Whether it’s through in-office treatments or power-packed at-home skin care, skin tightening is more popular than ever. Now the gold standard for noninvasive skin rejuvenation, skin-tightening and lifting treatments are all the rage amongst beauty lovers, expert doctors and celebrities alike. But too much of a good thing can turn course quicker than you might expect. While you might feel eager to jump headfirst into the world of skin-tightening treatments, the best way to ensure your tightening journey gives you maximal benefits is to know exactly when to stop. Ahead, an expert guide to ensure your skin tightening and lifting is not overdone.
Featured Experts
- Joel Schlessinger, MD is a board-certified dermatologist in Omaha, NE
- Ava Shamban, MD is a board-certified dermatologist in Beverly Hills, CA
- Marisa Garshick, MD is a board-certified dermatologist in New York
Is it possible to overdo skin-tightening treatments? If so, how can patients avoid this?
When we think of overdoing cosmetic treatments, our minds tend to go to things like filler first. So, is it even possible to overdo skin-tightening treatments? According to all of our experts, it’s less easily done than with other treatments, but the answer is still yes.
“It is possible to overdo skin-tightening treatments if they are done too close together, as it doesn’t allow enough time for collagen to build,” says New York dermatologist Marisa Garhsick, MD. “And doing too many treatments may lead to skin irritation or sensitivity.”
That said, the appropriate interval may vary based on the treatment, so it is best to speak with your dermatologist.” To ease your worries, Beverly Hills, CA dermatologist Ava Shamban, MD adds that, while it’s possible to overdo any cosmetic treatment, it’s far less common to overdo skin-tightening treatments.
What skin-tightening treatments or products should you not combine to avoid an overdone look?
“Skin-tightening procedures such as CO2 laser are best done alone,” Omaha, NE dermatologist Joel Schlessinger, MD begins. “Fillers and Botox can be done after them, but fillers especially, should be given a wide berth from laser procedures, as there are opportunities to introduce infection into the filler when performing laser after fillers. Botox is less problematic, but I would still wait on it until the laser is fully healed.”
Dr. Shamban adds that not overdoing skin tightening is “mostly about waiting enough time between treatments to give the skin a chance to build new collagen and elastin.” Dr. Garshick also recommends avoiding harsh exfoliants or retinols post- skin-tightening treatments to avoid irritation.
