Have you noticed that your skin is losing its firmness or definition? When your skin can no longer easily stretch and snap back into place, it may start to appear loose or saggy. Sagging skin can occur for a number of reasons; however, the two most common causes are weight loss and aging.
Sometimes, when your body is overweight for an extended period, the collagen and elastin fibres in your skin can be damaged. Therefore, when you lose a significant amount of weight, your skin has an increased chance of sagging, especially when that weight loss occurs rapidly.
The collagen and elastin levels in your skin also naturally decline as you age. This decrease is sped up even more if you spend a lot of time outdoors under the sun, you are frequently exposed to pollutants like cigarette smoke, or you excessively consume alcohol and neglect your nutrition.
Although sagging skin could occur on any part of your body, the most common areas to experience this issue are your eyelids, jowls, chin, throat, upper arms, stomach, and thighs.
How to Prevent Your Facial Skin From Sagging
Although some effects of aging are inevitable, there are actually quite a few ways that you can either slow down or prevent sagging skin, especially when it comes to your face. Having a quality skincare routine can make a big difference. If you wash and moisturize your face on a daily basis, it can help prolong the elasticity of your facial skin.
Facial exercises, such as opening your mouth as wide as you can and closing it without your teeth touching, blowing up your cheeks for a few seconds at a time, and chewing with your head tilted up, can all help with that, too.
It is also beneficial for your skin if you cut down on your alcohol and sugar intake. Drinking alcohol and consuming a lot of sugar will dry out your skin. As well, excessive sugar consumption contributes to decreases in protein, which speeds up the process of collagen and elastin loss in your skin. On the other hand, drinking lots of water will help hydrate your skin while getting rid of toxins.
Additionally, when you are making an effort to lose weight, try to do so gradually. When your weight loss is rapid, your fat may quickly disappear, but your skin will not. When there is suddenly nothing for that skin to hold onto anymore, it inevitably becomes saggy. However, taking your time and shedding a few pounds gradually will give your skin a better chance of adjusting to your body’s changes.
The Best Treatment Options for Sagging Skin
If you suffer from sagging skin, there are various procedures that can help resolve the issue. One non-invasive treatment option is Ultherapy®, which involves the use of ultrasound technology to tighten and lift the skin on your face and neck.
When ultrasound energy is targeted at a specific area during this treatment, it stimulates collagen growth and strengthening in the deep layers of your skin, which tightens it. Although only one session is typically necessary, the results may continue to improve for several months.
Dermal fillers, such as Botox®, Radiesse®, and Juvederm®, are compounds that can be injected into your eyes, eyebrows, jowls, cheeks, and forehead to fill in places where fat has been lost. In doing so, they tighten the skin, thus decreasing noticeable signs of sagging. However, such treatments typically must be repeated every two to four years to maintain their effect.
If you have access to an experienced plastic surgeon, you may also want to try undergoing a facelift procedure. When you have a facelift, incisions are made to various parts of your face, and fat deposits are removed while the skin is tightened.
A neck lift surgery combined with liposuction is another option. This is a procedure in which a surgeon extracts fat and excess skin from your neck, and is followed by some skin-tightening procedures.
If you suffer from sagging skin, there are several non-invasive treatment options that can help resolve the issue. One effective treatment option is plasma pen therapy. Click here to see plasma pen risks and to learn more if it’s safe.
Why Facelift Surgery is Becoming More Popular
Facelift surgeries are becoming increasingly popular for many reasons amongst people struggling with sagging facial skin. With a facelift, just one brief surgical procedure could have countless benefits related to the restoration of a more attractive and youthful appearance.
A facelift can help you reduce or get rid of a double chin, which is caused by the formation of excess fat around your neck. Jowls can be eliminated by a facelift, too, since the tightening of your saggy skin will result in a firmer-looking jawline.
Deep wrinkles formed between either your nose and mouth or your mouth and chin can be taken care of as well during the procedure. The best part is that all incisions are made extremely carefully during a facelift, so the surgical scars afterward are always invisible. Thus, the results of the surgery are highly effective, while maintaining a very natural appearance.
How Skin-Tightening Treatments Can Make a Difference
It is natural to become increasingly self-conscious when you notice your skin starting to sag. Whether this sagging comes naturally as the result of aging or it stems from a period of rapid weight loss, the effects are generally the same.
Fortunately, there are many ways to counteract sagging skin, especially when it comes to your face. Whether you would prefer to take a non-invasive approach, like altering your skincare and consumption habits, or a more targeted approach, like dermal fillers or a face or neck lift, there are plenty of options available.
Sometimes, the best outcomes come out of a combination of multiple approaches. Whichever direction you decide to take, it is important to do whatever you can in order to feel comfortable in your own skin again.