A Complete Guide to Skin Tightening

All Of Your Skin Tightening Options, In One Place

Aging, pregnancy, weight gain (or loss), hormones, genetics, medical conditions, lifestyle factors, and sun exposure can all contribute to drooping skin. Treatments for tightening the skin, however, are more difficult to identify. Reversing the skin’s natural processes can be challenging, but there are several truly effective skin tightening solutions at Donaldson Plastic Surgery that you should know about.

We’re here to answer two questions:

1. What treatments & procedures are out there specifically to tighten skin? and
2. which ones are the most effective?

The Most Effective Treatment For You Depends on Skin Laxity & Elasticity

Whether a treatment will be effective or not varies from person-to-person, depending on two things: the level of skin laxity (mild, moderate, or severe) and the overall elasticity of the skin. For example, an individual in their 20s or 30s with mild or moderate loose skin will have relatively higher skin elasticity and, therefore, will be more likely to see loose skin improve over time with regular non-invasive treatments.

Moderate to severe skin laxity is more common among individuals in their 50s or 60s. This population is more likely to have relatively lower skin elasticity, so their skin may be less responsive to non-surgical treatments. In this case, surgical skin tightening may be a more effective path to correct your concerns.

The Cause & Severity Can Help Direct Us To The Best Solution

No matter your concerns or what level of loose skin you have, we have the tools to help you address it. Our team of experienced aesthetic specialists is here to help you identify what level of treatment is right for you to tighten loose skin of the face, neck, and body — all the way from result-driven products to our surgical skin tightening procedures.

Click To Go Straight To A Specific Treatment:

• Topical Solutions
• Microneedling & Advanced Microneedling (The Vampire Facial)
• Morpheus8
• Ultherapy
• Halo
• Renuvion/J Plasma
• Injectables
• Tummy Tuck
• Body Lift
• Arm & Thigh Lift
• Face & Neck Lift
• Eyelid Lift

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Skin Care Solutions & Medspa Treatments

Our Medical Aestheticians Tatjana and Nikki recommend a combination of at-home care and professional Medspa treatments to correct mild to moderate loose skin on the face, neck, and body. Listed below is a powerful collection of medical-grade skincare products that you can use to improve skin elasticity, visibly improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and combat signs of aging.

Topical Products:

FACE:

• Tatjana Firming Neck Cream: Can be used on the neck and jawline where aging skin is most apparent. Nikki recommends applying the product in an upward lifting motion.
• Tatjana Retinol + Bakuchiol Treatment Serum: Increases cell turnover to reduce visible signs of aging, including spots and hyperpigmentation, brightens the skin, and minimizes redness!
• Environ C-Quence Serum: A step-up system full of vitamins A, C & E and peptides to combat signs of aging. Potency and concentration increase with each product in the line.
• Environ Revival Masque: Gives instant lifting results, and is commonly referred to our clinicians as a “facelift in a jar”.
• Environ Frown Serum: Potent serum that can be used to spot treat certain areas of concern, like frown lines, crow’s feet, and the “elevens” (the two vertical lines that form between a furrowed brow). Tatjana recommends using with a facial roller device at home to help with product absorption and extra collagen production.
• SkinMedica TNS Serum and Environ Colostrum Gel: Both have growth factors to help minimize the appearance of fine lines.

BODY:

• Environ DermaLac Body Lotion and A, C, & E Body Oil with contour cream and a body roller. Performed on a regular basis, this is the number one way you can tighten the body’s aging skin from home.

All of these products, including the facial and body rollers, are available for purchase by phone or in person.

Medspa Treatments:

• Microneedling is a popular and very effective treatment for treating skin laxity of the face, neck, and chest. We recommend microneedling in an initial series of 6 treatments – one to two weeks apart – to ramp up your skin’s collagen production and optimize your results. From there, maintenance is achieved with regular microneedling sessions every few weeks. Skin becomes smoother, brighter, and tighter.

• Advanced Microneedling is another great treatment for tightening aging skin. In this treatment (also popularly referred as the Vampire Facial), microneedling is performed with potent growth factors from your own blood added in to promote skin cell regeneration, boost collagen, and cut downtime in half. It can be used to tighten skin of the face, neck, and chest, and improve a variety of other skin concerns.

Non-Invasive Skin Tightening Treatments

Morpheus8

Non-invasive skin tightening treatments are more targeted and go deeper to address the underlying causes of mild to moderate loose skin. Morpheus8, specifically, uses radiofrequency and fine surgical pins to melt fat, smooth skin, minimize the appearance of cellulite, reduce oil production and stimulate new collagen and elastin formation. Skilled Morpheus8 providers can dial in device settings to reach deeper layers of skin for greater, more controlled results. This treatment can be performed on the face, neck, chest, arms and legs — just about any part of the body with loose skin, scars, stretch marks, hyperpigmentation and other common skin concerns.

Ultherapy

Ultherapy is a non-surgical skin tightening and lifting treatment that uses ultrasonic energy to send waves deep within the skin that stimulate collagen production. Because it works on a deeper level than other treatments, Ultherapy is a great preventative treatment for individuals seeing the beginnings of aging skin, rather than a fix to severe sagging or wrinkling. It is primarily intended to lift and tighten the skin of the brow, chin, jowls, neck, and upper chest, but can also be used to target other specific areas of concern.

