How to Fight Against Sagging Skin

Sagging skin is an inseparable part of aging. Our skin loses its elastic strength overtime. Along with aging, factors such as sun damage, smoking, and weight changes can affect the rate at which skin sagging happens to us. Luckily, there are ways to minimize this problem and its effects and restore saggy skin to its original state.

Preventing Saggy Skin

Eat Healthy Food

Skin health plays a key role in protecting against sagging skin and the speed of recovery. Two of the biggest factors that determine skin elasticity are genetics and age. What if both indicators are against you? Health experts believe that following a healthy diet helps with collagen production and the elasticity of our skin.

Vitamins A, C, and E protect the skin from free radicals (the bad guys that cause cell damage). They also enhance the speed of skin repair. In particular, vitamin A helps to hydrate the lower layers of the skin. Vitamin C protects skin-firming fibers such as collagen and elastin which play a significant role in preventing sagging skin.

Vitamin E protects the skin from sun damage. Eating a variety of green leafy vegetables and colorful fruits and vegetables can increase skin elasticity. Specific examples include carrots, oranges, cantaloupe, green peppers, citrus fruit, kiwi, papaya, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, spinach, and a large group of leafy greens.  

Fatty acids such as omega 3 and omega 6 nourish the skin to keep it flexible and smooth. These oils fight against skin dryness and wrinkles and saggy skin. Eat cold-water fish such as tuna, sardines, mackerel, and salmon. Include nuts as part of your daily snack. They are all excellent sources of essential fatty acids. You can also use healthy oils such as olive oil, canola oil, and grape seed oil.

Lose Weight Gradually

Most nutritionists recommend losing 2 to 3 kilograms of weight every two weeks. This of course may vary depending on how overweight you are. Losing weight quickly with extremely low-calorie diets and other short-term methods of weight loss can affect the health of your skin and cause saggy skin.

Build Muscle

There is compelling evidence that exercise prevents skin sagging, especially those that involve strength training. These types of exercises shape the muscles under the saggy skin and make the skin look less loose. Strong muscles keep the skin tight and firm.

When the underlying muscles of the body gain volume and shape, it gives the skin a firm base to spread itself. To get the best results, add protein to your meals and snacks because protein helps in recovery and strengthening both inside and outside the body.

Protect Your Skin from the Sun

If you spend a lot of time outdoors, you should take steps to prevent your skin from being exposed to collagen-damaging rays of the Sun that cause sagging skin. Plan to be done outside early in the morning or at the end of the day, when the sun is not strong. Use a sunscreen that has a broad-spectrum label on the package, which means that the sunscreen protects the skin from UVA and UVB rays. These two cases of radiation damage the middle membrane of the skin. Also, wear clothes that cover the skin well.

Read more: Common Summer Skin Problems and Solutions

Do Not Smoke

Smoking reduces the elasticity of your skin. Also, recent studies have shown that exposure to cigarette smoke increases the amount of inflammatory proteins in the skin and reduces collagen production. As a result, it causes skin sagging and wrinkles.

Stay Hydrated

Drink enough water. Lack of water damages skin cells, which means they become dry and inflexible. Never allow yourself to become so dehydrated that you feel thirsty as this can cause saggy skin.

Seek Therapy

With the new advancements in technology, people now have access to a range of diverse types of skincare treatments that can help expedite the process of restoring saggy skin. Some such technologies and treatments include HIFU, Microneedling, Plasma Fibroblast, and RF Skin Tightening.

Final Word

Over time, we inevitably lose collagen and skin firmness. External factors such as exposure to sunlight, pollutants, stress, etc. can speed up this process. Following a healthy diet rich in antioxidants, quitting smoking and alcohol, reducing stress, and using sunscreen can greatly reduce the impact of these external factors and the progress of sagging skin.