Why Does Skin Sag with Age, and How Can You Stop It?

As you grow older, so does your skin. It’s just the basic biology of life.

And it’s not surprising. Think about it all the things your skin is subjected to over the course of a lifetime – sun exposure, pollution, personal habits like smoking, skincare, and diet, and weight loss and weight gain. That’s a lot of stuff, so it’s no wonder why skin starts to lose elasticity with age.

How Will Your Skin Age?

How your skin ages depends on a lot of different factors. As you grow older, your skin becomes rougher, more transparent, and fragile. Skin begins sagging with age due to the loss of volume in underlying structures, like soft tissue, fat, and bone. Collagen and elastin production also decrease, resulting in skin that sags. But there’s a lot you can do to help prevent sagging, aging skin.

Some of the biggest culprits of premature aging include:

1. Sun exposure. The sun’s ultraviolet light damages elastin fibers in the skin. When these fibers start to break down, skin begins to sag, stretch, and lose its ability to snap back after stretching. The skin also tears and bruises more easily. It’s never too late to start wearing sun screen with an SPF of 30 or higher.
2. We’ve heard it all before – smokers prematurely age a lot faster than non-smokers, and they tend to get more wrinkles, too. This is because smoking deprives the body of oxygen and vital nutrients. The chemicals in cigarette smoke also destroy collagen and elastin fibers, resulting in wrinkles and sagging skin. So if you’re a smoker, quit now.
3. Unhealthy diet. Processed foods, saturated fats, and sugars all lead to premature aging because they trigger inflammatory responses in the body, leading to cell death. Instead of eating junk foods, try switching over to a healthy plant-based diet that’ll give your body the antioxidants and nutrients it needs to stay young and healthy.
4. Lack of sleep. Nothing ages you quicker than sleep deprivation. Why? Because during sleep, your body repairs itself and renews its cells. Not getting enough sleep interferes with this process. You should aim to sleep seven to nine hours a night.
5. Improper skincare regime. To prevent skin from sagging and prematurely aging, it’s very important that you follow a proper skincare regime. Keeping your face and neck moisturized all the time prevents wrinkles and sagging skin from occurring. Look for moisturizers containing vitamin A, Retin-A, shea butter, glycolic acid, and vitamin C as ingredients. These ingredients not only prevent wrinkles but also tighten skin.
6. Losing weight too fast. Losing weight too fast can result in sagging skin, so it’s important that you aim to lose no more than 1 to 2 pounds a week. You’ll want to also avoid starvation and dehydration by drinking enough water and maintaining your protein and nutritional needs.
7. Excessive drinking wreaks havoc on your skin, depriving it of vital nutrients. Try to save drinking for special occasions only.

Say Goodbye to Sagging Skin

If you’ve got sagging skin, there are several med spa treatments that can help tighten and tone problem areas such as Thermage and Clear + Brilliant.

Thermage

Thermage is a non-invasive radiofrequency therapy that can transform and revitalize aging skin on many areas of the body, including the eyes, face, and stomach. The best candidates for Thermage are people with mild-to-moderate skin laxity who don’t require modification of muscle or fat underlying the skin. Ideally, they have only modest sun damage and don’t smoke.

Thermage is really amazing. Thermage works from the inside out. It transfers heat to the epidermis, which not only encourages collagen production, but also tightens existing collagen. Thermage effects this partly through radiofrequency technology, which produces electrical currents that causes collagen within the skin to contract and gradually reform. This is why most individuals experience dramatic tightening and smoothing of the skin over the six months following treatment. Since the outer layers of the skin are unaffected, there is almost no recovery time involved. The most amazing thing of all? Results from a single Thermage treatment tend to last up to ten years!