Halo

Halo Laser Skin Resurfacing is a hybrid fractional laser treatment that addresses a number of visible skin concerns and offers skin tightening benefits by inducing collagen production in the healing process. For patients with mild to moderate skin laxity, Halo can result in more youthful, tighter-looking skin. Although the Halo laser is not primarily for skin tightening, patients usually see and feel a skin tightening effect. Wrinkles and fine lines are addressed with Halo, as well as other signs of aging, problematic skin texture, scarring, and sun damage. Other benefits of Halo include minimal downtime and a noticeable improvement of skin a just a couple of days. You can schedule Halo with Adrienne, Paige, Stacie, or Claire.

Minimally-Invasive Skin Tightening Treatments

Renuvion (J Plasma) Skin Tightening

Renuvion (also known as J Plasma) is a minimally invasive procedure that uses a combination of radiofrequency energy and helium gas to virtually tighten the skin of the face, neck, and body. A wand emitting the stream of energy is gently passed underneath (in some cases overtop) the dermal layer to cause contraction of the skin. Results can be seen immediately, but dramatically improve over time. See what one patient has to say about her chin liposuction and Renuvion results with Dr. Sieffert!

Injectables

Botox and fillers are not “skin tightening treatments,” but they do offer benefits that address signs of mild to moderate skin laxity, which is why we include them here.

Aging skin can cause wrinkles, folds, and droopiness to form, which can be corrected using minimally-invasive injectables like Botox and dermal fillers for the face. Botox works by softening the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles in the skin by relaxing the muscle underneath that causes the crease to form. Fillers restore volume under the skin to an area where volume has been lost and skin has begun to droop or fold as a result (ex. the jawline, or nasolabial folds and marionette lines). Neither injectable treatment is used to reverse skin laxity, but they can help to improve common concerns associated with it.

Surgical Skin Tightening Procedures

To successfully treat more significant loose skin, surgery is usually the best option.

With the following skin tightening procedures, excess skin is removed surgically and the remaining skin is then re-draped tighter than before. This option is the gold standard for patients who have moderate to severe skin laxity as a result of aging or weight loss but can be ideal for mild to moderate skin laxity and stretch mark concerns, as well.

Here are some of our most effective surgical solutions performed by Dr. Donaldson & Dr. Sieffert.

Tummy Tuck

A tummy tuck is a procedure in which excess skin and fat are surgically removed from the abdomen (and the underlying muscles tightened) to improve its contours. Stretched skin in this area will not always retract on its own, making surgery the only option to return the abdomen to its original form.

Anyone who has undergone pregnancy or weight loss, or who just simply struggles with excess skin of the belly, can benefit from this kind of surgical tightening. Scarring for a tummy tuck is minimal and easily concealed with undergarments or bathing suits, and our tummy tuck patients are thrilled with their results. Their only regret is they wished they had done is sooner!

Body Lift

A body lift, or circumferential body contouring, is a procedure in which excess skin of the entire abdominal front, back, and sides is removed for a tighter trunk. Usually performed on individuals with severe skin laxity of the body, this procedure is common amongst individuals who have undergone significant weight loss and are left with excess skin as a result. A body lift can also encompass surgical tightening of multiple areas including the arms, chest, upper and lower back, buttocks, and thighs — the surgery is always customized to address the patient’s concerns.

Arm and Thigh Lift

Arm lifts and thigh lifts are procedures in which sagging excess skin of the upper arms and thighs is removed, often solving cosmetic concerns of the colloquial “bat wings” and sagging skin of the inner thighs and above the knee. They can be performed individually or together, depending on a patient’s wishes. These two areas are very likely to loosen with age, so the majority of arm and thigh lift candidates simply wish to see their extremities restored to a more youthful-looking state. Scarring is likely to be visible in these areas, so please discuss your concerns with your surgeon prior to surgery.

Face and Neck Lift

Facelifts and neck lifts are also common amongst individuals with concerns of drooping skin. As exterior representations of how we present ourselves to the world, the areas of the face and neck are often ones of prime importance — but, unfortunately, they can be some of the first areas to show the effects of aging. In a facelift and/or neck lift, excess skin is excised by your surgeon and the skin is laid tauter than it was before. Specific areas like the lower or upper face can be targeted, as in the case of a brow lift. Scarring is very discrete and easily concealed.

Eyelid Lift

Upper and lower blepharoplasty, or eyelid surgery, are surgical procedures in which excess skin of the upper and lower lid is carefully removed, and the remaining skin joined back together for younger, fresher-looking eyes. If you have what some might describe as overly-hooded eyes, or suffer from large bags underneath, you are likely a good candidate for an eyelid lift. Sometimes fat pads in the lower eyelid may also be removed to reduce puffiness. The procedure is straightforward and scarring is virtually invisible.

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Ready to See Which Skin Tightening Procedure is Right for You? We Can Help!

As a full-service plastic surgery practice, we are always uniquely equipped to offer each patient a customizable treatment plan, completely attuned to you. Our two board-certified plastic surgeons & our team of highly-trained non-surgical and aesthetic experts work closely together to recommend the right treatments that will help you reach your goals, and we take great care to vet the technology we use to offer the safest and most effective treatments available. We are intensely focused on delivering realistic recommendations and achieving beautiful outcomes.

If you’re curious to learn more, please submit your contact information below. Our friendly team of aesthetic coordinators will reach out to answer your questions and help you schedule your personalized consultation.