Lax Skin (Skin Laxity)

Skin laxity

When elasticity is lost and the skin no longer responds to pulling or stretching by snapping back, the skin has become lax and may require tightening to reverse the effects of age and sun.

The collagen and elastins in the dermal layer may have been damaged due to sun exposure or may have deteriorated due to hereditary predisposition and aging. The problem is further aggravated by the pull of gravity. Skin laxity worsens with time, and tightening the skin can become important as we age.

One of our most popular treatments for sagging skin is a type of RF microneedling called Morpheus8. There are several different devices that use RF microneedling, such as Fractora, Secret RF, and Profound RF.

We previously used Fractora for this purpose but Morpheus 8 is an advanced version that we affectionately call Fractora 2.0. Morpheus8 is both less painful and more effective than what we used in the past.

Our newest treatment for skin tightening of the face and neck is called Facetite and Accutite. This skin tightening treatment uses a cannula to safely deliver higher energies than we could achieve before.

Lax skin can occur in many areas of the body including the face, the neck, the breasts, and the abdomen. Little can be done to prevent skin laxity; however, a variety of surgical techniques such as face lifts and tummy tucks remove redundant skin and re-drape it so that it is taut. Less invasive techniques are also available in the form of light and radiofrequency systems. Heat is deposited deep into the skin causing realignment of the elastins and contraction of the collagen. Although the results may not be as dramatic as re-draping surgeries, infrared light and radiofrequency treatments are less invasive and can sometimes provide significant benefit especially in the early stages of the aging process.

In some cases, however, a surgical redraping procedure in the form of a necklift or a facelift is necessary to achieve the desired results. In that event, you should seek a consultation with a plastic surgeon.

Thermitight is another type of radiofrequency treatment where we insert a probe underneath the skin to deliver energy to the desired depth, although we have more recently replaced this with Accutite and Facetite as we are getting better results from them.