![\"Microneedling](\"https:\/\/images.newscientist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/16144038\/SEI_232702080.jpg\")
<\/div>Microneedling may trigger a\u00a0wound-healing response that encourages collagen formation<\/p>\n
Rick Eglinton\/Toronto Star via Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n
This article is part of a special issue investigating key questions about skincare. Find the full series here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n Our skin inevitably loses some of its elasticity as we age. In the past, the main weapon against the wrinkles and sags \u2013 for those who could afford it \u2013 was to go under the surgeon\u2019s knife. Today, there are a wealth of less invasive alternatives that promise to firm up and rejuvenate our skin \u2013 everything from Botox injections to devices that blast light or ultrasound into the skin, and even \u201cvampire\u201d facials, where blood extracts are injected into the face.<\/p>\n Given that healthy skin brings wider health benefits, do these \u201ctweakments\u201d rejuvenate from the outside in? \u201cThe question is, is this just vanity or are you doing anything that\u2019s going to help your future self?\u201d says dermatologist Clare Kiely<\/a> at Guy\u2019s and St Thomas\u2019 Hospital, London. \u201cIt depends on the type of treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n Ageing comes with many transformations, but the primary cause of our wrinkles is a reduction in collagen and elastin, proteins that provide firmness and elasticity. Treatments such as Botox<\/a> \u2013 injection of botulinum toxin to prevent muscles contracting \u2013 will do nothing to stop these changes, though they can be an effective way to prevent frown lines when injected into certain facial muscles. Likewise, injections of gel-like substances called dermal fillers beneath the skin can smooth wrinkles and add volume to sagging tissue, but don\u2019t address the underlying structural changes, and come with risks.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nLost elasticity<\/h2>\n