How to Tighten The Skin on Your Face

As we age, our skin naturally loosens and can begin to sag. This is especially true of the skin on our faces. Aging skin appears to lose its volume and resiliency for several reasons, but thankfully, there are now various solutions to help prevent this from happening. Below, we’ve identified some of the main reasons your skin loosens and methods on how to tighten the skin on your face. We’ll walk you through a variety of skin tightening options, covering everything from surgical methods to natural techniques so that you can identify the best choice for you and your skin.

The Causes of Loose Skin

The most common cause of loose and sagging skin is a reduction of collagen and elastin in the dermal structure¹. These two proteins are critical to the skin’s elasticity and firmness, and their production naturally declines as we age. Elastin is associated with the skin’s elasticity, meaning its ability to return to its original shape after being stretched. Similarly, collagen is responsible for maintaining the skin’s structure, firmness, and fullness.

In addition to the natural decline of protein production, other factors can impact our skin’s appearance. Our skin is exposed to many different harmful elements throughout our lives, such as sun damage, environmental pollutants, and nutritional factors like alcohol consumption. Unfortunately, too much exposure to these influences can speed up the aging processes occurring within the skin.

How to Tighten Loose Skin on Your Face

Though the loosening of your skin is natural, there are various ways to help reduce and prevent this process. Whether you prefer a surgical procedure or are looking for a natural skin tightening treatment alternative, you have options to choose from.

Surgical, Skin-Tightening Procedures

For some, utilizing surgical techniques may be the best and most effective option to tighten loose facial skin. These methods are especially useful for those with prominent sagging or significant excess skin. As with any other surgical intervention, you will be required to undergo a consultation with a healthcare provider to determine if your preferred method is appropriate and safe.

Facelift:²A facelift generally involves tightening the tissues underneath the skin while redistributing fat in the face to sculpt new contours. Then the skin is physically lifted and repositioned over the new structure of the face, removing any excess skin during the process. The procedure is usually done in either a hospital or outpatient facility and may take several weeks to heal.

Non-Surgical, Skin-Tightening Treatments

Of course, surgical interventions may not be necessary if you only want help reducing the appearance of some finer lines and wrinkles, or don’t have especially saggy skin. If this is the case, consider non-surgical methods to help tighten the skin on your face. These treatments can be carried out by any qualified healthcare provider and are typically outpatient procedures with shorter recovery time.

Neurotoxin: Neurotoxin injections are primarily used to smooth deep lines and wrinkles on the face. A healthcare provider will inject small amounts of purified botulinum toxin into specific muscles on your face and neck during the procedure. The injection causes those muscles to temporarily relax, minimizing the appearance of wrinkles. These results typically last for three to four months, though sometimes longer. Try our INhance Post-Injection Serum to help accelerate recovery post-injection supporting the skin's ability to produce new elastin and collagen.
Chemical Peels³: Used to brighten and smooth the skin, types of chemical peels can vary in their strength. This method utilizes a chemical mask to remove several skin layers and reveal the younger-looking skin below. While a light peel will only result in some redness and a few days of healing, a medium or deep peel may require several weeks to heal completely. Your healthcare provider can discuss the chemical peel procedure with you in detail and help you determine the best type of peel to achieve your desired outcome.
Laser Resurfacing⁴: A rejuvenation procedure used to improve your facial skin’s appearance, laser resurfacing can be done with ablative and non-ablative lasers. Ablative lasers were made to remove the top layers of skin and heat the underlying layers to promote collagen production, resulting in smoother and tighter skin as it heals. Alternatively, non-ablative lasers are less invasive and stimulate collagen growth without removing the outer layers of skin. Non-ablative laser treatments can help improve skin tone. However, a laser treatment is an effective method to reduce sagging skin.
Microneedling⁵: Another method used to promote the skin’s natural collagen production is microneedling. This process involves using small, fine needles. They create hundreds of tiny holes in your skin’s top layers. These small tears stimulate the skin’s healing process and, therefore, collagen production, which helps with skin elasticity. Before the procedure we recommend using our Restorative Skin Complex with TriHex Technology® to amplify the effects and strengthen your skin by supporting natural hyaluronic acid levels. Pre-procedure care paired with proper microneedling aftercare will help lead to results you will love.
Rejuvenating HydraFacial Treatment: The HydraFacial treatment gives your skin the natural glow that we all love and keeps your skin hydrated post-procedure. The treatment is quick, easy, and pain-free. The procedure takes 30 minutes and can be done on your lunch break. The facial leaves your skin looking and feeling rejuvenated, fresh, and leaves no irritation or inflammation. HydraFacial works by removing dead skin cells, and impurities from the dermis while cleansing, hydrating, and moisturizing the skin.

How To Tighten Skin Naturally

If a skin tightening procedure isn’t for you, you may want to consider trying a natural remedy instead. These are non-invasive skin treatments and can help tighten the skin on your face by using manual manipulation or active ingredients to stimulate the body’s natural processes.

Face Massage⁶: Facial massages are the practice of manually manipulating the skin to generate biological responses in the tissue. The process increases body heat and blood circulation in the skin layers, which can help the skin appear fuller and smoother. Furthermore, the skin’s mechanical stimulation in this manner may help increase the skin’s natural production of elastin and collagen, aiding in the tightening of the skin.
Face Mask⁷: Similarly, hundreds of face masks are available in stores or with healthcare providers that use specific active ingredients to help tighten the skin on your face. If you aim to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, look for masks that contain antioxidants, such as vitamin C, vitamin E, resveratrol, and ferulic acid. Face masks with oats, honey, cucumber, or yogurt can help hydrate your skin.
Facial Exercises⁸: Completing a series of facial exercises may also help improve the tightness of your skin. By strengthening the facial muscles in your face, you can sculpt and shape your face while reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. This method, however, requires consistency over a long period of time before seeing any results.

The ALASTIN Difference

Using medical grade, high-quality skincare products in addition to these methods can help amplify the effects of the procedures discussed above.

Figuring out how to tighten skin and how to get rid of forehead wrinkles or other fine lines starts with an understanding of why you are experiencing loose skin. You should then assess the severity of sagging and wrinkles on your face to determine the best method for addressing this concern. Talk with your healthcare team to develop a suitable skin care treatment plan and use our professional skincare products to complement your efforts.

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Article Reviewed by Wendy Johnson

Vice President, Marketing

Wendy Johnson brings to Alastin Skincare over 22 years of pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and aesthetics industry experience in various sales, training, marketing and thought leader development roles.

After spending 10 years in gastroenterology at Tap Pharmaceuticals and Prometheus Laboratories, with sales and marketing oversight for in-line and pre-launch products, Mrs. Johnson transitioned to an aesthetic career at SkinMedica in 2004. While there, she was responsible for marketing one of the top 2 branded prescription hydroquinones, launching a leading branded low potency steroid, and oversight of the acne franchise line extensions.

In 2010, Wendy joined Merz North America where she developed and managed the Physician Relations department in support of injectable, topical and device business units under Medical Affairs, before transitioning into managing a Regional Aesthetics Marketing team.