Are you wondering what crepey skin could look like, or do you want to learn more about the prevention and treatment of crepey skin? In this article, you will get insights into getting rid of crepey skin, plus the preventive measures to undertake to avoid an occurrence. So, if you are looking for firm skin, here is what you need to know about crepey skin.
What Is Crepey Skin?
Crepey skin is a dermatological condition that makes the skin have a thin-like, wrinkled look that resembles crepe paper. If you have this condition, your skin may sag or feel loose. Crepey skin may resemble wrinkles in many ways, but it is not since it tends to appear in larger areas of your body, and your skin may be visibly thin than in wrinkles. Crepey skin commonly appears on the upper arms or under the eyes.
Difference Between Crepey Skin And Wrinkles
Crepey skin may resemble wrinkles in many ways because they both have an occurrence when the skin gets thin. Learn to differentiate these two conditions. Crepey skin is likely to affect the sun-exposed areas of your skin, whereas wrinkles appear on targeted crevices of your skin. Also, wrinkles normally appear in creases and lines, while crepey skin normally has a fragile texture. Although wrinkles are normally linked to old age, it is not necessary that crepey skin only affects the old. Crepey skin may loo thin, sapped or wrinkled, but its main cause is not old age.
What Causes Crepey Skin?
As much as crepey skin is not caused only by old age, it is more common in people in their old age. So age could be a factor as it is not the main factor. When you get older, your skin produces less collagen and elastin, the main components contributing to your skin elasticity. When the above components are low, You may have sagging skin since the fibers that help your skin look supple and smooth are very low.
Again, when you age, your skin has low oil production compared to when you were younger. The purpose of oils in your skin is to create a lipid barrier to your skin by being a good moisturizer.
Sun damage is also a cause of crepey skin. Sun damage results in crepey skin when the ultra-violet rays of the sun rays break down collagen and elastin, which are responsible for improving skin health by making it supple and firm. Once the collagen and elastin break down, the skin loses its elasticity and becomes wrinkled and thin.
Genetics can also be another cause of developing crepey skin. Genetics determines how faster you are going to age and a person's skin type. The faster you age, the fairer your skin shows how vulnerable you can be to developing crepey skin.
Lifestyle habits could also be a cause of developing crepey skin. For example, cigarette smoking, limited nutrition and using certain medication may put you at risk of developing crepey skin.
Preventive Measures To Avoid Crepey Skin
Prevention is always better than cure; learn some preventive measures you can undertake to avoid crepey skin.
Sun Protection
Since UV radiation is responsible for breaking down the collagen and elastin in your skin, resulting in crepey skin, sun protection proves to be an effective way to prevent crepey skin from developing.
You can also seek shade when the radiation becomes intense, wear sun-protective clothing, or apply a broad spectrum of sunscreen with an SPF 30 or more during daylight.
Sunscreen with above SPF 30 is important in protecting you against UVB and UVA radiation that, in the extreme, may lead to skin cancer or early aging. Dermatologists recommend that people with sensitive skin use mineral sunscreens with alpha-hydroxy acids such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.
As you age, you should be keen on your skin health since older skin is more prone to inflammation and irritation. In addition, exposure to UV rays has been listed among the main reasons why crepey skin occurs.
Hydration
To prevent crepey skin, ensure you regularly hydrate your skin with a good moisturizer to trap moisture under the skin and make your skin look healthy. You can introduce hyaluronic acid to your skincare routine since it has good hydrating properties for your skin. Hyaluronic acid moisturizes your skin, thus preventing wrinkles and your skin looking like crepe paper. In addition, it is a good moisturizer to achieve soft, smooth skin.
Elasticity
To prevent crepey skin, you can apply topical creams that have retinol. Retinol is good for improving the skin's elasticity by helping collagen production. Retinoids in the retinol can help the skin regenerate faster, reducing the chances of developing crepey skin. You can also use retinol to improve crepey skin.
However, it will be best to use a good moisturizer after applying retinol since retinol tends to dry out the skin. You can find retinol in prescription or even as an over-the-counter drug. Another ingredient to look out for is peptides in topical creams. They act as a sign of skin damage by signaling the skin to produce new collagen that helps in firming the skin.
Nutrition
What you eat can also affect the outcome of your skin. Therefore, if you want to reduce the chance of crepey skin from occurring, it is essential o include the following in your meal plan:
- Vitamins A, C, D, E
- Omega-3 fatty acids
- Anti-oxidants such as flavonoids
Home Remedies
According to academic research institutions, the following home remedies are important in treating and preventing crepey skin:
- Doing frequent physical exercise.
- Getting a good night sleep
- A skincare routine includes exfoliating with a homemade scrub such as sugar and olive oil two times a week.
- Massaging some of your body parts such as your face, arms and legs
As with home remedies, you should get advice from your dermatologist before starting any of them to avoid worsening the existing situation.
How To Treat Crepey Skin
Compared to wrinkles, whose only remedy is prevention, crepey skin can be treated and managed. However, before reaching the treatment level, make sure you have prevented its occurrence. You can also go to the dermatologist and get laser treatment or fillers.
Laser Treatment:
In this procedure, the dermatologist includes fractional lasers that replenish the elastin in your skin by restoring its stretch. In addition, these fractional lasers boost your collagen with a laser which further leads to your skin getting moisturized.
The lasers heat a small area under your skin that encourages new collagen growth. Collagen is important in smoothing out your skin, thus preventing wrinkling. If you have crepey skin under the eyes, dermatologists advise using the Fraxel dual laser treatment.
Fillers
Another option is to look for fillers that contain hyaluronic acid to boost your skin with suppleness. These fillers are humectants, meaning they will hold in moisture in your skin and keep it hydrated. After frequent application of these filters, you will notice an improvement in your skin's texture, appearance, and crepey skin thickness. In addition, if you get these products injected directly into your skin, they may boost your collagen production.
Cryolipolysis
This is a non-invasive procedure that you can undertake to reduce sagging skin. The procedure is mainly done to reduce fat in areas with excess skin. The treatment freezes lipids in fat cells, making them dissolve. The skin ends up tightening after the fat removal.
Surgery
Surgery is the request for people who have lost much weight and have excess crepey skin. When the only remedy to getting rid of the crepey skin is to perform a surgery, a skin surgeon may consider an operation, but it may be risky.
Some surgical procedures that may improve crepey skin include neck lifts, facelifts, or blepharoplasties to tighten the upper eyelid.
Prescriptions
A dermatologist can prescribe certain topical creams that may help improve crepey skin. Such is like Tretinoin, a retinoid prescription for people with crepey skin. The topical cream is applied to the affected area and has vitamin A components that are useful in the face for protecting your skin against harmful UV radiation.
Other topical treatments may contain peptides in a lower concentration of vitamin C with anti-oxidants that are useful in preventing skin damage.
OTC Drugs
Many OTC products have retinoid, which is important in skin firming and has vitamin A that boosts the skin's elasticity. In addition, any products containing alpha-hydroxy acids impact the skin by improving its elasticity, thus reducing wrinkles. Other products that may benefit your skin include citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid and glycolic acid.
You should use all these products as directed by a physician. If you experience burns or irritation while using these products, you should discontinue use and seek dermatological advice. Also, it would be best if you were patient while taking this medication, as they may take even months to heal completely.
