How Retinol Can Help Sagging Skin ‘Snap Back,’ According To Derms

Moisturizers, serums, facial oils, at-home chemical peels, exfoliants — the sheer number of skincare products available for purchase can be so overwhelming you may not know where to begin when building a solid skincare regimen. Experts may differ in their opinions of how many times per week you should exfoliate or whether products enhanced with gold are really worth your time and money, but there’s one ingredient you will rarely find them not on the same page about: retinol. Retinol is a form of vitamin A that is applied topically and can visibly improve the texture of your skin — a claim that so many other potions make but can’t actually deliver on. With that in mind, it’s important to understand the positives that come with using retinol, as well as some of its limitations so that you aren’t waiting for results that simply can’t be found in a bottle or tube. This is how retinol can help sagging skin “snap back,” according to dermatologists — as well as a few great tips on other things you can do to make you complexion glow. 

First of all: why does skin even experiencing sagging? 

“Sagging skin results from the loss of collagen fibers that come with aging or premature aging from prolonged, unprotected sun exposure,” explains Dr. Crystal Dinopol, a board-certified dermatologist and writer with payitforwardfertility.org. “ This is when the rate of the breakdown of collagen fibers exceeds the rate of production of new ones. Also, the epidermis has a slower turnover of dead skin cells, leaving the skin dull and unevenly toned.”

When it comes to finding a product that can directly address sagging, there aren’t many on shelves — but retinol is one of the most potent, nonprescription anti-aging products out there, Dinopol says. “It lifts sagging skin by reviving the skin’s regenerative properties. It thickens the epidermis, fills out fine wrinkles, corrects uneven skin tone, and increases the rate of production of collagen underneath. This gives the skin an overall more youthful, rested glow.”

Surprisingly, retinol can do more for sagging skin than you might think. “Retinols are one of the hallmarks for anti-aging treatment at home,” says Dr. Elaine F. Kung, board certified dermatologist based out of New York City and founder of Future Bright Dermatology. “They promote skin cell turnover, which helps with skin brightening.  They have been proven scientifically and clinically to improve fine lines and wrinkles because they promote epidermal thickening as well as increase production of collagen I and III, elastin, and glycosaminoglycans (an important component of the extracellular matrix that supports collagen and elastin).”

As it is a topical agent, retinol can only penetrate the more superficial layers of the dermis at best and the earlier you start using it, the better for preventing sagging and aging, according to Dinopol. “But on the other hand, it’s never too late to start either — a study done on 80-year-olds still demonstrated these same effects on the skin,” Dinopol says. 

Even though retinol can help take your skin from dull to bright, remember: there are no miracles in any bottle. Retinol can. help our skin aging to a certain extent, Kung explains, but sagging throughout the body is also due to loss of supporting structure to our skin like muscle wasting and bone deterioration — therefore, energy-based devices can help promote collagen production to volumize skin and improve muscle tone.

“For example, The EMSculpt Neo by BTL uses radiofrequency and high intensity focused electromagnetic stimulation which helps tighten saggy skin and tone muscles on the body at the same time,” Kung says. “The triLift by Lumenis Aesthetics is the first FDA-approved device that uses tripolar radiofrequency and direct muscle stimulation to offer people a nonsurgical facelift. Radiofrequency has been a widely accepted effective anti-aging modality in aesthetic medicine.  Radiofrequency helps contour the face and body, tighten the skin, and reduce sagginess and wrinkles.”

Energy-based devices such as EMSculpt Neo and the Trilift have incorporated muscle stimulation with radiofrequency to help firm the muscle under the saggy skin, Kung explains. “Just as we see with people who workout, they tend to appear younger, not only because they have a better body shape, but because their skin is tighter,” Kung says. “So, for those who can afford anti-aging treatments such as EMSculpt Neo for the body or Trilift for the face, they can achieve remarkable improvements to their skin quality in a way that creams cannot.”

Whether or not you prefer to hold out on procedures, a great tube of retinol is available right now at your local drugstore — and could start making a big and noticeable difference in the appearance of your skin.