What Causes Crepey Skin? Tips on How to Prevent & Treat It

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Crepey skin is a condition that affects many people. It can happen to anyone, but it’s more common as we age.

The good news is that there are ways to prevent or treat this type of skin condition. In this article, we will share some tips on how to keep your skin looking youthful and healthy!

What is crepey skin?

The term ‘crepey skin,’ also known as dermatology terms like “atrophic” or “sclerotic,” is a type of skin that has lost its elasticity.

The condition occurs when the tissue in your dermis, called elastin and collagen fibers, do not produce enough proteins to maintain their natural structure.

It gets recognized by a waxy, papery feel. People who have this type of skin are more likely to get wrinkles and age spots because the elasticity is lost in the dermis layer of your skin which leads to sagging or drooping due to lack of support from elastin and collagen fibers.

Causes of crepey skin and wrinkles:

There can be many causes for crepey skin including: genetics, sun damage, smoking cigarettes, aging etc., here are the most common causes behind crepey skin:

Smoking cigarettes

Smoking can lead to crepey skin because the nicotine and tar that are in cigarettes cause irritation which leads to inflammation.

This is a major contributor for your skin becoming dry, rough and even cracked or split from dehydration.

The body recognizes this as foreign invaders and responds by adding more oil (sebum) onto your face so it can protect against infection, but if you aren’t consuming enough water then the sebum will clog pores leading to acne breakouts!

Sun damage

Constant exposure to the sun can cause crepey skin because it speeds up aging and damages your DNA. This causes wrinkles, age spots and dryness.

To prevent wrinkles from sun damage it’s necessary to use sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher daily when going outdoors!

If you don’t want to pay extra money on products there are plenty of natural ones like coconut oil that work just as well.

Although it’s important to get vitamin D from sun exposure for bone health (essential during winter months) you should still be mindful of overdoing it as overexposure could cause skin cancer! Always apply sunscreen if going outside or use an artificial light source like tanning beds.

Aging

As you get older your body produces less collagen which is an important protein that keeps skin looking smooth and elastic. Your skin also becomes thinner so there’s nothing to hold in moisture as well.

AGEs accumulate over time causing breakdowns in our elastin fibers which leads to less elasticity, resulting in wrinkling and sagging skin.

This process speeds up when we get sun exposure (UV rays damage lipids) or smoke cigarettes (Nicotine damages collagen).

Smoking also makes it more difficult for blood vessels under the surface of your skin from delivering oxygenated blood

Weight

When your body is overweight it produces more hormones like estrogen and testosterone which can cause the skin to become thinner, leading to wrinkles or acne breakouts.

It also leads to dryness that makes crepey skin worse by creating flakes of dead skin cells that clog pores and make you produce more oil (sebum).

Being overweight leads to fluid retention and inflammation which have the same negative effects on skin as aging.

It also causes thinning of your skin, usually around your mouth due to gravity (sagging). This is caused by decreased levels of collagen in the dermis layer. The result often looks like crepey skin because there’s not much elasticity left in those areas.

Genetic Predisposition

inherited in families, people with eating disorders and some medications. Inherited genetic disorders may not only cause crepey skin but also other symptoms including diabetes, obesity, alopecia (hair thinning) among others. Consult your doctor if this applies to you!

Pregnancy

this is related to genetic predisposition as pregnant women tend to have high levels of estrogen which breaks down collagen leading to the appearance of wrinkles .

Stress

can cause overproduction of sebum leading to acne breakouts or even rosacea if it affects blood vessels under the surface! Luckily this can be prevented with a healthy lifestyle consisting of plenty of sleep, exercise, and good eating habits like drinking water and cutting sugar from your diet before bedtime.

Unhealthy diet

a diet consisting of high sugar and saturated fats can lead to inflammation in the body which is a precursor for many health issues such as heart disease, arthritis, cancer.

Alcohol use

alcohol affects the brain and liver in a negative way which can lead to weight gain, depression, high blood pressure.

