What Causes Crepey Skin?

Crepey skin isn’t exactly what you imagine when you picture the pinnacle of skincare and skin health.

Still, millions of people have it because of basic skin care negligence or simple aging. Sometimes it’s just out of your control.

That being said, you can do something about it. Crepey skin looks like super fine wrinkles similar to crepe paper. The awful thing is that your skin doesn’t have to be loose for this to happen, either: it can be young and taut, but still encounter this issue.

We’ll get into the details of crepey skin and what you can do about it, as well as some other instances where you might encounter it.

If you’d like to see a graphical breakdown of the crepey skin causes, we got you covered:

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What is Crepey Skin?

Finely wrinkled skin, like we mentioned before. This can be caused by a multitude of factors.

The best way to imagine crepey skin is the very narrow, fine wrinkles beneath the eyes on older skin. It almost looks like a brain with all the peaks and valleys, but if you touch the skin, it’s soft and impressionable.

This type of skin feels noticeably thinner, and that’s because it is. It’s actually fragile compared to the rest of your skin.

Crepey skin has many causes that we’re about to learn about, but you should know right now that unless you’re very young and shouldn’t be experiencing this as a result of aging, it’s completely normal and not a sign of any problems with your skin’s health.

What Body Parts Are Most Affected?

Crepey skin can appear anywhere. If it appears in a spot that you don’t expect, don’t be alarmed: it can be normal, and you can still have your dermatologist take a look just to be on the safe side.

• Neck: Crepey skin is common on your neck. Consider how often you use it to rotate, and how that skin moves with it. Highly used areas of your skin like this will always be subject to crepey skin with aging.

• Wrists: It’s uncommon to think about, but when you move your hand—even if you’re only moving one finger—you’re also moving your wrist slightly. Those miniscule movements add up over time, and since the skin on your wrist is generally pretty thin, it’s subject to becoming crepey.

• Eyes: Your eyes do a lot of work. The skin beneath your eyes is prone to sun damage, but also simply just from movement and use. Sleep is your biggest friend when it comes to getting rid of crepey skin beneath the eyes.

You may notice crepey skin on your forearms as well, which is another sign of aging.

You only need to worry about crepey skin at a young age, because it could be a sign of your collagen and elastin production being halted (usually a pH or hormone imbalance that can be resolved with medication and treatments).

The only reason this is bad when you’re young is because it could be indicative of problems with your skin’s ability to repair itself, leading to thin skin at a young age and potential bleeding problems. Otherwise, it’s just aging in motion.

What Causes it?

There are two main causes: aging and skin damage.

Aging is simple enough, right?

As the years go by, your skin’s ability to produce collagen and elastin reduce. Other parts of your body begin to slow down at a similar pace, so this is just roped in with your body’s natural aging. And that’s okay.

However, skin damage is another story. Skin damage can occur from a number of things.

• Not Using Sunblock: The sun is your skin’s mortal enemy. It’s fairly ironic that we also need our skin to absorb vitamin D, so there’s a balance you have to strike. Technically, you only need ten minutes of sunlight per day to get your recommended allowance of vitamin D, so you can take a brisk walk, then apply sunblock if you’re going to be out for much longer.

• Weight Loss: Loose skin can be from major weight loss, and that skin can become crepey. The good thing is that this isn’t a cause for concern even if you’re young, but it is something that you may feel self-conscious about.

• Not Moisturizing: Less hydration in the skin means less elastin production, which means that skin wears out faster. Sunlight breaks down collagen and elastin, and it’s able to do this when attacking unhydrated skin. Now, the flip side of the coin is that dry skin reflects UV rays, which can help, but dry skin in general is bad for your skin elasticity.

There are more things in this life that can hurt your skin than things that can help, so you have to proceed with caution. If you enjoy the beautiful, glowing look of your skin, then it’s important to take all these factors into account.

How to Fix Crepey Skin?

There are multiple ways to fix crepey skin, but it should be noted that there’s no modern marvel of science.

There are creams, RF treatments, and even surgeries that can be used to fix crepey skin, but you’re not going to look like you’re twenty-one again. Have reasonable expectations for these treatments before diving headfirst into them.

• RF Treatment: This stands for radiofrequency, which is a low 2 mHz frequency that can force collagen production in the skin. This helps with elasticity and tightness, and overall helps with crepey skin. Keep in mind that this can be used underneath your eyes, around your lips, and on other areas of your skin, but that it’s not a cure-all. These treatments tingle and typically take up to eight weeks to show results, at which point you still have to perform the treatment regularly.

• Creams and Balms: There are creams and balms that help to tighten your skin, and as long as they contain certain additives and chemicals, they can work wonders. Look for copper peptides, as they’ve been proven to help tighten your skin. You should take balms and creams with a grain of salt, because they may only marginally improve your skin elasticity and texture, while also requiring weeks or months to begin seeing results. They’re effective, you just have to play the long game.

• Fractionated Lasers: These lasers leave little holes in the skin, which aerates the skin and smoothes the surface. This is a procedure, so it will leave your skin feeling raw for days on end, and generally is not deemed as a safe idea.

• Stop Applying Bad Moisturizers: Look for ingredients, and be careful with what you actually apply to your skin. There are a lot of bad ingredients in numerous lower-tier moisturizers that can actually damage your skin. At the very least, even if they aren’t damaging, they’re not doing your skin any favors. It’s like applying a placebo and expecting it to actually do something good for you.

Natural Solutions for Crepey Skin

Apart from treatment options that you need to look at once your skin becomes crepey, there are a few natural things you can do to prevent crepey skin from ever being a problem in the first place.

There aren’t really any natural remedies to fix crepey skin the way that treatments can, but these solutions and preventative measures should go a long way in helping to protect your skin.

• Eat Skin-Tightening Foods: We have a list of foods that naturally tighten your skin. These can help to prevent collagen breakdown and continue the production of elastin.

• Less Time in the Sun: Tanning is nice, but it’s technically skin damage. Avoid being under the direct sun for extended periods of time. Try to find jobs that are mostly indoors, especially during summer months.

• Use Natural Moisturizers: Coconut oil, olive oil, and things of the sort. If you keep your skin hydrated, it’s less likely to incur damage from the sun.

• Avoid Fragrance-Heavy Cosmetics: Some cosmetics that include perfumes and parfum can dry your skin out. Try to avoid them when possible (it’s a hard challenge; so many ingredients lists have parfum).

You want to work on preventative measures more than anything else. Wear SPF-intensive sunblock, avoid tanning beds when possible, and try to limit your time in direct sunlight. It’s a constant effort, but a manageable one.

One Fix at a Time Makes All the Difference

Nobody wants to deal with crepey skin, but once it happens, you don’t have a choice. It can be a pain to deal with, but now that you know what to do, you can reduce the wrinkling, peeling look of your skin and reclaim that youthful look.

On a closing note, keep in mind that we all have different skin and different sensitivities, so what works for one person may not work for another.

This guide covers just about everything you need to know about remedying crepey skin, but of course, your experience is unique compared to others.