Skin laxity is an essential topic when it comes to treating the signs of aging. Skin laxity or the loss of skin elasticity can be tied to a huge number of aging symptoms. Wrinkles, deep lines, sagging skin and lost volume all have something to do with skin laxity. Fortunately, skin laxity can be treated.

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Skin laxity occurs as a result of lost skin elasticity. Your skin’s elasticity enables it to bounce back from stretching, hold a taut form to your body and resist the effects of gravity. Skin laxity varies from individual to individual with some naturally possessing more elastic skin than others.

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Healthy, youthful, and vibrant skin is something we’re each born with naturally, but as time passes, a variety of factors degrade the quality of the skin. In fact, the reticular dermis, the layer of the skin that contains the fibroblasts which make collagen and elastin, loses an average of 5% of its core every year of life after birth.

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Additionally, lifestyle habits such as smoking, stress, and overexposure to the sun accelerate the breakdown of skin elasticity and can cause this critical layer to deplete even more rapidly. Collagen and elastin are the glue that that holds the epidermis (outer skin layer) to the underlying deeper layers of dermis, muscle and bone. When the glue becomes too thin, the epidermis essentially falls down. Wrinkles, folds, sagging and a general loss of tight skin are manifest as the deeper layers move while the epidermis no longer moves in sync.

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With sun exposure, harmful UV rays penetrate the skin and trigger photo-aging. Numerous dermatological studies have shown that those who are prone to sun exposure will typically experience accelerated rates of photo-aging. If you are regularly exposed to the sun without adequate sun protection, the sun’s UV rays are chronically triggering the release of free radicals and oxidative molecules in your skin. These oxidative elements set in motion chemical reactions that weaken the molecular structure of skin cells. Some studies are indicating that as much as 50% of aging symptoms are caused by the sun!

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The oxidative stress on your skin triggered by the sun breaks down your skin’s supportive structures and results in loss of skin elasticity. Moreover, oxidative stress breaks down your skin’s natural protective characteristics and ability to retain moisture.

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Over time, skin laxity worsens and is linked to the appearance of bands of sagging skin, jowls on the face, depressions in the cheeks and many other symptoms of aging. Simply put, your skin is losing its ability to resist the force of gravity and retain shape along your natural features.

 

The Med Spa at Vision Dermatology provides many options for rebuilding and sustaining the reticular dermis and collagen and elastin. Carefully selected skin care products from ZO Skin Health and Environ have been tested in double-blinded placebo-controlled studies and demonstrate the ability to stimulates fibroblasts can serve as either a stand alone or adjunct tool.

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Additionally Red Light Therapy specifically targets this key layer of the dermis and has been proven to promote its thickness and integrity. Topical treatments such as GlycoAla can dramatically enhance this modality.

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Finally, The Med Spa at Vision Dermatology prides itself on possessing the most advanced and effective sources of Radiofrequency (RF) stimulation. Morpheus 8 is a new device from In Mode Aesthetics, the world’s leader in radiofrequency technology, that takes the improvement in skin quality from microneedling and adds the skin-tightening and fat contouring benefits of RF.

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Morpheus is revolutionary because it treats deeper than most prior microneedling devices and it’s FDA approved as a Subdermal Adipose Remodeling Device or SARD. This means that Morpheus treats more than just the skin – by directing energy into the tissue below the skin, difficult to treat areas like fatty necks and jowls can be contoured non-surgically. 

 

Alternatively, Forma is skin and tissue remodeling technology equipped with a subdermal heating applicator. Radiofrequency travels via electrodes to deliver a non-invasive and pain-free treatment, and its controls allow the device to reach optimal temperatures. Virtually all areas of the body can be treated including the face, neck, knees, hands, arms, buttocks, abdomen, breasts.