One of the most visible signs of aging is losing your skin elasticity. As the skin on your face becomes less firm, any wrinkles will deepen and gain further definition. You may also notice the skin on your face sagging, potentially resulting in the formation of double chins and jowls as you age.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that it’s not just you. Losing skin elasticity, also known as elastosis, is a completely natural part of the aging process for everyone. Fortunately, you can combat the effects of elastosis with natural measures and maintain your results with medspa treatments.
The Process Behind Elastosis
Maintaining elasticity of the skin is extremely important, it’s what’s responsible for that youthful glow and smoothness. When we are young, the skin is full of the proteins collagen and elastin, and hormones influence the body to constantly produce both. The presence of these two proteins is what gives our skin the ability to stretch and bounce back.
Once we reach our mid-20s, the body begins to slow down the production of the hormones responsible for creating collagen and elastin. As a result, skin begins to lose its elasticity. By our 30s and 40s, collagen production has reduced enough that elastosis of the skin becomes visible. This process can be accelerated as the skin begins to lose its natural oils and gravity starts to take its toll. Other outside factors like smoking, exposure to UV radiation, and lack of good sleep habits can heavily contribute to the loss of skin elasticity as well.
How to Regain Elasticity in the Skin
There are plenty of anti-aging solutions on the market, but many of them are cocktails of unpronounceable chemicals. While we all want great results, it’s always critical to know what exactly you’re putting on or in your body.
How to improve skin elasticity on your face naturally is vital knowledge as you age, and we’ve put together a list of the six most effective, noninvasive tips to restore your youthful glow. Simple adjustments to your daily routine and taking the steps to lead a healthy lifestyle can provide noticeable results without high costs or exposure to unknown chemicals.
1. Don’t Forget Your Sunscreen
It doesn’t matter if you’re running errands or relaxing on the beach, protecting your skin from the sun is essential. Too much sun exposure can have such a detrimental impact on the elasticity of the skin, there’s even a specific term for it: photoaging. 80% of facial skin aging is the direct result of exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which is emitted by the sun and artificial light sources like tanning beds.2
Using a light, moisturizing sunscreen daily with a minimum of SPF 30 can help protect against the harsh impact of UV rays. There are plenty of organic, plant-based sunscreens that are oil-free and full of antioxidants. Look for facial sunscreens that list non-nano zinc oxide as their active ingredient. Non-nano zinc oxide isn’t toxic and offers the same great protection as a regular sunscreen without absorbing into your skin.
The best natural precaution you can take against UV rays is wearing a hat and sun protective clothing when you plan to be outside. Even if you don’t have sunscreen on hand, wearing a hat or visor to protect your face from the sun can be just as effective. Many outdoor and athletic brands now carry products that have a UPF, or ultraviolet protection factor. Clothing with a UPF factor is relatively easy to find and is carried by many sustainable, eco-friendly realtors nationwide.
2. Reach For The Organic Cleansers
Using a high-quality organic cleanser daily is one of the best ways to keep your face free of dirty and unwanted oils, while keeping your skin free from harsh chemicals. As an added benefit, most organic and chemical free cleansers tend to be non-comedogenic, meaning that they’ll be gentle on the skin’s natural barriers and won’t clog your pores.
Not only are organic cleansers essential to maintaining a healthy complexion, choosing to use an organic cleanser can also be part of your effort to live a more sustainable lifestyle. The organic ingredients used in natural face cleansers come from more sustainable agricultural and manufacturing processes. In this way, choosing to use an eco-friendly product will help reduce your personal carbon footprint. You’ll be protecting the Earth and preserving the elasticity of your skin at the same time.
3. Moisturize Skin Daily
Moisturizers lock water into the skin, which causes it to have a more youthful and radiant appearance. Not only do moisturizers prevent and reduce dryness, they create a protective coating over the skin’s barrier. This reduces any outside irritations, and diminishes the effect of the elements on your skin. Even just using a light, non-comedogenic lotion or cream moisturizer on your face daily can work wonders to improve your skin elasticity.
It’s recommended that you apply moisturizer after washing your face with an organic cleanser, in the morning, and at night. Using the cleanser and moisturizer in the morning will protect your skin against dirt and oils, and will replenish any water lost from the skin when applied at night.
4. Use Anti-Aging Products with Natural Ingredients
When it comes to anti-aging products, there’s really no substitute for retinol. Although retinol may sound like a harsh, scary chemical, retinol is really just a derivative of a natural vitamin—vitamin A. For some with sensitive skin, however, retinol can be a bit irritating, so the next best thing is vitamin A itself. Applying pure vitamin A directly to your skin isn’t the best idea, since you’ll end up looking a bit orange, but it’s possible to find vitamin A in organic, natural anti-aging products.
