Yes! Phew. Increasing your collagen and elastin reserves (and hyaluronic acid too) will help repair loss of skin elasticity. Doing so long term will prevent further loss and encourage good skin elasticity in future.
Besides aging, the biggest factors that contribute to loss of skin elasticity are UV damage, sleep deprivation, smoking and genes, notes Dr. Mamina Turegano, Louisiana-based triple board-certified dermatologist and dermatopathologist.
Collagen is a fibrous, supportive protein. It is found in bone, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, and skin. It helps skin cells adhere to one another and also gives the skin strength and elasticity. Collagen production decreases with age, contributing to skin wrinkling and sagging.
There's no such thing as a collagen treatment for facial skin, per se, but there are plenty of cosmetic treatments that can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles with increased collagen production as a side effect.
How can I naturally rebuild collagen? You can naturally support the collagen production process by using topicals such as vitamin C and retinol, collagen peptide supplements, eating a nutrient rich diet, and avoiding habits that damage the collagen (such as poor sleep and sun exposure.)
The good news is that elastin can be restored. But, according to Dr. Harshal, don't expect dramatic results. "It's more important to prevent rapid loss of elastin in the first place."
Laser resurfacing This is the most effective procedure for tightening loose skin. Unlike the laser treatment described above, this procedure requires some downtime. You'll need to stay home for 5 to 7 days. Laser resurfacing also gives you the fastest results.
Dermal Fillers
As we lose fat and soft tissue in our face, it begins to look somewhat like a balloon deflating. Dermal fillers can restore the volume we lose over time. Dermal fillers are temporary treatments for the aging face and will need to be repeated for long-term results.
Facial movement lines become more visible after the skin starts losing its elasticity (usually as people reach their 30s and 40s).
Skin tightening treatments can be done in-office or at-home, and results will be less significant than if you were to have cosmetic surgery. Laser skin tightening is a minimally invasive cosmetic procedure to help firm loose skin. As men and women age, the shape of their face goes through changes.
Aloe Vera
The gel found in an aloe vera leaf tightens the skin by improving its elasticity. It also stimulates collagen and hyaluronic acid production, thus preventing wrinkles.
For small to moderate amounts of weight loss, your skin will likely retract on its own. Natural home remedies may help too. However, more significant weight loss may need body-contouring surgery or other medical procedures to tighten or get rid of loose skin.
Eating foods like greens, fatty fish, citrus fruits, broccoli, almonds and walnuts can replenish elastin in your skin. These foods are known to work from within to improve your skin's health. Don't forget antioxidant foods [10] like green tea and berries as well.
Of course, you can't reverse the signs of aging completely. You can go the nonsurgical route and add firming creams or facial exercises to your skincare routine. There are also cosmetic procedures that provide quicker results, such as laser surfacing or ultrasound skin tightening.
There are three main vitamins that help your skin stay elastic by protecting it from the sun, according to a May 2015 study in Biomolecules & Therapeutics: vitamin A, vitamin E and vitamin C. All three are antioxidants, although they play different roles in skin care.
Ultraviolet rays, aka sunlight, cause collagen to break down faster. With sun exposure, those UV rays damage the skin by entering the dermis (the second and thickest layer of our skin) which causes collagen to break down faster.
Slather on a vitamin C serum in the morning. The vitamin is an antioxidant that protects the collagen in your skin against UV damage, says Chwalek. More than that, she says, it triggers collagen formation and stabilizes the collagen proteins in skin.
The good news is, though you may not be able to bring back the lost collagen, there are ways to help get things moving and slow further loss. With the right skin care products and treatments outside and in, there's so much you can do to get back that spring back in your skin.
Exposure to light is a top cause of premature aging: Sun exposure causes many skin problems. Ultraviolet (UV) light and exposure to sunlight age your skin more quickly than it would age naturally. The result is called photoaging, and it's responsible for 90% of visible changes to your skin.
Just five minutes a day of regular tapping:
plumps the face and smoothes wrinkles by stimulating collagen production; normalizes the activity of oil and sweat glands.