Without elastin—an integral protein in our skin—we can kiss our skin’s youthful bounce goodbye. “Everyone is always hearing about collagen,” says Beverly Hills, CA plastic surgeon Dan Gould, MD. “But it’s surprising to me that so few people know about elastin, given how important it is to the overall quality of the skin. So, if there is one thing people can take away from this article, it should be that collagen is important, but elastin may be even more important as you age, to maintain your resilience in your skin.”
Featured Experts
- Dan Gould, MD is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, CA
- Elaine Kung, MD is a board-certified dermatologist in New York
- Jody Levine, MD is a board-certified dermatologist in New York
- Dr. Muneeb Shah is a board-certified dermatologist in New York
- Drew Schnitt, MD is a board-certified plastic surgeon in Delray Beach, FL
What Is Elastin?
“Think of elastin as our skin’s built-in rubber band, allowing our skin to snap back after stretching, like what we do during a smile,” explains New York dermatologist Elaine Kung, MD. “Elastin exists as a network of long, branched, polypeptide chains—it’s a protein—and it’s the spring that lets our skin bounce and recoil.” There is a genetic component to a person’s quality and quantity of elastin, as well, so one can look at how their family tree has aged. Dr. Gould says there are also genetic disorders of elasticity that cause patients to look extremely aged because elastin is so important for the stretchiness of their skin. “However, we do know there are people who have decreased elastic components in their skin without having a medical phenotype. Certain patients have a lot less elastin and a lot less elasticity of their skin, but we are not really sure as to why these different variations exist.”
How It Differs From Collagen
Collagen, on the other hand, is the scaffolding that gives our skin its structure. It contributes to the strength and thickness of the skin. New York dermatologist Jody Levine, MD uses the aforementioned rubber band analogy to distinguish the two: “The actual shape of the rubber band is the collagen, but the elastin is the element that allows the rubber band to stretch and then go back to its original shape.” Collagen fibers are thicker and make up 80 percent of our dermis, says New York dermatologist Dr. Muneeb Shah. “Elastin fibers are thinner and only make up 4 percent of our dermis. Additionally, collagen is replenished throughout our lives, though that process does slow down, but elastin is rarely replenished once it is damaged.” Moreover, it’s important to understand that there are different genetic types of collagen—types I, II, III, etc.—but there is only one genetic type of elastin.
“We have known about the importance of collagen for many years, and the beauty industry has focused on that,” Dr. Gould says. “Collagen is indeed one of the main building blocks of our skin, but elastin is even more important. It’s a critical concept when you think of anti-aging: to make sure you are restoring the elasticity of the skin, versus just thickening it up. Make it firmer and more powerful, but also make it more durable and resilient.”
The Pinch Test
To assess the quality of your elasticity, you can do what’s called “the pinch test.” Gently pinch the skin on your face, forearm or hand and see how quickly it snaps back, says Dr. Shah. “If it does not snap back quickly, it indicates poor elasticity. This is also not to be confused with pinching the skin for ‘turgor,’ which is used to assess hydration levels of the skin.”
Signs of Elastin Decline
Like collagen, however, elastin markedly declines with age. “When we lose elasticity with age, it makes sagging, coarse wrinkles, uneven skin texture and pores more prominent,” says Dr. Shah. “It’s a major contributor, along with collagen loss, to skin aging and what appears as crepey skin.” Delray Beach, FL plastic surgeon, Drew Schnitt, MD explains that in addition to the normal aging process, sun exposure is the greatest threat to a loss of elasticity. “Smoking, weight fluctuations, pregnancy and oxidative stress can also cause elastin fibers to lose their ability to snap back.” The bottom line, according to Dr. Gould: “It’s really important to understand that anything that you do in life that creates oxidative stress is going to negatively affect your skin quality and elasticity.”
We should also consider what we’re eating, and how it impacts our skin. “A diet high in sugar can damage elastin and collagen through a process called glycation,” Dr. Shah adds. Excess sugar molecules bind to proteins in our bodies and produce advanced glycation end-products, or AGEs, which accelerate signs of aging.
How We Can Fortify Our Elastin
According to Dr. Schnitt, elastin fibers cannot typically be regenerated back to their original elasticity. Hence, experts urge us to shield our skin with sunscreen every day. There aren’t many topical products and in-office treatments that can actually increase elastin production. “However, while elasticity may not be completely restored, there are some treatments that can improve skin texture, tightness and appearance,” he says.
+SKIN CARE
In the skin-care space, the consensus is that retinoids are the MVP ingredient when it comes to impacting elastin. “Retinoids’ mechanism for boosting elastin—and collagen—involves several pathways,” Dr. Kung explains. “They can upregulate the genes responsible for elastin synthesis, stimulate fibroblasts and promote the formation of a healthy extracellular matrix. This is the scaffolding that supports elastin and collagen fibers.”
Other skin-care ingredients that can positively affect elastin, according to Dr. Levine, include certain peptides, growth factors, and antioxidants such as vitamin C and green tea. “Vitamin C is the most powerful antioxidant to reduce oxidative stress,” says Dr. Gould. “Using a good vitamin C serum is going to help prevent free radicals, which break down elastin.”
+IN-OFFICE TREATMENTS
At the doctor’s office, certain nonsurgical treatments can boost elasticity. Dr. Kung’s favorite method is radio-frequency (RF) microneedling. “I use the TriFractional device on the face because it has the finest needles on the market and produces good results with little downtime,” she says. “The microneedles trigger microinjuries in the skin and the radio-frequency energy generates heat. This synergistic approach activates fibroblasts to produce more collagen and elastin.”
Dr. Schnitt favors Sylfirm X RF microneedling and Scarlet SRF microneedling, as well as chemical peels and HALO, TRL and CO2 laser skin resurfacing. Studies show promising results for RF microneedling in enhancing elasticity. “A study in the Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Dermatology showed that it led to significant improvements in skin laxity and elasticity, particularly when compared to microneedling alone,” Dr. Kung says.
Some dermal fillers can impact our elastin, too. Radiesse, which is made of calcium hydroxylapatite, stimulates fibroblasts in the skin to produce elastin for up to nine months after only one injection, and collagen for up to a year. Sculptra is a biostimulatory filler made of poly-L-lactic acid that regenerates our own collagen and elastin for natural-looking volume that improves over time.
In the operating room, plastic surgeons can tighten droopy skin, but they can’t alter the quality of it. That’s a job for efficacious skin care and nonsurgical treatments. “Better elasticity translates to better results,” says Dr. Gould. “I look for products that improve skin quality post-procedure, and exosomes and peptides are two with great promise. They help skin heal faster while also stimulating the production of collagen and elastin.”
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