From in-office treatments to over-the-counter skin care, skin tightening and lifting are all the rage right now, and beauty lovers are prioritizing a tight, lifted, youthful appearance. In fact, NewBeauty‘s summer 2025 State of Aesthetics report found that 41 percent of patients say they’re interested in skin-tightening procedures. As with any in-office surgery or noninvasive treatment, post-procedure skin care is imperative to maintaining and maximizing results. But, have you ever considered that your day-to-day skin-care routine could be counteracting your skin-tightening treatments? If you’re curious about what not to do post skin-tightening treatment to ensure optimal results, we tapped the experts for a rundown of the skin-care ingredients to avoid.
Featured Experts
- Jeanine B. Downie, MD is a board-certified dermatologist in Montclair, NJ
- Marisa Garshick, MD is a board-certified dermatologist in New York
- Joel Schlessinger, MD and Daniel Schlessinger, MD are board-certified dermatologists in Omaha, NE
What are the worst ingredients to use during skin tightening? Can your skin care hurt your skin-tightening results?
As with anything in the wide world of skin care, there’s no one-size-fits all, black-and-white answer, but our experts all agree there are certain skin-care products and lifestyle habits you should avoid when prioritizing a lifted, tight appearance.
“In general, it is best to avoid harsh exfoliants or abrasive scrubs as they can cause micro tears in the skin barrier leading to dryness, irritation and inflammation which may make it difficult to tolerate other treatments or procedures to help with tightening,” says New York dermatologist Marisa Garshick, MD. “Additionally, heavy fragrances and drying alcohols may also lead to irritation and should be avoided, especially in those with sensitive skin.” Similarly, Dr. Garshick warns against overusing retinol during skin-tightening treatments. Even though the vitamin A-based ingredient is known for its collagen-stimulating benefits, using retinol in too high of a concentration can also lead to irritation and counteract the effectiveness of your skin-tightening treatments.
While everyone’s skin-care sensitivities are different, Montclair, NJ dermatologist Jeanine B. Downie, MD advises patients avoid any products or ingredients that your skin is even mildly reactive to when looking to maximize skin-tightening effects. “Getting allergic contact dermatitis from products you have a sensitivity to actually makes the skin swell in addition to making it weepy and crusty, which may reverse the effects of skin tightening,” she explains. “Generally speaking, retinoids, strong glycolic or salicylic acids, fragrances, very abrasive exfoliation and blood thinners also decrease the effectiveness of any skin lifting/tightening procedure,” she adds.
What lifestyle changes can enhance your skin-tightening results
“It is well known that smoking causes cancer, but most people don’t realize that it also is a definitive cause of skin aging and premature wrinkling,” Omaha, NE dermatologist Joel Schlessinger, MD begins. “Stopping smoking will likely save you from aging before your time.” For Omaha, NE dermatologist Daniel Schlessinger, MD, certain medications are a key point of concern when it comes to counteracting your skin-tightening results.
“Prednisone is an anti-inflammatory that someone might be taking for an autoimmune disease like rheumatoid arthritis, but oral steroids impair wound healing and will eventually thin the skin and lead to more bruising and crepiness,” says Dr. Daniel Schlessinger. “In the last year or two, I have seen so many people who started on a GLP-1 medication with great results for their weight, but only to find that they now have sagging and massive facial volume loss (aka ‘Ozempic face‘),” he goes on. “That can be corrected with fillers and biostimulators, but those also seem to be metabolized more quickly by GLP-1 patients.”
