Skin elasticity, or skin turgor, is the capability of your skin to change shape and return to its original state. You can notice this phenomena when you pinch a section of skin and then let go to see how quickly it will return to its original shape. The faster it smooths out, the better skin elasticity your dermis will have. Most commonly, your skin’s elasticity will decrease as you get older; however their are a slew of other reasons for poor turgor, including:
Severe Fluid Loss
Decreased fluid intake
Diarrhea
Diabetes
Heat exhaustion
Vomiting
Edemas
Connective tissue disorders (scleroderma and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome)
Aging
While some causes of poor turgor are inevitable (aging, weight loss, etc), there are ways to help your skin regain its strength and vitality:
Many doctors tell you to drink plenty of water to keep you healthy overall, but water is also good for your skin. This fact is especially true if you are dehydrated or have a condition that causes severe fluid loss. If you don’t necessarily enjoy drinking water, for whatever reason, try infusing your favorite fruits into it. No sugar is added, but you get the water you need along with the fruit’s nutrients.
Collagen and elastin are the two key factors in skin elasticity. As mentioned, natural aging can cause the destruction of those two factors; however damage caused by environmental factors can also destroy them. Fried foods, sun damage, and cigarette smoke are just some of the aforementioned factors. To combat the loss of collagen and elastin, your body needs antioxidants, so you’re going to want to load up on Vitamin A, which can be found in carrots, apricots, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and watermelons. Foods rich in Vitamin C, D, and E are also helpful.
Some of these can also be included in your diet, but the following are vitamins that are helpful in repairing skin elasticity:
Vitamin C is important in the creation of collagen and elasticity. Aging and sun exposure can deplete your Vitamin C levels.
Vitamin E is an antioxidant, which as mentioned before, helps protect against damage caused by sunlight and free radicals.
Vitamin D helps develop new skin cells so that they can create that protective barrier that holds in moisture to maintain flexible skin
Vitamin B (12 and 6) and folate help collagen and elastin function together. Biotin and Niacin also contribute to healthy skin.
A more topical solution for improving turgor is using the correct skin products. Essential oils such as chamomile and neroli are great for this purpose. Chamomile helps smooth broken capillaries to increase elasticity, and neroli helps cells regenerate, which along with increasing skin turgor, also helps reduce varicose veins and scarring. Cocoa butter is also a good tool for healthy skin elasticity.