Using an organic, natural product featuring vitamin A will give you the skin-tightening results as a retinoid, without the irritation. Keep in mind that organic vitamin A-based products will take a bit longer to work than those prescribed by a dermatologist. It’s also important to remember that the FDA doesn’t regulate the terms “naturally derived” or “organic” when it comes to skin care or cosmetics, so be sure to triple check the ingredients of any new product you plan on using.3
5. Eat Your Fruits and Vegetables
Not to sound like your parents, but it’s true that maintaining a healthy, balanced diet is important for the health of your skin. Eating a diet plentiful in antioxidant foods to improve elasticity of the skin has the potential to enhance the growth capacity of the skin and help neutralize UV radiation.4 Transitioning to a plant based diet will boost the amount of antioxidants in your system, and also has the benefit of reducing your risk of oxidative stress-related diseases.5 In addition to the health benefits, plant-based diets are substantially more sustainable for the environment.
Eating a plant based diet doesn’t have to mean giving up your favorite things. Coffee, dark chocolate, and nuts all contain high levels of antioxidants. You won’t have to worry about giving up meat and dairy either, since going plant-based does not always mean you are committing to a completely vegetarian or vegan diet. Plant-based diets focus the majority of your food consumption on fruits and vegetables, and minimize the amount of meat and dairy you’ll eat. You could say that, although it’s permitted, eating meat and dairy is an afterthought instead of the star.
Your favorite foods are probably higher in antioxidants than you realize. Dried apples, artichokes, dried plums, dried apricots, and curly kale all rank as rich in antioxidants. Some foods that contain medium levels of antioxidants are dried mango, black and green olives, red cabbage, and red beets. Next time you head to the fridge, remember that studies have shown, it is in fact possible to delay the aging of your skin with the consumption of selected nutritional supplements.
6. Exercise Regularly
It may sound obvious, but it’s important not to forget how critical regular exercise is for maintaining a healthy body, including your skin. No matter your age, committing to some form of endurance exercise will improve your overall health, including the regenerative properties of your skin.
Fortunately, your skin isn’t picky about what you’re doing, as long as you’re getting some form of a workout. Anything that increases your heart rate and stimulates blood circulation will help to increase elasticity in the skin naturally.6 Everything from walking, running, cycling, and swimming is great for your skin.
Exploring the outdoors can do wonders for your mind, too. Spending more time in nature can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. Getting outside can calm your busy mind, and restore your natural glow at the same time. Just don’t forget sun protection!
A Good Skin Care Routine is Essential
Developing a good skincare routine with natural and organic products and committing to following it regularly is the first step to strengthening and improving the elasticity of the skin. Utilizing cleansers, moisturizers, and anti-aging products with natural ingredients on a regular basis can make a massive improvement in the elasticity of your skin.
Sources:
- Ganceviciene, R., Liakou, A. I., Theodoridis, A., Makrantonaki, E., & Zouboulis, C. C. (2012). Skin anti-aging strategies. Dermato-endocrinology, 4(3), 308–319. https://doi.org/10.4161/derm.22804
- Zhang, S., & Duan, E. (2018). Fighting against Skin Aging: The Way from Bench to Bedside. Cell Transplantation, 27(5), 729–738. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963689717725755
- USDA (2022). Cosmetics, body care, and Personal Care Products. Cosmetics, Body Care, and Personal Care Products. Agricultural Marketing Service. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2022, from https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/cosmetics-body-care-and-personal-care-products?dDocName=STELPRDC5068442
- Dunaway, S., Odin, R., Zhou, L., Ji, L., Zhang, Y., & Kadekaro, A. L. (2018). Natural antioxidants: Multiple mechanisms to protect skin from solar radiation. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2018.00392
- Carlsen, M. H., Halvorsen, B. L., Holte, K., Bøhn, S. K., Dragland, S., Sampson, L., Willey, C., Senoo, H., Umezono, Y., Sanada, C., Barikmo, I., Berhe, N., Willett, W. C., Phillips, K. M., Jacobs, D. R., Jr, & Blomhoff, R. (2010). The total antioxidant content of more than 3100 foods, beverages, spices, herbs and supplements used worldwide. Nutrition journal, 9, 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2891-9-3
- Crane, J. D., MacNeil, L. G., Lally, J. S., Ford, R. J., Bujak, A. L., Brar, I. K., Kemp, B. E., Raha, S., Steinberg, G. R., & Tarnopolsky, M. A. (2015). Exercise‐stimulated interleukin‐15 is controlled by AMPK and regulates skin metabolism and aging. Aging Cell, 14(4), 625–634. https://doi.org/10.1111/acel.12341