As you grow older, you may begin to notice some signs of aging, including loose or sagging skin. Yes, your once tough and supple skin begins to lose its elasticity, and it sometimes has a negative toll on your confidence and self-esteem.

Most times, people opt for cosmetic treatments just to tighten their sagging skin, but these methods are expensive and cause some adverse effects which may leave you regretting.

Luckily, there are some natural remedies for skin tightening that help improve your looks and preserve your youthful appearance. The good part is that they are inexpensive and easy, and they are effective to minimize wrinkles and fine lines.

Before we talk about the remedies and how to tighten sagging skin, let’s discuss what causes this skin condition in the first place.

What Causes Sagging Skin?

Sagging skin usually appears on the face, arms, neck, buttocks, and legs.

You might think the only reason why your skin is sagging is because you’re aging. But that’s not all to it; actually, there are many other reasons why you may have sagging skin.

Here are the most common causes of sagging skin:

Aging

Let’s begin with the most popular cause of sagging skin – aging.  Your skin naturally loses its elasticity as you age. The connective tissues in your body which link the bones to the cartilages become weak. More so, the body’s fat content drops in volume, leading to the formation of clumps which sags over time due to gravity.

Prolonged Exposure to Sunlight.

If you expose your body to the harmful rays of the sun for too long, your skin may become loose. The toxins and air pollution of the environment also speed up this process, thereby damaging your skin’s elasticity and causing sagging.

Unhealthy Lifestyle

Eating a poor diet and nutrient deficiencies can impair the production of collagen in your skin. Also, lack of exercise or physical activity hinders the free flow of blood, causing the development of wrinkles and sagging skin.

Smoking cigarettes also fasten the process of wrinkle formation and sagging skin.

Rapid Weight Loss

When you lose weight too quickly, your skin doesn’t get enough time to tighten up, and this can lead to stretch marks and sagging skin.

So you see, both intrinsic and extrinsic factors contribute to the development of loose and saggy skin.

Now, let’s discuss how to tighten sagging skin. We will dwell mainly on the natural methods but also show you the other methods commonly used.

But keep in mind that natural methods are safer and cost-effective and won’t put you at risk of any long-term side effects.

How to Tighten Sagging Skin

Natural methods

Here are some simple natural ways to tighten your sagging skin:

Collagen Supplement

Your diet plays a big role in your skin health. Collagen supplements added to your diet may help tighten your sagging skin. More so, these supplements offer anti-aging effects

Collagen peptides in the form of oral supplement offer the following benefits to skin:

•         It helps boost collagen production, which leads to stronger collagen networks
•         It helps improve the skin’s moisture barrier by increasing the level of hyaluronic acid
•         It supports the growth of skin fibroblasts – the main cells that form the connective compounds.

One study showed that women who consumed 10 grams of collagen peptides in a drink experienced improved collagen levels and better skin elasticity and structure after 4 weeks.

Antioxidant-rich Foods

Antioxidants help reduce skin sagging by neutralizing reactive oxygen species (ROS) – compounds that activate pathways that lead to collagen degradation.

Some good examples of antioxidants are:

•         vitamin A, C, D, and E
•         zinc
•         coenzyme Q10
•         selenium

You can get these antioxidants from foods, drinks, and nutritional supplements.

Fruits and vegetables such as berries, grapefruit, cucumbers, carrots, avocado, and tomatoes are rich in antioxidants and contain a lot of water, which keeps the skin hydrated and supple.

However, when taking antioxidant supplements, you need to follow the dosage on the label.

Taking too much of certain vitamins for prolonged time, particularly vitamin A and E, may result in some side effects, including vomiting, nausea, and abdominal pain. You should discuss with your doctor first if you’re on any medication.

Exercise

Regular exercise helps tighten sagging skin.  A study revealed that endurance exercise helps reduce the effects of skin aging. The study found that following an endurance exercise routine helps improve tissue metabolism and reduce skin changes.

Strength training exercises, involving weight lighting and different exercise variations help work on your muscles and sagging skin. These exercises tone your muscles and improve the elasticity of your skin.

Some good exercises that work for skin tightening include crunches, cycling, leg raises, sit ups, planks, squats, pelvic thrusts, and dumbbell routines for the biceps and triceps.

As a woman, if you ever get loose skin following pregnancy and childbirth, you should talk to your doctor about the best physical activity to try and which exercise to avoid.

Massage

Massage is effective for improving blood flow and stimulating cell growth. This helps tighten the skin, preventing fine lines and wrinkles.

You can create a routine of massaging your face for 5-6 minutes every day. Many beauty experts recommend this practice to maintain a beautiful skin.

Practice Yoga

Yoga is not only beneficial for flexibility and mindfulness. This practice also helps in tightening your sagging skin and toning your muscles.

As you stretch or pose during yoga, your muscles get activated and blood flows better. This way, your skin starts to tone, tighten and glow.

Some good yoga poses that help tighten the skin include the cobra pose, downward dog pose, plank pose, upward facing dog pose, and bow pose.

Surgical Procedures

Surgical methods include face lifting and Botox.

A facelift surgery is usually performed on the face and neck to repair sagging skin. However, it comes with some side effects, such as unevenness of the face shape, scarring, change in skin color, sutures that may cause irritation, and fluid collection under the skin.

Botox involves injecting botox into the skin and it is often used to tackle the first few signs of aging.

Non-surgical methods

Some non-surgical methods often used for tightening sagging skin include:

•         Chemical peels
•         Ablative and non-ablative laser resurfacing or laser peeling
•         Radiofrequency
•         Ultrasound
•         Fibroblast technique

Household Ingredients

Some household ingredients which work for tightening sagging skin include:

•         Coconut oil
•         Mustard oil
•         Avocado oil
•         Almond oil
•         Olive oil
•         Fish oil supplements
•         Citrus juices
•         Good old honey
•         Witch Hazel solution

These ingredients are often applied to the skin to improve elasticity and the overall appearance.

What is the Best Way for Tightening Sagging Skin?

Well, as mentioned from the beginning, if you want a safe, inexpensive, yet effective way to tighten your sagging skin, it is best to use natural methods.

It is good to use the home remedies to improve your skin’s elasticity, but taking collagen supplements is a good way to boost collagen and fibroblast production from within to help achieve a firm and strong skin.

Give the natural remedies a shot to help improve your skin appearance. You can get a natural blend of antioxidants and vitamin C to tighten your sagging skin, hydrate it, as well as reduce redness and age spots.

Don’t forget to eat clean and maintain a healthy lifestyle if you want to maintain flawless, firm skin and lead a happy life.

Mike Miryala, Head Pharmacist at CoBionic