The 3 Ts of Aging Skin: Tone, Texture, and Tightness

What does youthful skin look like? Youthful-looking skin encompasses a wide range of factors, but there are three particularly big elements in the overall perception of skin age: tone, texture, and tightness.

The appearance of aging skin is connected to lower levels of collagen and elastin. These proteins are the essential “building blocks” of youthful-looking skin, the chemical components that give skin its firmness and elasticity and allow it to “bounce back” and hold its shape. Without collagen and elastin actively reviving and strengthening our skin, it becomes more susceptible to pollution, damage, and drooping, and over time, skin begins to lose its tone, texture, and tightness, aging our appearance beyond our years.

So, how do these three elements break down to portray skin age and how can we reverse the most common sign of aging skin? 

Tone

The perception of skin age is highly influenced by tone­—there’s a reason that dark spots, veins, redness, or irregular coloration tend to be connected with questions of skin health and age. In fact, in order to make actors appear older in films, Hollywood makeup artists frequently add brown spots to their face to instantly age them. This is because skin experts have proven that uneven skin tone and signs of skin damage really do make people appear significantly older than they feel.

While anti-aging skincare creams and serums, as well as sunscreen, may certainly help to improve skin tone, anti-aging photofacial treatments can offer a more powerful punch. As part of a customized anti-aging treatment plan, photofacial treatments powered by intense pulsed light (IPL) technology effectively target pigment under the skin’s surface, kickstarting the natural collagen production cycle to heal skin and fade common signs of premature aging over time, including sun spots, discoloration, visible veins, and fine lines and wrinkles.

Texture 

The perception of skin age is also highly influenced by its texture. Though this effect varies geographically and across skin color and gender, the general trend is the same: the image of healthy, youthful-looking skin excludes the lines, lumps, dips, and dots. Skin texture concerns include scarring, stretch marks, rosacea, enlarged pores, and other textural irregularities. Some especially hard-to-treat conditions, such as rosacea or acne scarring, can be devastating to our quality of life, particularly for those who are younger and would otherwise have youthful-looking skin if not for their acne scars.

With the right skin resurfacing treatment, people suffering from these conditions could experience a world of difference. To safely and effectively treat premature signs of aging linked to skin’s texture, consider a custom skin resurfacing treatment plan utilizing radio frequency technology. These treatments use tiny pins to safely deliver heat through the skin’s surface, creating tiny micro-dermal wounds that prompt the skin to begin the natural healing process, improving the appearance of textural irregularities and damage on the skin’s surface by boosting overall collagen and elastin levels.

Tightness

Some wrinkling is normal for people at any age: the face moves, and fine lines appear and disappear with these movements—think worry lines on the forehead that come with a furrowed brow, or laugh lines beside the mouth and eyes that accompany smiling and laughter. These are called dynamic wrinkles, which can become more troublesome static wrinkles over time. In contrast to dynamic wrinkles, static wrinkles don’t disappear with muscle movements, contributing to a significantly aged physical appearance. Because skin loses the collagen and elastin required to give skin that natural ability to bounce back and tighten up, static wrinkles will remain and deepen over time.

While topical or over-the-counter products may help, static wrinkles may be most effectively treated by energy-based anti-aging treatments for wrinkle reduction. Using advanced radio frequency technology, these wrinkle reduction treatments work to boost natural collagen production for smoother, firmer skin, boasting a satisfaction rating of more than 90%.

To boost tightness, improve texture, and even out tone, all while reversing the most common signs of premature aging, it pays to invest in a customized anti-aging treatment plan. Get started on your custom anti-aging or radio frequency wrinkle reduction treatment plan today by locating a certified treatment provider near you.