We’ve rounded up some skin tightening treatments to help you look your best for longer.
We all want smooth, tight, wrinkle-free skin.
But ageing, sun damage, and toxins can lead to our collagen and elastin breaking down, causing our skin to become wrinkled, loose, and saggy before its time.
If you don’t want to go under the knife or invest in expensive high-street beauty procedures, there are a number of do-it-yourself skin tightening treatments that you can try out at home…
Facial yoga
One of the simplest ways to tighten your skin is to try out some facial yoga.
These exercises are designed to help shape your muscles, create fuller cheeks, and tighten your skin.
Of course, facial yoga will take time. You cannot expect to wobble your face for ten minutes and transform your appearance immediately.
However, making it a habit and exercising for 10-30 minutes a day should be enough to tighten your skin over a couple of months. Be consistent.
The best part about facial yoga is that it’s free and noninvasive, and there are thousands of YouTube tutorials on the right facial exercises and the reasons behind them, like this one…
Natural face masks
Another natural skin-tightening technique that you can try out from the comfort of your own home is a face mask.
Inexpensive and good for the skin, face masks often make your skin feel tighter immediately.
That makes them a great short-term option if you’re heading to an event.
What’s particularly fun about homemade face masks is that you can experiment to find the right ingredients for your skin.
Opt for a banana face mask with half of a ripe banana, some olive oil and a teaspoon of honey to hydrate and moisturise your skin.
Alternatively, try an egg white with natural yoghurt and sugar to tone your skin, make it firm, and reduce unwanted blemishes.
Microneedling
One trend that has exploded in recent years is microneedling.
Beauticians up and down the country offer sessions at their salons and clinics promising younger, tighter skin.
The good news is that microneedling products are now available for home if you want to give it a go.
However, we must stress that the practice is not for the faint-hearted.
Microneedling works by using super-fine needles, creating hundreds of tiny puncture wounds on the top layer of your skin.
These wounds stimulate your skin’s natural wound-healing process, thus increasing the natural production of collagen and elastin.
In a few days, this improves the texture and tightness of your skin, removing some wrinkles and scars.
However, microneedling is not permanent, so you’ll need to continue treatments to maintain the effects.
Current at-home microneedling kits don’t offer the same level of micro-punctures as you’d expect from a professionally-trained microneedling clinician.
Retinol
Though retinol can irritate and damage your skin if used too frequently, it’s now a popular ingredient in ingredient in over-the-counter skin-tightening products, deriving from Vitamin A.
Offering a whole host of benefits, retinol is known to prevent and fight wrinkles, reduce hyperpigmentation, even out skin tones, brighten skin, fight acne, and tighten the skin, too.
Shop around to find a low-concentrate serum that offers the benefits of retinol without the side effects (redness, dry skin, itchiness, uncomfortable tightness, and flakey skin).
Do a patch test before you put it all over your face to keep your skin looking its best.
Collagen cream
As we age, collagen in our skin breaks down, causing sagging, loosening, and wrinkles.
By replacing that lost collagen, you can replenish your skin’s natural supply, making your face appear tighter and more moisturised.
The good news is that many over the counter creams and moisturisers include collagen, allowing you to keep your skin as elastic as possible.
However, a word of warning: not all creams contain the same ingredients or percentage of collagen, so shop around and read labels to find the best collagen cream for your budget.
Oralift
We couldn’t put together a guide to skin tightening without giving our own device a mention!
Oralift is a natural facial rejuvenation tool, designed to reduce and delay the signs of facial ageing, fitting over your lower teeth. It looks similar to a mouthguard and is worn for just two hours, every third day, activating your facial muscles without any exercises or discomfort.
Oralift users have reported a whole host of benefits, including tightened and strengthened facial muscles.
Reduced lines around the mouth, and eyes, and more prominent cheekbones have also been reported.
Take preventative measures
Beginning to see signs of ageing and want your skin to quit while it’s ahead?
You can prevent your facial skin from loosening by taking good care of your health.
Make sure you wear the right sun creams, drink lots of water, and get enough sleep every evening.
Regular exercise and a healthy, balanced diet will also allow you to hold onto your naturally tight skin for longer.
Avoiding smoking and too much alcohol will also have an impact.
In fact, taking good care of your skin will actually reverse sagging and loosening in many cases, particularly if you’ve been dehydrated or you have struggled with your sleep.
How many of these skin tightening treatments have you tried?
Let us know on Twitter via @Oralift and check back soon for more anti-ageing advice from our skincare specialists.