5 Tips for Firmer Skin: Smoothing Out Facial Features Doesn’t Always Have to Be Difficult

Closer shares five tips for firmer skin — as told by experts!

Eat Right: For starters, experts at the Toronto Plastic Surgeons suggest something simple. “Incorporate a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains. Foods high in antioxidants, such as berries, and those rich in vitamins C and E can help protect the skin and improve its texture and durability.”

Drink Up: “Water keeps your body hydrated and refreshed and helps maintain your skin’s elasticity,” say folks at California’s Pure Luxe Medical. “People who drink large amounts of water are less likely to suffer from scars, wrinkles and soft lines, and they won’t show as many signs of aging as those who drink little. As you grow older, it is tougher for your body to retain water, so you are helping skin stay hydrated.”

Exercise It: “There is evidence facial exercises [can] enlarge and strengthen the facial muscles, so the face becomes firmer and more toned and shaped like a younger face,” says Dr. Murad Alam, professor of dermatology at Northwestern. A simple start is “happy cheeks sculpting.” Smile without showing your teeth. Purse your lips together, then smile — forcing up cheek muscles. Place your fingers on the mouth’s corners and slide them up to the top of the cheeks; hold 20 seconds.

Be Current: Using low-level electric pulses to stimulate facial muscles — the noninvasive electro-therapy known as microcurrent — can be quite beneficial. Explains aesthetician Tera Peterson, cofounder of the microcurrent brand NuFace: “This helps to visibly define, lift and tone the areas you treat. It also improves skin radiance and the look of wrinkles by ramping up collagen and elastin production.”

Neck Ties: As the anti-aging experts at StriVectin point out, “The skin on your neck is different from the skin on your face. The neck has less fatty tissue and collagen, and fewer oil glands, which is why this skin can appear slack, loose, dry and crepey. Only a neck cream can give this delicate skin what it needs.”