Restoring Skin Elasticity: Aging’s Missing Link

One of the realities of aging is the loss of the youthful appearance of the skin. This is primarily due to the loss of skin elasticity. These changes include diminished collagen production, reduction in elastin fibers, a decline in the hydration of the skin, reduced cell turnover, and environmental factors, including UV radiation and hormonal changes that can thin skin and decrease elasticity.

Various topical skin care treatments are employed to combat elasticity loss. These include effective antioxidants that promote collagen synthesis, such as vitamin C, retinoids that stimulate collagen production, various peptides, and hyaluronic acids that enhance hydration and stimulate the skin to produce collagen.

Other modalities, such as light and/or laser therapy, microneedling, radio frequency, chemical peels, and growth factors, are all focused on stimulating collagen production and improving the texture and appearance of the skin.

Deep wrinkles and skin folds represent more severe loss of skin elasticity, requiring advanced treatment such as injectable fillers that smooth and plump deeper wrinkles and also stimulate collagen.

The Role of Surgery in Restoring Skin Elasticity

Ultimately, the yearning for a more youthful skin appearance leads to surgery. Precise surgical techniques performed by an experienced plastic surgeon utilizing logical aesthetic judgement results in a beautifully natural rejuvenation by tightening skin that has lost significant elasticity.

Surgical intervention is often the most natural rejuvenation when skin elasticity is advanced. Tightening loose, non-elastic aging skin in the appropriate direction, with the correct amount of tension and with incisions that are virtually undetectable, remains the most effective way to meet or exceed patient expectations when skin elasticity is lost.

In my experience, the desire to opt for “non-surgical” treatments to improve skin elasticity is overwhelmingly powerful compared to the option of surgical intervention. This is just normal human nature to want to avoid surgical intervention, and it is completely understandable. However, depending on the degree of skin elasticity loss, more often, these non-surgical options fail to meet the expectations that most patients desire or wish for.

So, how do you know who to trust and what to do with so much available information and from so many different sources and opinions?

This is when to turn to trusted, experienced aestheticians dedicated to providing you with professional recommendations regarding your specific individual skin aging. Experts in skin care will suggest reasonable, “tried and true” modalities to improve your skin appearance.

First of all, individuals simply trying to delay the loss of skin elasticity have many options, including excellent skin care regimens. Of course, the most powerful preventative measure that all individuals may employ is sun avoidance or protection. This is the most common “self-inflicted” reason for loss of skin elasticity. You can’t control your genetics, but you can certainly attempt to limit environmental factors like sun exposure.

For those who have further loss of elasticity for which skin care treatments alone are less effective, targeted skin applications such as microneedling, advanced HydraFacial treatments, radio frequency, chemical peels, and laser or light treatments may be recommended.

Finally, advanced loss of skin elasticity often required filler injections and surgical maneuvers as the most valuable methods to combat the loss of elasticity.

Loss of skin elasticity is simply part of the aging process. We don’t have to like it, but we certainly have options to address the loss of skin elasticity. But we don’t yet have the “Holy Grail” of reestablishing the wonderfully smooth, tight skin elasticity of our youth. Until that “missing link” is discovered, you may achieve significant improvement by finding professionals who are dedicated to caring for your skin and your face.

At The Skin Care Professionals, our experienced and caring aestheticians are here to provide you with the highest quality skin recommendations and treatments in a warm and comfortable environment with your best interests in mind.