Skin care routine

a great skincare regimen will have ingredients such as retinol which helps provide anti aging benefits by boosting collagen production and reducing wrinkles overtime.

You should also try cutting down on sugar intake before bedtime with this regimen since sugars break down into glycosylated end products that inhibit cellular detoxification.

Unhealthy lifestyle

Something as simple as not getting enough sleep can affect your skin negatively in the form of crepey and dry skin patches.

Lack of sleep could lead to quick aging which is a contributing factor for wrinkles on the face, sagging under eyes, dark circles around them and visible bags that seem like they are weighing down on you from lack of restful sleep.

Sleep deprivation also affects appetite control which leads people to overeat or eat unhealthy foods such as sugars and fats that contribute to inflammation leading into other health issues mentioned above.

Lastly, many people put on unhealthy amounts of makeup when they’re overweight which causes a buildup of oils from products such as foundation and powder in their pores causing blackheads (comedones) or even an infection called rosacea!

How to prevent crepey skin?

• Drink plenty of water.
• Eat mindfully .
• Incorporate more Omega-rich foods into your diet such as avocados, walnuts, flaxseed oil and salmon.
• Find ways to relax in the evening by taking baths or reading a good book for an hour before bedtime.

How to treat crepey skin:

• “Hydrate from within“: drink at least eight glasses of pure clean filtered water throughout the day with added lemon juice squeezed into each glass. You can also add purified mineral salts (sea salt) which could help remove toxins that are stored inside cells leaving you feeling light and energized!
• Exfoliate dead skin cells on outer layer of epidermis, it might help to do this weekly.
• Apply a moisturizer with SPF 30 during the day and retinol cream at night, in order to combat free radical damage from UV rays that contribute to wrinkles.
• Always wear sunscreen when going outdoors for prolonged periods of time or you will increase your risk of premature aging due sun exposure!
• “Nourish skin from within”: eat foods rich in protein and vitamin C such as eggs, avocados oranges, carrots etc…they are easy ways to get collagen into your diet which is an essential building block for youthful looking skin.”
• The best way to prevent crepey skin is by drinking plenty of water throughout the day, eating mindfully (avoiding high sugar/junk foods).

Related Articles:
Blind Pimples: The Ultimate in Skincare
Is Makeup Causing Premature Aging on Your Skin?

what causes dry skin in the first place?

many reasons can be causing your dry skin and you may not even know what it is.

• Sun damage
• Air conditioning or heating systems in your home that are too dry (even if they seem to be set at the right level) -lack of sleep, which causes stress hormones to rise and skin cells die more quickly.
• Stress from work or school causing dried out skin can also occur due to dehydration caused by reduced water intake while trying to impress others with a “perfect” appearance.

these common factors all contribute towards speedily aging our skin without us realizing until we see wrinkles and fine lines developing on our face.”

Skin care tips for you:

It all starts when you embrace your body and your ski, then love it then give it the attention it deserves.

Using a gentle cleanser and moisturizer

Avoiding strong soaps that strip the skin of its natural oils, which can cause redness.

Setting aside time for your self to rest -take naps during the day or even sleep an hour earlier than usual in order to reduce stress on your body.

“This will give you more energy throughout the day as well as help with dry skin”

Final thoughts:

Common causes of crepey skin are dehydration and stress, but it can also be caused by the aging process or changes in hormones.

Skin care tips for you include using gentle cleansers, moisturizers, avoiding strong soaps that strip your skins natural oils, setting aside time for your self to rest with napping during the day or sleeping an hour earlier than usual to reduce stress on your body.

Crepey Skin is a common problem and may be caused by dehydration from trying to impress others with “perfect” appearances, genetic factors (which may make some people more prone to the problem than others), or aging.

Skin care tips for you include using gentle cleansers, moisturizers, avoiding strong soaps that strip your skins natural oils, setting aside time for your self to rest with napping during the day or sleeping an hour earlier than usual to reduce stress on your body.

Related Articles:
3 Vitamins for Dry Skin: Preventing Dehydration
What is Skin Purging? How to Treat, What Causes It and How To Prevent It