Beneath your skin, a dense network of collagen and elastin fibers gives the dermis its bounce, firmness, and resilience. Starting around age 25, the body produces approximately 1 percent less collagen each year, and existing fibers begin to fragment and stiffen. The dermis thins, the support scaffold weakens, and gravity does the rest. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, cumulative sun exposure significantly accelerates skin aging and contributes to wrinkles, loss of firmness, and other visible changes over time.
Photoaging compounds the problem. Ultraviolet radiation generates reactive oxygen species that degrade collagen, damage fibroblast DNA, and break down elastic fibers, which is why sun-exposed areas like the face, neck, chest, and forearms loosen first. Hormonal shifts during perimenopause and menopause accelerate this loss further as estrogen, a key driver of collagen synthesis, declines.
Mechanical factors also matter. Significant weight loss, pregnancy, and rapid changes in body composition stretch the skin past its elastic recovery limit, leaving residual laxity even after the underlying volume returns to normal. The result is the kind of crepey, hanging, or deflated appearance that responds best to targeted collagen-induction therapy such as Exion RF Microneedling.
