At some point in our lives, we all have or will notice that overnight (or so it seems) our skin lost elasticity and is on the fast track south. Sagging skin completely changes your appearance. As skin pulls down, the shape of your eyes droops and you’re suddenly frowning much more. Plastic surgery and quick lift skin tucks have long been the only solution to effectively “pick up” drooping skin and keep it taught – at least for awhile longer, ad then there’s always another tuck available.

Research and developers are working hard to change that reality. While there are dozens of treatments created to tighten the appearance of skin on the surface, new research by a leading cosmetics company claims that their latest product can tighten the dermal network of the skin so it appears to be “denser, more toned, and stronger.”

It works by utilizing an ingredient found only in the Manila elemi tree called Elemi Polyfractioned Active, a protein found naturally in our skin. Its job is to secure cells and control how they connect (imagine securing a tent using stakes). According to Don Ingber, director of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, who also worked as a consultant for this product, the skins’ “stability comes from the tension generated in cells, not just structural components like collagen and elastin. If you can regulate tension, the growth function, and integrity of the whole, tissue will change.”

If you’ve ever had a deep cut, you know that the skin’s dermal layers are thick which is important for protection and anti-aging. Once the aging process, including sagging skin, starts it does penetrate into the sub-dermal layers. So while this new research, which claims to be able to manipulate cell tension, is a “good idea,” says Doris Day, a clinical assistant professor of dermatology at New York University Langone Medical Center, “the dermal network is so deep, it could be hard for ingredients to penetrate to that level.”

Testers of the tightening cream found that it absorbed on contact and instantly left their skin moist and plump. Its super-moisturizing properties and SPF make it an ideal day cream. Because your skin absorbs best when you’re asleep, it is also a good choice for a night cream if you have dry skin.

The cream’s lasting ability to alter the way the skin’s deepest layers connect and age has yet to be proven. Much like anything with a demand-factor attached to it, it most likely won’t be long until someone has found a way to stop collagen and elastin deterioration and cell degeneration even at the core. Until then, this cream stands alone as the most hopeful solution for sagging skin.

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