We spend an incredible amount of money and time on skincare products that claim to help us hit the pause button on ageing and skin sagging. Even then, some formulations can prove to be the bane of our skin by not just causing adverse reactions, allergies or breakouts; at times, they simply don’t give us the results we want or expect.
Here are some ingredients in your home and kitchen that can help with skin tightening. Yes, we’re suggesting that you swap out some of your expensive store-bought serums and moisturisers with these skin-tightening home remedies!
1. Coconut Oil
If you’ve been browsing YouTube, Instagram or TikTok these past few years, you may have caught sight of beauty gurus raving about virgin coconut oil – and for good reasons too. Coconut oil is rich in antioxidants, meaning that it will protect the skin from free radicals that damage the skin. Studies1 have even proven that coconut oil has a positive effect on the skin barrier, skin ageing, photoaging, inflammation and collagen production, which is definitely good news for those looking for ways on how to tighten face skin naturally. When choosing coconut oil, be sure to go for liquefied and unrefined, virgin or extra virgin oil that you can smooth onto your face and neck, before removing any thick residue with a cotton pad. Depending on your skin type, you can even leave it on as an overnight treatment.
2. Coffee
Those who pay close attention to the ingredients in skincare products (especially those with firming, sculpting, lifting or de-puffing qualities) wouldn’t be surprised to see coffee on this list. This is because caffeine stimulates blood flow and widens, or dilates, the blood vessels. This increases blood flow, which can help the skin to tighten naturally.
3. Aloe Vera
If you don’t happen to have a tube of aloe vera gel lying around somewhere at home, an aloe vera plant will do the job just as well. Aloe vera is an excellent anti-aging ingredient as it contains malic acid, which increases the production of collagen in the body and improves skin elasticity. It’s also rich in 18 amino acids as well as vitamins B1, B3, B6 and C that help fight free radicals that cause wrinkles. You can apply the “juice” from an aloe vera leaf directly to your face, and, thanks to its versatility, even mix it with honey, turmeric or coconut oil for a super nourishing face mask!
4. Cucumber
Made up of 96% water, cucumbers are known for being an extremely hydrating ingredient which works wonders for ageing skin that tends to be on the drier side – apart from feeling amazing when applied to your skin! On top of hydrating and reducing inflammation, cucumbers can also slow down the breakdown of elastin (which is responsible for your skin’s elasticity and cell renewal). In fact, the cucumber peel itself contains silica, which helps to firm sagging skin.
5. Egg
There’s no need to buy egg white masks, especially when you can make them yourself in your kitchen! Egg white masks are a time-tested method to help your skin look and feel tighter, thanks to the protein contained in it called albumin. Albumin is a great remedy for sagging skin, as it improves the skin’s texture by rebuilding the cells.
6. Yogurt
Yogurt doesn’t just do wonders for your gut, it also makes your skin look smoother and tightens your skin. When applied to the skin, the lactic acid in yogurt is said to shrink pores and dissolve dead skin – while probiotics promote cell renewal by repairing the lipid barrier in dehydrated skin.
7. Lemon
One ingredient that you can always count on to give you that much-needed dose of Vitamin C is lemon. Vitamin C, as we know, helps to destroy free radicals while promoting collagen growth and restoring elasticity to the skin. Its astringent properties also work to reduce wrinkles and tighten the skin – making it a great addition (by this we mean a few drops) to any other homemade face mask.
Ultherapy: Another natural way to tighten skin
Since we’re on the subject of natural ways to tighten saggy skin, there happens to be another method of ensuring that you get the lifted skin of your dreams. Of course, we’re aware that you clicked on this article looking to discover ways on how to tighten the skin on your face without surgery, and we have another point to add to our answers and it doesn’t require you to always be worrying about your diet.
Ultherapy, a non-invasive and US FDA-cleared treatment, is an effective way of tightening skin without going through the hassle of experiencing any kind of side effects or downtime. This treatment, which takes approximately 60 to 90 minutes, stimulates new collagen and elastin production by delivering ultrasound energy to specific depths within the skin.
Thanks to its real-time imaging or visualisation (MFU-V) technology, every treatment will accurately target your areas of concern such as the face, jawline, neck and even décolletage while avoiding structures like your bones and blood vessels.
While we do encourage sticking to a skincare routine that includes the natural ingredients we mentioned in this article, it may take a while before you begin to notice results. With Ultherapy, you will begin to see a difference within a few weeks and continue to reap the benefits for up to a year (or longer)!
Find out more by booking an appointment for an Ultherapy session with our partner aesthetic clinics today.
References:
- Lin TK, Zhong L, Santiago JL. Anti-Inflammatory and Skin Barrier Repair Effects of Topical Application of Some Plant Oils. Int J Mol Sci. 2017 Dec 27;19(1):70. doi: 10.3390/ijms19010070. PMID: 29280987; PMCID: PMC5796020.