Your First Thermage Treatment

Thermage treatments fit easily into even the most hectic lifestyles. Depending on area being treated, a Thermage procedure can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 ½ hours. Prior to the procedure, a physician will usually administer local anesthesia, as well as oral pain medication to ease any discomfort. During the actual Thermage procedure, patients typically experience an alternation of cooling and heating sensations as the Thermage device penetrates the skin’s deeper layers. The physician will usually monitor the heat intensity to maintain comfort levels. With each radiofrequency pulse—which only lasts a few seconds—collagen in the deeper layers of the dermis is heated just enough to trigger substantial remodeling and regrowth. To prevent damage, the skin’s surface is also simultaneously cooled using an integrated cooling system.

Thermage won’t keep you down for long. You might experience minor swelling, redness, peeling, blisters bumps or dimpling immediately following treatment. Most of these side effects are rare, and usually subside within 24 hours. Though there are no specific aftercare instructions to follow, patients should use regularly a high-SPF sunscreen.

Only One Treatment Needed

You’ll need only one Thermage treatment to reap all the benefits of its innovative technology. During the several months following treatment, you’ll see dramatically tighter, firmer, and smoother skin.  Thermage is so effective that it’s the first and only system to receive FDA-clearance for non-invasive, energy-based eyelid treatments.

Science supports Thermage’s impressive results. In clinical trials, participants experienced significant improvement in facial and neck laxity. Recently published studies also show that improvements continue for at least six months after a single Thermage treatment session. Other studies show that thermal collagen changes can last several years, depending on the rate of the aging process.

Clear + Brilliant

Clear + Brilliant is a revolutionary fractional laser technology that fights the early effects of aging, leaving skin with a more youthful appearance.

Clear + Brilliant works its magic from the inside out. Its non-invasive laser technology gently resurfaces the top layer of the dermis by creating millions of microscopic treatment zones in the skin. Sounds complicated, right? But it’s really just about replacing damaged skin with healthy, younger-looking tissue. The result? Smoother, softer, and youthful-looking skin.

Your First Clear + Brilliant Treatment

The treatment itself is simple. Each Clear + Brilliant procedure takes about thirty minutes. A topical numbing agent is applied to the face forty minutes prior to the procedure. This is removed right before treatment begins. The actual laser session lasts a quick ten minutes, and most patients experience only a warm tingling or prickling sensation with little or no discomfort. To ensure proper contact with the skin and uniform application to all treated areas, Clear + Brilliant technology uses a patented intelligent Optimal Tracking System. Directly after the Clear + Brilliant laser treatment, a cooling face mask is placed on the treated area for 10 to 15 minutes to reduce any residual sensation of heat.

Most people need little to no recovery time following a Clear + Brilliant procedure. Some people, however, may experience for the 12 hours following treatment slight redness and swelling, along with mild pain. But any discomfort following a Clear + Brilliant treatment is generally so mild that it can easily be managed with over the counter pain relief medications. To further encourage recovery, most medical professionals recommend that patients avoid exposure to direct sunlight for the two days following treatment and wear an SPF 30 or higher sunblock.

The Treatment that Works for Pretty Much Everyone

Clear + Brilliant is clinically proven to significantly reverse early signs of aging. Almost all patients who undergo Clear + Brilliant treatments report their skin looks younger and feels smoother. What’s more, their skin achieves a noticeable glow after a series of three to five Clear + Brilliant treatments. This glow owes to the fact that Clear + Brilliant significantly helps refresh skin tone and texture – indeed, many patients see a significant difference in the appearance of their skin after only one treatment. Within as little as a week, patients notice brighter, softer and more youthful skin texture. With multiple treatments age spots, fine lines and wrinkles fade and soften.

Choose LaserAway for All Your Skincare Needs

We can help you keep the worst effects of aging at bay.

LaserAway is proud to be one of the largest med spa providers in the United States. The medical staff at LaserAway pride themselves on being the best in the business. They’re certified in administering laser procedures and use only the most cutting edge laser technology and techniques. You’ll always feel at ease with LaserAway. So don’t hesitate to contact us. You’ve got nothing to lose – and everything to gain. If you would like to learn more about LaserAway’s medical spa services, or would like to set up a free, no obligation consultation, please email us at LaserAway.net or call us at (888) 965-2737.