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Got Saggy Skin?
Sagging skin - what
you and your doctor can do.
By Holly Crawford
WebMD Feature from "Good
Housekeeping" Magazine
Gravity does take its toll, but something else is at
work here: Over time, the skin's underlying
structure breaks down, robbing our faces of their
definition, youthful plumpness, and resilience.
Skin
also renews itself much more slowly than it once
did. Thanks to all these factors (not to mention
genetics, weight changes, and sun damage), skin
starts to sag and hang (that's where jowls come
from). And some doctors say that once skin starts to
slacken, pores often look larger, as if they've been
stretched out of shape.
WHAT YOU CAN DO AT HOME
No
easy fixes here. "Tightening sagging skin requires
more intervention than any other problem," says
Ranella Hirsch, M.D., spokesperson for the American
Society for Dermatologic Surgery. A good moisturizer
will plump skin temporarily, Dr. Hirsch says. But if
the cream is too heavy, it will clog those oversize
pores.
The
best at-home solution: what the beauty industry
calls an "active" treatment, such as an
over-the-counter vitamin A (known as retinol) cream,
vitamin C serum, and alpha or beta hydroxy acids (AHAs
or BHAs). These usually go on at night and help skin
renew itself faster and look firmer. Try Garnier
Nutritioniste Ultra-Lift Firming Moisture Cream
($15, drugstores), which contains vitamin A.
As
for pores, you can't shrink them, but you can
minimize their appearance, says Jeanine B. Downie,
M.D., a dermatologist in Montclair, NJ. "Pores will
look smaller if you keep your skin clean and
protected from the sun," she says. If they really
bother you, try pore-minimizing makeup or a cream
like Dermadoctor Picture Porefect Pore Minimizing
Solution ($40, sephora.com). And, of course, daily
sunscreen is a must. Try Skin Effects Sun Effects
Sunscreen Lotion ($16, CVS).
WHAT A DOCTOR CAN DO
Not
interested in a face-lift? That's fine — there are
noninvasive procedures worth investigating. Both
infrared and laser treatments help stimulate the
development of new collagen and "get heat deeply
into the skin to help tighten fibrous bands,"
explains Dr. Weiss, who is also vice president of
the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery.
Ask
your doctor about the Palomar Lux DeepIR, Cutera
Titan, or CoolTouch. "Although we haven't found the
perfect device for dealing with sagging skin, the
technology is getting better all the time," Dr.
Weiss says. And while these treatments are pricey
and you'll need several sessions, the results are
visible and impressive.
To
help improve the look of enlarged pores (and speed
up skin's renewal process) at a much lower cost, ask
a doctor about a prescription for Retin-A. "Whether
you're dealing with acne or wrinkles, it's been
proven to work on many levels," says Dr. Hirsch.
©
WebMD. All rights reserved.
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"Tightening sagging skin requires more
intervention than any other problem." |
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