Have dry, thinning, crepey, crinkly skin? You’re not alone. These common skin concerns often come with aging, sun exposure, and a lack of hydration. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to improve skin texture and restore a more youthful, plump appearance. From hydrating skincare ingredients to collagen-boosting nutrients, the right routine can help replenish moisture, improve elasticity, and smooth out fine lines for healthier, firmer skin.
Chris Gibson, an esthetician, recently shared a “really simple process” that “takes a couple of products in order to make this work.” According to him, trapping moisture, exfoliation, and a hydrating moisturizer are some of the best practices. These tips can also be applied to your overall body, not just the face! Read on to learn more.
1. Trap Moisture
When you lock in moisture with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and ceramides, your skin appears smoother and more youthful. Hydrated skin looks fuller, reducing the appearance of fine lines.
Gibson says, "In order to improve the texture, the thickness, the hydration, and of course the look of that crinkly, crepey, dry skin, first and foremost, we need to make sure we trap as much moisture in the upper levels of the skin as possible because it's not the deeper levels of your skin that are causing the problem; it's actually a buildup of dry skin cells on the surface, which leads to that crinkly textured look, a lack of elasticity, and a loss of collagen. That's actually what would support the skin structure and make it look nice and smooth, so deep hydration first and foremost—we want to trap moisture into the skin."
"The stratum corneum is the outer layer of your skin, and trapping as much moisture as we can in that layer is the easiest way to do this," he adds. He suggests applying products right after your shower (within 5 to 6 minutes). This will help trap as much of that "residual moisture in those upper layers of skin."
2. Exfoliation
Exfoliating removes dull, dead skin cells, revealing fresher, smoother skin underneath. By sloughing off rough, dry patches, exfoliation helps smooth crepey, thin skin, making it look more youthful.
"The second very important thing and perhaps the keystone of this whole video is to make sure we're exfoliating that outer layer of skin gently," Gibson states. He says your skin may be "very sensitive to any type of friction and prone to tearing so we need to use a product that contains an encapsulated retinol; that's gentle to help speed up that cellular turnover and get those old dead skin cells off so it doesn't act as a shield and block the benefit of the next step" in your skincare routine.
3. Deeply hydrating moisturizer
Moisturizers infuse the skin with water and essential oils, preventing dehydration, which can make fine lines and wrinkles appear more prominent.
"A deeply hydrating moisturizer that contains ribose," is key. Gibson calls ribose "truly a miracle skincare ingredient when it comes to thinning, crepey, crinkly skin."
"Any product worth its salt, as they say, that's going to be treating this particular type of skin condition needs to contain ribose. Ribose is a natural part of DNA and RNA and is involved in your body's processes, especially the health of your skin cells. It is the only known skincare ingredient that the skin cells use for energy and why it's able to powerfully improve your skin's elasticity and reduce the look of that thinning, wrinkled, crinkled skin." Noted!
Another tip is to look for moisturizers with anti-aging benefits. Great ingredients include things such as hyaluronic acid, glycerin, ceramides, or plant oils like jojoba or rosehip oil.
