Should your aim be to tighten loose skin, erase fine lines, or stave off wrinkles as best you can, prioritizing excellent skincare is essential. This involves keeping yourself well-hydrated, indulging in foods that boost collagen, and, of course, applying premium hydrating skincare products that suit your specific skin type, particularly during the sunny summer season.
To bring you the ultimate advice, we consulted with board-certified dermatologists and skincare experts who unveiled eight crucial habits to firm up sagging skin and ward off early wrinkles.
Read on for tips, suggestions and insight from Dr. Elaine F. Kung, M.D., FAAD, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Future Bright Dermatology, Dr. Anna Chacon, M.D., board-certified dermatologist and writer at My Psoriasis Team, Dr. Ariel Ostad, MD, FACS, triple board-certified facial cosmetic surgeon and dermatologist and Dr. Angela Casey, MD, dermatologist and founder of Bright Girl youth skincare line.
We also caught up with Dr. Debra Jaliman, MD, board-certified NYC dermatologist and Assistant Professor of Dermatology at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Dr. Nadir Qazi, board-certified physician, cosmetic dermatology surgeon and owner of Qazi Cosmetic Clinic and Lisa Richards, registered nutritionist, health expert and creator of The Candida Diet.
8 Healthy Habits To Reverse And Prevent Sagging Skin, According To Dermatologists
1. Using A PH-Balanced Cleanser
After a long day, it is vital to remove all makeup, dirt and oil from your pores with the help of a gentle cleanser, Casey explains. "Prevention is truly the best medicine when it comes to your skin health," she says. "Implementing a skincare routine that cleanses, moisturizes, and protects your skin will lead you on the path to healthy, glowing, gorgeous skin." She adds that this first step of cleansing is important because it "refreshes the skin and removes any sweat and debris that may have accumulated." She also suggests washing your face and neck areas with a "pH-balanced, gentle cleanser using lukewarm water."
2. Applying A Daily Vitamin C Serum
Chacon points out that apart from natural aging, the "biggest contributing factor for sagging skin" is sun exposure. Overtime, "UV rays damage fibers in the skin called collagen and elastin, which causes the skin to sag," she stresses, "stretching it, and losing its ability to quickly snap back after stretching."
To help combat these effects and to protect your skin along with sunscreen, Kung recommends opting for a vitamin C serum in the morning. By using this ingredient right after cleansing your face and before applying sunscreen, you can target the following skincare concerns, including "discoloration, fine lines, wrinkles, and skin barrier repair," she says.
This, Kung notes, is because "vitamin C is an antioxidant which helps protect us from UV and air pollutant skin damage." In addition, it functions as a "building block for collagen synthesis," which can help make your skin look less droopy and more plump when used daily.
3. Wearing Sunscreen
Some moisturizers contain sunscreen and SPF built-in, and this is a great product to apply every day, year-round, Chacon says. Your skin, she stresses, needs sun protection all 365 days per year, and especially if you want to prevent a sagging, dull look and premature age spots and wrinkling (or to inadvertently speed up the aging process).
"Definitely the biggest mistake that people can make when caring for aging skin in their daily routine is not avoiding exposure to sunlight. This is a single biggest culprit in skin that is aging," she says. "Over time. the sun's UV light and ultraviolet light exposure damages certain fibers in the skin, including collagen and elastin." To prevent this, she stresses applying a moisturizer with sunscreen and SPF built-in, or putting on moisturizer and then a sunscreen with SPF to your face and neck.
"The most crucial piece of everyday skincare is sun protection," she emphasizes. "No matter what other products you use, your skin won't look its best if you don't initially protect it. Everyone should consistently use sunscreen and moisturizer."
4. Adding Nightly Retinol Serum
One way to prevent and treat forehead fine lines and wrinkles from the comfort of your own home is by applying retinol serum to your skin every night, Kim says. She explains that one of the most "important serums for anti-aging" is one that contains retinol. "Retinol is a derivative of Vitamin A and is highly regarded for its anti-aging properties," she says.
"It aids in reducing the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and uneven skin texture while promoting collagen production and cellular turnover," she adds. While promoting collagen synthesis, it also "brightens the complexion, and improves skin tone and texture," Kim notes. Retinol also accelerates the shedding of dead skin cells, she points out, resulting in a more even complexion as brighter, newer skin cells emerge beneath age spots and acne scars.
Kung concurs, and says that "retinol has been scientifically and clinically studied to help skin turnover and stimulate collagen." She adds that "retinols in serum or cream form are probably in every dermatologists' skincare routine because we know that long-term use helps prevent and treat skin discoloration, fine lines and wrinkles, and skin laxity."
5. Hydrating Your Neck With A Nourishing Cream
In our mid-to-late 20s and early 30s, "we start to lose about one percent of collagen per year, making the skin lose its firmness," Ostad explains. "Loss of collagen and elastin leads to sagging skin and horizontal creases on the skin," he notes. With that said, Ostad points out that one great way to treat an aging neck is to frequently apply a hydrating neck cream.
"The best ingredient for a neck cream is one that has high concentrations of active ingredients including hyaluronic acid and retinols," he says. Ostad recommends his brand's 'Neck Refining Cream,' a "medical grade anti-aging cream for the neck." This product, he says, has a "combination of unique ingredients including gentle retinoids and growth factors" that help improve fine lines and wrinkles on the neck.
6. Drink 2 Liters Of Water Every Day
Jaliman highlights that consuming ample water daily, particularly in the sweltering summer months, can significantly enhance not only your skin's appearance but also your digestive system and overall health.
Jaliman also recommends “mixing collagen powder with water or any drink” to specifically target your anti-aging goals. This powerful pairing helps with overall hydration as your body needs water at any age, and collagen powder directly links to collagen production.
7. Trying A Collagen Supplement
The more collagen we have, Jaliman says, the more youthful our skin will feel and appear. Our skin loses moisture as we age, making it crucial to consume adequate amounts of water and hydrating fluids to counteract this natural decline. Collagen loss begins as young as the age of 21 and by the age of 40, women have lost "between 10-20 percent of their collage and 1% thereafter," Richards explains.
After 40, you can still promote "glass" skin, she notes, by taking collagen supplements, and eating foods rich in collagen, such as bone broth, eggs, chicken, berries, etc. Richards stresses: "There are three primary types of collagen and it is best to consume a collagen supplement that contains most of the five forms," she says, "At the least it is ideal to take types 1 and 3 together."
8. Supplementing With Vitamin A
According to Qazi, the optimal daily vitamin for women aged 40 and above seeking to firm up their skin and mitigate the signs of aging is unequivocally vitamin A. He says that whether taken orally with a supplement or applied directly to your skin with a cream or serum, "Vitamin A is effective at lessening the appearance of age."
"Vitamin A stimulates collagen production and elastin formation, even after they start to break down, rebuilding and repairing what was lost," Qazi explains. "If you think of your skin like a trampoline, the collagen would be the frame, and the elastin would be the springs that make the trampoline bouncy," he adds.
"Without the frame and springs, the trampoline is just some rumpled canvas on the ground." Luckily, your skin doesn't have to lose the frame or the springs when you add vitamin A into your daily routine!
