The Skin Tightening Treatments That Actually Work, According To Experts
With celebrity facelifts trending and searches for skin tightening soaring online in recent months, the question on everyone’s mind seems to be: what is the best skin tightening treatment? If you’re considering shelling out on products or procedures that promise to tighten the skin, there are a few things skin experts want you to know.
Vogue’s top skin tightening treatments at a glance:
CurrentBody RF Radio Frequency Skin Tightening Device
Vogue sat down with doctors and clinicians to learn what treatments they actually recommend for skin tightening. The overview? Peptides, retinol and growth factors feature in the most effective topical solutions for sagging skin. Maintaining optimal skin health can play a big role in prevention. But in cases of significant loss of skin laxity, energy-based treatments and surgical interventions are responsible for the most dramatic results.
With that in mind, we set out to separate the snake oil from the skincare and devices that can help tighten the skin. Guided by experts, we’ve compiled everything you need to know below.
In this article:
What ingredients tighten skin?
Peptides
Peptides stimulate collagen production, improving firmness over time. Per skin expert Debbie Thomas, they improve comms between cells and coordinate processes, including tissue repair.
Growth factors
Growth factors are a prized ingredient for skin tightening because they upregulate the production of new cells and collagen, helping to offset laxity caused by collagen loss. By facilitating wound healing and repairing old or damaged cells, they can also help with elasticity, superficial wrinkles and produce youthful skin texture and tone.
Molecular biologist Dr Marta points to a formulation that sits at the “pinnacle of skincare innovation” when recommending Chantecaille’s Bio Lifting range. “They combine cutting-edge plant stem cells”, which are a source of growth factors, “and botanical peptides to deliver effects you can see and feel, with clinical results that speak for themselves,” she says. Of the products we tried, this serum was a standout – it is weightless but concentrated, pleasant to apply and offers bonus improvements to discolouration, though its main action is targeting lax skin.
Retinoids
Retinoids, one of the most widely studied ingredients for skin renewal, promote firmer skin by encouraging cell turnover and collagen synthesis. By increasing the rate at which younger cells reach the skin’s surface, they can help to tighten skin and are also beneficial for reducing age spots, pigmentation and acne.
Beauty Pie
Youthbomb Extreme Triple Retinal Renewal Serum
Using not one, but three retinoids to rejuvenate the skin, Beauty Pie’s serum is one of the most potent over-the-counter retinol products we have tried. The concentrated serum sinks in fast and produces a radiant glow almost immediately, and gives skin a more taut appearance over time.
The rate at which collagen and skin quality decline with age can be accelerated by lifestyle factors. In addition to tightening-specific ingredients, Debbie also recommends prioritising a good diet, routine and supplementing with actives that reduce inflammation to support healthy skin overall. These include things like vitamin C, ceramides and protective ingredients like Coenzyme Q10. Hyaluronic acid is often overlooked, but it can have transformative effects as it draws in moisture to plump the skin, ironing out lines in the process.
Dermalogica
Neurotouch Symmetry Serum
Designed to reinvigorate the skin with touch, this serum is the perfect partner for your gua sha. It’s a slick emulsion of plant oils, peptides and CoQ10 – the latter of which increases energy production within cells, boosting their natural ability to regenerate. When combined with massage, we’ve found it gives the face a sculpted and smoother appearance, plus a ‘just-had-a-facial’ glow.
Is it possible to tighten the skin with skincare?
It‘s important to define the terms surrounding skin tightening, especially as in common parlance and marketing claims, adjectives are often used interchangeably. Skin expert Debbie Thomas outlines key differences that can help to manage your expectations.
“Lifting refers to a movement, such as of the jowls,“ says Debbie. In contrast, skin tightening involves improving the firmness and elasticity of the skin. “Elasticity is where you’re touching the skin and you get that bounce,” she elaborates. Firmness speaks to the structure of skin and the collagen that supports it. Combined, firmness and elasticity contribute to skin that appears smooth.