Do Skin Tightening Cream Work?
Everyone desires flawless and healthy skin. However, achieving great skin is hampered by several factors ranging from aging, sun exposure, and lifestyle choices. These factors have a significant impact on the rate at which the body produces collagen and elastin.
Lifestyle choices such as excessive smoking and exposure to sunlight reduce collagen and elastin production within the body, causing loose, sagging, and wrinkled skin.
Many individuals who seek to lift and tighten their skin without going under the knife or the use of other treatments can opt for skin tightening creams.
What are Skin Tightening Creams?
Skin tightening creams help to tighten the appearance of the skin by making it appear firmer. Skin tightening creams can facilitate the production of collagen and elastin fibers.
Effective skin tightening creams go beyond just firming the skin but enhances its look and feel.
How Does Skin Tightening Cream Works?
The concept surrounding skin tightening creams is built around encouraging the body to produce collagen and elastin. Once we pass the age of 25, our bodies would start experiencing a decline in their natural production of collagen.
The rate of collagen production becomes very slow, that the body is left with no new collagen by the time the individual turns 50. Collagen is the element of the skin that helps provide structure.
Weak collagen would result in sagging skin. Good skin tightening creams work by helping to increase our body's production of collagen and elastin. Similarly, skin tightening creams are good moisturizers and can help plump the top layer of the skin, making it appear firmer and smoother.
While skin tightening creams may not produce the same effect as surgical procedures such as abdominoplasty or liposuction, they provide a cost-effective and non-invasive way to tighten loose skin.
Ingredients in Skin Tightening Creams That Helps Firm the Skin
The best ingredients in skin tightening creams help protect the skin from sun exposure, hydrate the skin and increase the production rate of collagen and elastin in the body. Here is a list of the most ingredients found in skin tightening creams.
Antioxidants: Antioxidants such as vitamins B3, C, E, and co-enzymes function by slowing the rate at which collagen deteriorates in the skin. They also help prevent any skin inflammation caused by radical damage.
Retinol: This compound is a well-known antioxidant that helps protect your cells from any damage by harmful substances. It helps to promote the production of collagen in the skin.
Hydroxyl acids: One example is glycolic acid. It helps to exfoliate the skin by removing the dead outer layer and allow other ingredients to penetrate and enhance collagen production.
Peptides: Peptides in skin tightening creams help to strengthen the skin to improve firmness and elasticity.
Caffeine: Caffeine gets added to skin tightening creams to help restrict blood vessels, reduce excess blood fluids in the skin, and break down excess fat.
There are many skin tightening brands out there, with each trying to outdo the other in the market. With a lot of them laying claims to almost miraculous effects of their products, you should avoid brands that carry some of the following ingredients:
Salicylic acid: Acrylic acid is best for individuals with oily skin. Skin tightening creams can cause skin irritation and excessively dry skin with people with sensitive skin for other skin types.
Parabens: These are preservatives mostly found in skincare products, including skin tightening creams. Prolonged use of the products is linked to low sperm quality and breast cancer.
Fragrances: Some fragrances used in skin tightening cream can cause irritation and allergic reactions when applied to some parts of the body, such as the face, armpits, hands, and neck.
Are They Worth Buying?
Saggy skins, wrinkles, and fine lines are a serious concern for many people. Skin tightening creams provide a non-surgical and cheaper alternative to reverse sagging skin.
While skin tightening creams can help provide marked differences in tightening loose skins and reduce cellulite appearance, achieving desired results takes time.
Skin firming products have their limitations and may not provide a permanent solution to your skin sagging problems. Buying a skin tightening cream that works entails you lookout for a product that contains the right ingredient.
Retinol and Vitamin C have been clinically proven to be quite effective in skin tightening and elasticity. So while choosing the right skin tightening cream to buy, ensure you select a combination of the best ingredients to deliver visible results.
Similarly, the concentration of the main ingredient plays a significant role in most skin tightening creams. It would help if you opted for skin tightening products whose main ingredients are present in proportions large enough to bring about change.
What Types of Cream are There?
Several people consider skin tightening creams a cost-effective alternative to reverse saggy skin and wrinkles than surgical procedures. Let's look at some types of skin tightening creams out there.
Face and neck skin tightening cream: The face and neck are delicate skin layers and are more exposed to the sun. As a result, face and neck skin tightening cream should contain ingredients such as retinol and peptides that help stimulate collagen production.
Sun protecting skin tightening creams: These skin tightening creams usually contain a sun protection factor ( SPF) of 15 or 30 to protect thin skin layers like the face and skin against the sun.
Skin tightening creams for the body: Unlike the face and neck area, other parts of the body are less sensitive and are less likely to have irritation or reaction problems.
What are Some Other Ways to Tighten Skin?
Aside from the use of skin tightening creams, here are some other ways to tighten loose skin.
Exercise
The building of muscle mass through weight training exercises helps reduce the appearance of loose skin.
Non-invasive skin tightening procedures
These procedures entail sending heat to the tissues in your skin. They do not leave any wound or incision on the skin. Some non-invasive skin procedures include:
Radiofrequency
Ultrasound
Laser treatment
Surgery
Surgery should come as a last resort. Surgeries are done on certain areas of the body, including:
Tummy tuck
Lower body lift
Upper body lift
Arm lift
Final Thoughts
Skin tightening creams can be quite effective in treating loose skin and wrinkles caused by aging. They contain ingredients such as retinol and vitamin C that stimulate collagen production.
While skin tightening creams may not be the most effective option for tightening loose skins, they are certainly worth your time and money.