Skin Tightening: A Science Backed Approach

Are you bothered by loose skin on your face? With each passing year, collagen production and elastin levels diminish ever so slightly. These essential proteins give the skin its structure and elasticity, and when they decline, the skin loses its ability to bounce back. While skin laxity is an unavoidable aspect of getting older, other factors can hasten this process. Your diet, lifestyle habits, sun exposure, environmental pollution, and stress levels can all play a part as well.

Is there anything you can do to tighten the skin on your face without cosmetic surgery or dermal fillers? The answer lies in protecting your collagen and elastin, and prevention is key. As always, a smart skincare routine includes a daily moisturizer with SPF that stops the breakdown of elastin and collagen caused by UV exposure. When these two vitals proteins are damaged, the skin begins to get thinner and looser, particularly around the jawline, eyelids, and neck. Staying well hydrated and consuming a diet rich in antioxidants like carotenoids, vitamin C, and lycopene helps ward off inflammation that can reduce skin tone and elasticity. Foods like kale, bell peppers, chard, spinach, almonds, broccoli, and salmon are friends to supple skin. You can also help your body produce more collagen by eating protein-packed foods like bone broth, chicken, eggs, beans, and nuts. And while your genes can be to blame for some degree of laxity, the skincare products you use on your face can go a long way toward enhancing the health and vitality of your skin.

Read on to learn how to tighten skin on face using non-surgical skin tightening methods.

As a person gets older, the breakdown of collagen and elastin can lead to skin laxity and skin sagging. It’s important to reduce the other risk factors that could damage collagen and elastin and keep them as firm and healthy for as long as possible.

These risk factors include:

Eating lots of sugar

Whenever you eat highly processed foods or sugary snacks, your blood sugar and insulin levels will spike. As a result, you could activate a chronic inflammation of your skin cells. Essentially, the blood sugar will bond with the collagen and elastin making it less flexible and hindering their abilities to hold skin in place.

Depression

In addition to creating fine lines, depression will have an impact throughout your whole body. Whenever a person is depressed, their body will release more cortisol, a stress hormone. This hormone can weaken the overall strength of collagen and elastin, as well as the skin cells and blood vessels. Since people experiencing depression typically aren’t taking the best care of themselves, depression has an added negative impact on sleep, exercise, and diet.

Smoking

Smoking cigarettes can significantly harm collagen and elastin. The nicotine in cigarettes will narrow your blood vessels, which will disrupt the flow of blood in your skin. As a result, your skin cells will get less oxygen and nutrients that are essential to remaining healthy. If they experience a significant deficit over time, these skin cells could die, which would significantly reduce collagen and elastin production.

There are so many factors that will go into the loss of skin elasticity. While some of them may be unavoidable, such as aging, there are still options and treatments that can help to keep your skin tight. Adding some of these home remedies into your skin care routine can help to tighten up sagging skin.

Aloe Vera

Due to its abundance of malic acid, aloe vera is often used in various anti aging skin treatments. Malic acid is particularly good at brightening the skin and smoothing its texture. This is one of the easier face mask remedies to use as you will simply rub the aloe vera extract directly onto your face and neck then leave it on for around 15 minutes. Afterwards rinse it off with lukewarm water and pat dry. Repeat this process every other day.

Coffee grinds and coconut oil

It’s no secret that coffee contains a lot of caffeine, but what might not be as well known is what caffeine does for the skin. It helps to eliminate fat in the skin cells and moisturize them. The grinds are also an effective exfoliant and contain antioxidants that can repair damage done by free radicals. This recipe calls for one fourth of a cup ground coffee and two tablespoons of coconut oil. Mix these together and gently scrub your face and neck with it for around five minutes. Use lukewarm water to rinse off what is leftover. This technique should be done once a week.

Egg whites mixed with honey

Egg whites are great for helping to improve skin texture and regenerate skin cells. This is because egg whites have a high concentration of albumin. This protein powder has a high capacity for water binding and so it can help improve the firmness of skin. To create this face mask remedy, mix one egg white with two tablespoons of honey. Apply this mixture to your face and neck, leaving it on for about 15 minutes. Wash off with cold water and pat dry. Use this remedy once every 10 days or so.

Olive oil

One of the oldest known moisturizers is olive oil. Centuries ago, Egyptians would use it for several different skincare treatments and we continue this practice to this day. While olive oil contains a high amount of antioxidant properties, the real benefit is the vitamin E content. This essential nutrient is great for tightening skin and protecting it from sun damage. After showering, massage this oil into your skin for several minutes. Olive oil is safe to be used daily and works as a wonderful natural lotion.

Yogurt

While delicious and nutritious when eaten, yogurt can be a great way to reduce wrinkles and tighten up skin. The lactic acid in yogurt will help to shrink the pores in skin. This can lead to a tighter and more cohesive skin. Use two tablespoons of plain yogurt and mix in two drops of lime juice. Mix it together and gently massage it into the skin on your face for five to 10 minutes. Afterwards, let it sit on your face for another five minutes before rinsing it off with warm water. Use this technique every three to four days.

Skin laxity may be a natural by-product of getting older, but there are potent actives that can work together to dramatically improve elasticity and firmness. Will you see face-lift type results in a skin tightening serum or eye cream? Definitely not-- however, you will experience a noticeable improvement with continued use. Skin that is well-hydrated, producing more elastin and collagen fibers, and shielded from free radical damage will look and feel much firmer. Products formulated with Vitamin A, peptides, antioxidants, hyaluronic acid, and other tried- and-true ingredients stimulate skin cell renewal and gradually improve your skin.

Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic Acid is a key molecule involved in skin moisture. It has the capacity to bind and retain water molecules, helping to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.

Antioxidants

Antioxidants may prevent symptoms related to UV exposure-induced skin aging. Antioxidants like Vitamin C, E, Niacinamide, also known as Vitamin B3, are some of the few used in anti-aging skincare products.

Be wary of a skin tightening lotion that promises instantaneous results. The majority of serums and creams that claim to lift or firm facial skin overnight are poorly formulated and don’t address the root of the issue: UV protection and nourishment with skin-repairing ingredients that preserve elastin and encourage collagen production. The best way to see visible results is to use products that are personalized for your particular needs and lifestyle. Get started by taking the PROVEN skin quiz today.