8 Minute ReadEducation by Jess Lacey
20.06.22 (Updated 24.05.23)
Skin science is moving at a lightning pace and there’s a world of new technologies that not only create glowing skin at surface level but are also able to change its behaviour deep down at a cellular level. Everyone has skin aspirations; be that targeting stubborn age spots, softening fine lines or knowing how to tighten sagging skin naturally, so knowing the latest dermatological breakthroughs and hi-tech skincare puts us in good stead.
Most likely, you’ve heard a friend mention they’re trying it, read about it online or seen it on a clinic treatment menu but still been left somewhat bemused as to what it is. And that’s understandable because laser treatments are used to treat many different skin concerns. Let’s get specific though; the term, ‘laser skin tightening’ refers to the method of using heat and/or light technologies to reinforce the structural behaviour and appearance of skin.
A plethora of different techniques exist involving varying levels of impact to the skin, (read damage and discomfort) all aiming to lift, sculpt and generally increase the firmness of skin.
A decent laser skin tightening treatment will do all of these:
Stimulate the body’s production of collagen so skin regains that youthful elasticity
Improve tone and texture of the skin’s surface, making it look brighter and more vibrant
Tighten skin and improve facial contours for better-defined cheekbones and jawline
It’s a power play. Directing incredibly powerful laser beams at the skin creates intense targeted thermal damage and the skin's brilliant innate reflex action is to heal those wounds fast. It does this by panic-making collagen, fresh new skin cells brimming with youthful energy and vigour. This elaborate trickery results in juicier, bouncer, firmer skin (just as soon as the weeks of swelling and crusting over have passed).
Admittedly this all sounds somewhat weird science but lasers are truly remarkable and the most advanced technology we have right now. In years gone by, a smoother jawline or lifted cheekbones would have only been achieved with a surgeon’s sharpest scalpel and significantly more life disruption. Even then, facelifts could physically lift the skin but not make it more resilient, full or elastic fantastic.
Everyone can garner the benefits of non surgical skin tightening. Far from just an age issue, skin’s resilience lessens at differing rates and our steady production of collagen and elastin falters for many reasons. Many young people in their twenties and thirties experience sagging skin through weight loss, collagen breakdown from environmental damage and sun overexposure. The difficulties arise when you’re searching for laser skin treatments for black skin because some laser beams don’t register dark skin tones. This means many potential users are discouraged or have to do a lot more homework before finding a laser for dark skin tones which is disappointing.
This is where it’s easy to get confused because the best laser treatment for you is the one that solves your particular skin concern. Admittedly, this might sound obvious but lasers are designed to reach specific depths and that makes what they can treat, highly specialised.
Fractional CO2 lasers possess the pinpoint accuracy required for treating fine lines, wrinkles, pigmentation and age spots but they do not travel deep enough into the skin to visibly lift the skin.
Ablative skin resurfacing lasers remove the top layer of epidermal skin, cause visible wounds and significant downtime. Their destructive tendencies are however justified by the impressive collagen and elastin production response creating firmer, plumper skin.
The LYMA Laser and Laser PRO are like a fractional laser, in that they can effectively fade out fine lines, wrinkles, and pigmentation at a surface level but also matches heavy-duty ablative lasers in tightening and remodelling skin. Being able to meet both disciplines makes it a game-changing device to launch into the laser market. But being able to do this without causing any pain or damage to skin, makes it truly exceptional.
There’s no doubt that lasers are brilliant at rejuvenating, resurfacing and remodelling the skin and have been scientifically proven to do so time and again. Yet it also cannot be underestimated how much time, money, discomfort and disruption to normal life that courses of professional in-clinic laser treatment entails.
Before undergoing a course of in-clinic treatment, it’s crucial to be aware of:
risk of post inflammatory pigmentation, infection and scarring
post treatment swelling, bruising, bleeding and redness
downtime, prolonged rest and full sunlight bans
expensive of the laser treatment course itself
additional expenses of follow up aftercare, medications and pain relief
Costs of laser skin tightening vary greatly and depend on:
the type of laser technology being used
the dermatologist practitioner administering the treatment
the size of the area being treated
the number of sessions required
We have calculated that over 5 years the cost of having 2-3 skin tightening sessions will likely be over £5,000*. The LYMA Laser, on the other hand, is only bought once at a flat fee of £2,000** and has been proven to last a minimum of 10 years.
