Why Is My Skin Sagging?

Firm, resilient skin is one of the hallmarks of a youthful complexion. Losing that firmness is also one of the first and most prevalent signs of aging.

Sagging, lax skin contributes to jowling, wrinkles, and facial lines, making us not only look older, but more worn out and tired too. Worse, skin laxity happens no matter how well you care for your skin. It’s not a look you have to live with.

At Rostami OPC, Soheila Rostami, MD, and Joseph Davidson, MD, specialize in nonsurgical skin-tightening techniques aimed at helping patients at their Reston, Virginia, practice achieve firmer, more youthful complexions without the risks, hassles, and costs of facelift surgery. 

Here’s how they can help you look and feel your best.

Why your skin is starting to sag

Some people develop saggy skin after losing a lot of weight, when their skin isn’t “elastic enough” to snap back to its slimmer contours. Smoking, poor diet choices, and chronic illness also contribute to problems with skin laxity. 

Most often, though, our skin sags because of a combination of age-related factors and environmental exposures that take a toll on the skin’s structure — specifically, the collagen and elastin fibers that make up your skin’s support structure.

Building blocks of skin

Collagen and elastin are proteins found abundantly in your skin, especially when you’re young. 

These proteins form a supportive network for skin, and while they’re both important for maintaining a youthful complexion, they have different functions: Collagen provides skin’s firm structure, while elastin helps skin “bounce back” after it’s been stretched.

While you’re young, your body produces plenty of these proteins, helping your skin replenish itself so it stays firm and smooth. But as we age, we produce less collagen and elastin, weakening skin’s structure so wrinkles and sagging are more likely to occur.

Age isn’t the only factor to influence collagen and elastin production. Exposure to the sun’s damaging rays also takes a toll, damaging the structure of collagen so it’s unable to provide adequate skin support. 

Experts estimate that sun damage is responsible for up to 90% of skin’s visible signs of aging, including skin laxity, wrinkles, and changes in texture and tone.

Treating skin laxity: No facelift required

Certainly, having a good skin care routine can delay some of the effects of aging, including sagging skin and wrinkles. But regardless of how involved and rigorous your own routine may be, your skin is going to need a little expert help eventually.

Our team uses the EndyMedTM 3Deep® system to help patients enjoy smoother, firmer, more youthful-looking skin without surgery or invasive therapies. EndyMed’s 3Deep technology uses heat to penetrate to the deeper layers of skin, where collagen and elastin fibers are produced.

Gentle heat triggers natural healing responses along with collagen remodeling, resulting in smoother, firmer skin. 

The special handheld applicators enable precise delivery of healing energy along the neck, jawline, jowls, and discrete areas of the face, for custom results that focus on your specific treatment goals. 

Better still, 3Deep treatments are ideal for all skin types, and there’s no downtime, either. 

Feel great about the way you look

Skin treatments have come a long way over the past decade or two, and now there’s virtually no reason why you can’t enjoy firmer skin and a more youthful complexion. To find out how we can help, call 571-568-8716 or book an appointment online at Rostami OPC today.