Skin Laxity
One of the most common changes clients notice, and one that is very well understood clinically.
Skin laxity is a gradual loss of firmness and elasticity in the skin. It develops mainly as collagen and elastin decline with age and sun exposure. Depending on your skin, options may include fractionated RF or skin needling with Heather Holbrook, or a nurse-led treatment consultation with Petta Day RN or Candice McCue RN.
Reviewed by Heather Holbrook, Dermal Clinician, 35 years' experience, and Petta Day, Registered Nurse. Last reviewed .
Understanding skin laxity
Many clients first notice skin laxity in photos or in the mirror at a certain angle, before they can say exactly what has changed. It tends to show first where the skin is thinner and has less structural support.
What is driving the change matters, because the right approach depends on its stage and the factors involved.
Signs to be aware of
What's happening in the skin
The skin's structure depends on a dense network of collagen and elastin fibres in the dermal layer. Collagen provides tensile strength. Elastin provides recoil. Both are produced and maintained by fibroblast cells.
By our 30s, collagen production is in measurable decline. By the 50s, skin may have lost a significant proportion of its original collagen density. The fibres that remain become less organised and less effective.
Hormonal changes also play a part. Oestrogen has a role in collagen production, and as levels fall during perimenopause and menopause, collagen loss can speed up.
Sun exposure breaks down collagen and elastin over a lifetime. In South Australia's climate, photoageing can be more significant than chronological age in how the skin changes.
How we can support you
Fractionated RF and skin needling work with the skin's own collagen processes and are the usual starting point for skin laxity. Both are performed by Heather at Largs Bay. Where concerns extend beyond what dermal treatments can support, a nurse-led treatment consultation with Petta or Candice is the right next step.
Device treatment
Fractionated RFControlled thermal energy in the deeper dermal layers, intended to support the skin's natural collagen remodelling response.
Dermal treatment
Skin NeedlingCreates micro-channels designed to prompt the skin's repair response and may support renewal of collagen and elastin over a treatment course.
Nurse-led
Treatment ConsultationAvailable at both our Largs Bay and Norwood clinics, in a private consultation room.
Skin laxity FAQs
Is skin laxity the same as wrinkles?
No. Wrinkles are lines or creases in the surface of the skin. Laxity is a loss of firmness, so the skin sits lower or looks less defined. The two often appear together, and the approach for each can differ.
What causes skin laxity?
Collagen and elastin fibres give the skin its structure and spring. Production of both slows with age, and UV exposure breaks them down faster. Hormonal changes during perimenopause and menopause may also affect skin firmness.
At what age does skin laxity start?
There is no set age. Collagen production begins to slow from the mid-20s, and many people first notice changes in their late 30s or 40s. Sun exposure and genetics influence how early it becomes visible.
How many treatments might I need?
It depends on your skin and the treatment chosen. Fractionated RF and skin needling are usually performed as a course spaced several weeks apart, because collagen remodelling takes time. Heather will outline a likely plan and the costs at your consultation. Individual results vary.
Talk to us about skin laxity
Book online, or call us on 0403 292 292 if you would like to talk it through first.
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