as you feel.
Laser Peel - This sounds a little gross, but a laser peel uses a high-intensity laser to peel off the top layers of your skin. It’s not painful, and it rejuvenates your skin and stimulates collagen production.
Micro-needling - Think of acupuncture. Micro-needling is when a professional takes very tiny needles and inserts them into the skin on your face. Some people find it a bit painful or uncomfortable, but others report excellent results.
Botox - Botox also involves needles, but not nearly as many. Botox is injected into your face and lasts between three and four months. It freezes some facial muscles in place, which eliminates the appearance of wrinkles.
Certain Botox procedures also include collagen filler, which is injected straight into the face to plump up certain areas like the skin around your mouth, your cheeks, your forehead, or around the curve of your chin.
Radiofrequency - This is a massage technique using a special kind of machine. Scientists found that this intense massage stimulated collagen production in facial cells. It has a pretty significant effect on sagging skin and reversing aging effects.
Facelift Surgery - This is the big one. If you’ve tried all of the other methods and found that absolutely nothing else works for you, a facelift is the most invasive option on this list. It’s likely the most expensive but also the most immediately effective.
A facelift is an option for those who don’t want to wait for results or want a truly dramatic improvement. The surgeon pulls the skin back around the edges of your face to make it appear tighter and firmer.
Then, they will make tiny incisions down the side of your face, right by the hairline, before securing the loose skin, so that it’s held tight. Depending on your preference, the doctor might use several tiny incisions or two long ones on either side.
Other Skin Considerations
When you’re trying a wide variety of new treatments for your skin anyway, why not also add in something to minimize the effects of skin discoloration, too? By incorporating super-effective ingredients like soothing Turmeric and Aloe Vera, you’ll reduce redness in your face and clear up any acne to show off your smooth, newly firmed-up skin.
That’s a Wrap
Don’t suffer in silence with sagging skin! If you try one (or all) of these great skin solutions, it’s easy to firm up your loose skin and rejuvenate that self-esteem in no time at all. Before you know it, friends and family will be complimenting you and asking for your skin secrets. But don’t worry, we won’t tell!
Sources
How to Tighten Skin on the Face and Neck | Healthline
Oral Collagen Supplementation: A Systematic Review of Dermatological Applications | NCBI
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