For a long time, a treatment for sagging skin meant only one thing: some form of plastic surgery to restore it back to old form. Of course, a trip under the knife isn’t really for everyone - it’s dangerous and can cost a decent amount.

Over the last few years, though, breakthroughs in skin care have allowed non-surgical methods to produce an equally effective treatment for sagging skin. Safe and affordable, they have been proven effective over many clinical trials. If you’re in the market to score a restorative treatment for sagging skin, be on the lookout for these ingredients, which are considered among the best when it comes to springing loose skin back into shape:

Cynergy TK

One of the most powerful anti-aging substances in the market, Cynergy TK contains high levels of keratin that facilitate skin regeneration, showing as much as a 160% increase in the growth of new skin cells.

Wakame

Considered a wonder substance for the repair of sagging skin, this kelp extract facilitates the continued production of hyaluronic acid, a natural substance that binds youth-inducing proteins like elastin and collagen. It does the work by blocking the hyaluronic acid-destroying enzyme hyaluronidase, whose effects grow more pronounced as we grow older.

Coenzyme Q10

A powerful antioxidant, it is best delivered in the form of Nano-Lipobelle H-Eq10, a nano-emulsion that penetrates deeply into skin. At 5% concentration, it is largely considered the most effective antioxidant for stimulating the natural production of collagen and elastin, providing an impressive treatment for sagging skin.

The drug ustekinumab reduces symptoms of psoriatic arthritis (PA) and diminishes skin lesions compared with placebo. These are the conclusions of an Article published Online First and in an upcoming edition of The Lancet, written by Dr Alice Gottlieb, Department of Dermatology, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA, and colleagues.

PA is a type of inflammatory arthritis that affects around 11% of patients with psoriasis, which is itself a chronic, non-contagious autoimmune disease which affects the skin and joints. Some patients do not respond to conventional drug treatments for PA, and thus alternatives are needed. Findings suggest that interleukins* 12 and 23 might affect clinical symptoms and pathological joint changes of psoriatic arthritis. Ustekinumab works by preventing interleukins 12 and 23 binding to cell membranes.

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Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes of Cardiovascular Disease (GICD) have found that an enzyme associated with the synthesis of fat in the body is also an element in healthy skin and hair.

The enzyme is acyl CoA:diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 or DGAT1. Mice that lack DGAT1 have many interesting characteristics. For example, they are lean, resistant to diet-induced obesity, are more sensitive to insulin and leptin, and have abnormalities in mammary gland development and skin.

When Gladstone researchers in the laboratory of Robert V. Farese, Jr. used genetic engineering to delete the enzyme in mice, they found that lack of DGAT1 caused levels of retinoic acid (RA) to be greatly increased in skin and resulted in the loss of hair. Their findings were reported in The Journal of Biological Chemistry.

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It’s long been clear that cancer is a disease of aging. While children and younger adults are of course afflicted by certain types of the disease, the vast majority of cases occur in people over 50. But from that simple observation, researchers are just beginning to tease out the intricate connections between the biological processes driving both the disease and the aging process. Though the research is in early days, they’re discovering how the two may be linked, and even how the forces of evolution may have produced a tradeoff: the ability to protect against cancer at the expense of a faster aging.

Judith Campisi, a research scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Buck Institute for Age Research, sees the relationship two ways. First, she says, the same forces that damage our genes likely drive both cancer and aging. For example, oxidative stress, a type of DNA damage caused by free radicals and other molecules, has been associated with both processes, says Steven Austad, a biologist at the Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies at the University of Texas Health Science Center. (Austad is also deputy director of research at the American Federation for Aging Research, which funds studies on aging and age-related diseases.) Any biological processes that protect against oxidative stress and other forms of DNA damage are “unequivocal good guys,” says Campisi. “They protect against cancer, protect the genome, and protect longevity.”

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A lot of people make the mistake of using harsh treatments for oily skin.  While a strong soap or a similar chemical might seem like a good idea to help get rid of excess grease, it’s actually more likely to leave it oilier than ever before.

Removing grease from your face, after all, doesn’t work the same way as cleaning off cooking oil from dishes.  While a rough brush, boiling water and strong detergents will swatch off that grease off your plates and pots, your skin will actually react differently to the same behavior.  Sure, the chemicals will wash the oil off your face .  However, the cleansing will be short-lived and you’ll have your body pushing sebum up the surface of your skin in no time.

When you engage in the same harsh treatments for oily skin, your body compensates by doubling its oil production, leaving you worse off than you were previously.  If you really want to clear off all that shine, you will need to resort to mild and gentle treatments for oily skin.

Astringents - Alcohol-based astringents may work well to remove the shine fast but they’ll do it by drying up your skin, forcing your body to produce even more oil in the process.  Use a water-based astringent instead if you want to keep those shiny cheeks away.

Soaps - Forget all the chemical-laden wonder soaps and opt for a gentle cleanser instead.  Additionally, never scrub your skin, trying to push all the grease off - it will go in its own time.

Moisturizers - If you need to put on a moisturizer, use an oil-free brand with sunscreen protection, if possible.