If You're Dealing With Crepey Skin, Stop Doing These 3 Things

Let's get one thing straight: Crepey skin is not the same as wrinkled skin. However, both wrinkles and crepey skin can be caused by similar factors. This means whatever you're doing to treat your crepey skin may also help improve fine lines and wrinkles (major win).

If you've been using harsh scrubs on your face or body, you might be making the fragile, crepey skin even worse. This doesn't mean you should avoid exfoliating in general; however, you should pick another way to slough off dead skin. 

Your best bet? Alpha-hydroxy acids, or AHAs for short. "AHAs dissolve the bonds that hold dull, dead skin cells on the surface of the skin so the skin will gently shed, revealing smoother, brighter skin underneath," board-certified dermatologist Hadley King, M.D., once explained. 

It's essential to understand the connection between the sun and your skin. See, UV radiation has the ability to penetrate the epidermis where it damages the skin cells, proteins, and elastic fibers that keep skin firm—and one of the main characteristics of crepey skin is a lack of elasticity.

It's time to get to the root cause of crepey skin: collagen decline. As you age, your body naturally pumps the brakes on collagen production. In fact, research shows that your collagen levels begin to decline by 1% each year3, starting around your mid-20s. For those who experience menopause, collagen decline picks up around that time as well.

Once the degradation rate surpasses production, that lack of collagen may lead to sagging, crepey skin. That said, it is possible to replenish the lost collagen via nutrition. "Collagen-rich foods can significantly support skin hydration and elasticity," board-certified family physician and functional medicine expert Alejandra Carrasco, M.D., once told mbg.

And one of the best ways to internally support collagen production is through hydrolyzed collagen supplements. Research demonstrates that ingesting this form of collagen (make sure you use hydrolyzed collagen peptides) can promote your natural collagen and elastin production3.