When it’s not a laser doing the tightening, what is it? There are plenty of other ways to firm sagging skin.
Ultrasound is amongst the best treatments for lifting sagging skin whereby ultrasound waves are pushed into the skin tissue to tighten, lift and increase collagen and elastin production in the skin. Ultrasound waves penetrate deeper than resurfacing lasers and radiofrequency so the tightening results are usually more dramatic. The gold standard of this category is Ultherapy(5) and is widely trusted to deliver on its promises but the downside of ultrasound for skin tightening is definitely the pain. Painkillers, numbing creams and even nitrous oxide are offered to make it more manageable.
Radiofrequency tightens skin effectively by travelling into the middle layers of the dermis and penetrating intense heat into the tissue below. This thermal transference is proven to promote collagen production but it takes time and results can take six months to show themselves.
It’s also possible to combine radiofrequency with microneedling whereby the surface of the skin is stamped and radiofrequency waves are emitted down from those needles, deep into the skin. The firming, lifting results are impressive but this is where the definition of ‘non-invasive’ gets very flexible. These hot needles are considered one of the most painful and extreme non-surgical skin tightening treatments available today.
Another effective combination of treatments for lifting and tightening sagging skin is Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) and radiofrequency. Targeting both the skin’s surface and deeper sub-layers in tandem, this achieves both immediate improvements and long-term tightening results.
Although a somewhat different approach, injectable fillers superficially plump the skin and create a fullness to skin’s contours. The skin itself stays the same but the appearance of sagging and loose skin is lessened in the immediate term. Results usually last around six months to a year.
In the past, the potential misuse of powerful laser beams made effective at home skin tightening devices impossible. The LYMA Laser is the first at-home skin gadget to contain sufficient power to change the collagen building properties of skin and still be entirely safe to its users. The clinic-grade 500mw continuous light beam is dispersed 25,000 times across an internal lens, removing all of the heat but none of the power. The LYMA Laser is completely cold and still it is able to travel into the deepest layers of skin, even reaching fat and muscle tissue to rejuvenate skin cells, rallying them into resilience mode once more. What’s more, it works across every skin tone so everyone can get in on the skin boosting benefits.
In addition to being rigorously assessed in the expert community, the LYMA Laser has proven its expertise in real life skin concern cases. Below are independent images shared by customers who were profoundly impressed by what the LYMA Laser had done for them.
Target: 65-year-old woman, anti-ageing under-arm treatment
Protocol: 1 hour daily use of Laser PRO for 4 weeks
Result: Tighter and firmer under-arm skin and improved muscle tone
Target: 70-year-old woman, anti-ageing lower face and neck treatment
Protocol: 1 hour daily-use of Laser PRO for 4 weeks
Result: Visibly reduced wrinkles on neck and around mouth
Target: 47-year-old, knee lift treatment
Protocol: 15 minutes daily for 3 months, can take up to 6 months for transformational results
Result: Vastly improved skin texture, skin elasticity and cellulite reduction
The LYMA Laser is the only proven at-home laser able to lift and tighten the skin for more defined facial contours and a sleeker jawline.
All professional dermatological laser skin tightening treatments carry levels of discomfort ranging from mild irritation to significant pain requiring anaesthesia.
Facial massage can be effective for temporarily lifting skin but laser skin tightening is the proven technique for reliable, long-term firming results.
Depending on the severity of the skin condition being treated, laser treatment ranges from a single session to courses of 8 sessions spread across a year or longer.
Maintenance sessions are often required to upkeep results but laser skin tightening results should last years.
Yes, it was previously thought that thermal damage was required to generate collagen production but the LYMA Laser has since proven that cold lasers can be every bit as effective.
* Please refer to the article about laser skin treatments where we have made price estimations based on the study of 5 large skin clinics based in the UK.
** This is the average price of 5 UK dermatology clinics as of the 20th June 2022.
