Both Dr. Gordon and Dr. Murphy-Rose also note that properly hydrating yourself and your skin can also keep crepiness at bay. “Hydration keeps skin more plump, improving its appearance,” says Dr. Murphy-Rose. “Consume adequate fluids, limit intake of caffeine, alcohol, and other diuretics when possible, and apply a balanced high-quality moisturizer that’s well-balanced for your skin every day.”
Along with daily habit changes, incorporating certain ingredients, such as retinol and vitamin C, into your body-care regimen will help diminish the look for skin crepiness. “Vitamin A derivatives like retinol and prescription-strength retinoids increase production of collagen and elastin to prevent and reduce these signs of aging. Dr. Murphy-Rose adds that antioxidants like vitamin C, coenzyme Q10, resveratrol, and vitamin E neutralize free radicals, which is essential for protecting your body’s natural supply of collagen and preventing wrinkles and laxity over time.
Are there any professional treatments for crepey skin?
If you want to take a more dramatic approach to treating your crepey skin, Dr. Gordon says that there are many treatment options to choose from at your trusted board-certified dermatologist’s office, but finding the right one for your skin concerns is key for the best results. “There are many things that try to treat crepey skin, such as resurfacing procedures that incorporate certain lasers and microneedling, as well as skin-tightening procedures like smart liposuction, Ultherapy, and radiofrequency, however, there is no perfect concoction for many people—it is a very difficult issue to address,” she says.
With that being said, Dr. Murphy-Rose says that one of the most popular crepey skin treatments she performs on her clients is Sofwave, “which uses high-frequency, high-intensity ultrasound technology to heat tissue just below the surface of the skin to powerfully stimulate collagen production,” she says. As a result, this professional procedure improves the overall quality of skin, and prevents crepiness, laxity, fine lines, and wrinkles. “Another option is CO2 laser resurfacing, which improves crepiness by laser remodeling of collagen,” she says. “Non-ablative fractional resurfacing with Fraxel Dual is another great option with five to seven days of downtime including redness, mild swelling, and roughness to the skin.”
Radiofrequency microneedling, another option Dr. Murphy-Rose recommends, uses tiny needles that penetrate the skin and cause microscopic wounds along the dermis. “Downtime after radiofrequency microneedling is approximately three to five days, and typically a series of treatments is recommended for best results,” she explains.
Meet the experts
- Blair Murphy-Rose, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City and Newport Beach, California
- Jennifer Gordon, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Westlake Dermatology in Austin, Texas
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