Myths and Facts About Skin Tightening

Firm skin is one of those qualities you don’t normally think about until you don’t have it anymore. Whether your skin has given way to the effects of aging or it’s lost some of its firmness due to the stretching and release of pregnancy or weight fluctuation, seeing sagging skin on your face or body can put a damper on your self-confidence.

Considering how common it is to want firmer skin, it’s no surprise that there are a lot of theories, old wives’ tales, and myths about skin tightening. Our team at Laser Lights Cosmetic Laser Center helps patients achieve firmer skin on a daily basis, so to help you get the real facts, we’re taking a look at four common myths about skin tightening.

Myth: Surgery Is the Only Way to Tighten Skin

Plastic surgeries that tighten the skin are quite common – facelifts, neck lifts, arm lifts, tummy tucks, and so on. While these procedures are highly effective when you’re relying on the skilled hand of a board-certified plastic surgeon, they’re not the only option.

Our Viora Reaction™ skin tightening treatment offers targeted skin firming by using pressure and warmth to stimulate new collagen in your skin. This collagen tightens and tones the skin, whether you are treating your face, neck, buttocks, abdomen, thighs, or other areas. Treatments like microneedling and fractionated laser skin resurfacing produce mild skin firming as well by boosting your collagen growth.

Myth: Exercise Can Tighten Your Skin

You’ve likely seen those YouTube videos demonstrating “facial exercises” that are intended to tighten the skin. Unfortunately, because your skin’s laxity is not related to muscles, there are no exercises for the face or body that will tighten your skin. If you build muscle in your body, you may add enough volume to “fill in” some of your loosened skin, but this is as close as exercise can get to tightening the skin. The only effective ways to firm your skin are professional skin tightening treatments and cosmetic surgeries.

Myth: Only People with Limited Skin Types Can Get Skin Tightening Treatments

There is a kernel of truth behind this myth. Laser treatments like fractionated laser skin resurfacing do produce some skin tightening and laser treatments aren’t always suitable for every skin type.

However, our primary skin tightening procedure, Viora Reaction™, uses radiofrequency energy and not lasers to produce the deep warmth that stimulates your collagen production. As a result, Viora Reaction™ skin tightening is safe and effective for all skin types.

Myth: Body-Firming Creams Can Effectively Tighten Skin

If you go through any skincare aisle in a drug store, you’ll see creams that claim to tighten your skin and reduce cellulite. Unfortunately, these aren’t the at-home miracles that you might expect.

At best, these creams produce temporary skin smoothing. They may do this by moisturizing your skin or by using caffeine to dehydrate the fat cells in your cellulite, making the cellulite look temporarily smoother. However, these are day-by-day results only. The only way to truly firm your skin, rather than making your skin seem firmer, is to stimulate new collagen production, and topical creams don’t penetrate your skin in a way that makes this possible.

Getting Reliably Firmer Skin

Skin tightening is an extremely common goal for people of nearly all ages, but because it’s in high demand, there is an abundance of false hacks and snake oil potions that have popped up. The truth is that only knowledgeable cosmetic healthcare providers like aestheticians and plastic surgeons can offer treatments that effectively tighten the skin. To find out how you can get firmer skin, schedule a free consultation at Laser Lights Cosmetic Laser Center today. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more aesthetic tips.