Technology provides help for one of the most challenging issues of aging. One of the most frustrating, age-related skin care issues is what is known as “crepiness”; dry, loose, papery skin that has an almost shriveled appearance. Often irregular in texture and color, it most frequently appears on our necks, under the eyes, on the hands, chest or even on arms and legs. Unfortunately, crepiness is one of the most tell-tale signs of age.
Why does crepiness appear?
Youthful skin is full of elastin and collagen giving the skin that tight, full, dewy look. The underlying problem with crepe skin is the loss of these structural proteins. For the first 30 years of our lives we produce more of these proteins than we lose. After that we experience a net loss of these proteins. There are also other factors that influence this as well. Genetics is one of several significant factors. Those of you with dark, thick or oily skin should be grateful for the positive effect it has on your skin’s proteins! In addition environmental factors such as smoking and sun exposure play a role. Obviously, the emphasis is on minimizing the environmental factors we can control to slow the loss of skin’s structural proteins.
What are the solutions?
Women in our clinics who have great skin in their sixties have two things
in common. They have used sunscreen and retinol on a daily basis for their adult lives. Day to day you may not see the difference but over the years that is an undeniable benefit to these habits. The second thing is they don’t smoke. Additionally, antioxidant creams, vitamin C and glycolic acid have proven beneficial.
Sometimes despite all things mentioned, you may need more help with crepe skin. The big gun is Fraxel. This laser penetrates the full depth of the skin, stimulating the production of elastin and collagen making the skin thicker and fuller. Additionally, it reduces the brown spotty appearance of crepe skin. Those in their 60 somethings mentioned earlier with great skin, continue to do Fraxels as well. They understand the importance to maintaining the structural proteins, elastin and collagen in their skin. They are fighting to keep their skin looking healthy and vibrant as long as possible. Now, Fraxel is not for everyone. Other lasers, such as Genies, IPL, PhotoDynamic Therapy also have their place in fighting crepiness.
Ultimately, we will need to evaluate your skin and make a recommendation that will be right for you.