Are Your Sagging Knees Making You Look Older?

As you age, there are certain things that happen to your body. It starts to go through changes, making you look a lot older than you might feel. The worse thing is, many of the physical changes can start a lot sooner than you think. Sagging knees are one of these changes, affecting lots of women up and down the country. What is this problem, why does it happen, and are there ways to treat it?

thermage before after knees

What are sagging knees?

The skin around your knees is quite unique as everyone is supposed to have extra skin in this region. Why? Because it surrounds a joint, meaning you need more skin to actually move your knee. If the skin was wrapped tight to this area, you’d find it impossible to move or bend your knee at all. 

Unfortunately, as you get older, this excess skin can become a problem. It loses a lot of its natural elasticity and starts to sag. This can leave you with very wrinkly knees and a fair bit of loose skin around that area. You are also likely to see quite dry and dark skin, which is what makes the wrinkles more visible. To make matters worse, this sounds like a problem that affects older people, but it’s a common complaint amongst women in their 20s and 30s. 

As such, your sagging knees can make you feel incredibly self-conscious when wearing certain things. It might stop you from wearing skirts, shorts, or even going to the beach. Sagging knees can also damage your love life as you feel less confident getting undressed in the bedroom. 

It’s good to understand that you shouldn’t feel bad for worrying about this problem. It might sound superficial, but it has a devastating impact on the mental health of women around the country. 

What causes sagging knees?

Truthfully, a collection of things can cause sagging knees in women. The first one is excessive weight loss. If you have lost a lot of weight recently, you can expect to see saggy skin around your joints. 

Nevertheless, other factors come into play to cause sagging knees and wrinkle skin as well. Here are some of the most common causes:

Constant pressure

Your knees are usually put under a lot of pressure and stress. This happens when you kneel down for long periods, but it also relates to clothing rubbing up against the skin. Think about it, if you walk around in tight jeans, your knees are scraping against the material every time you bend your legs. Consequently, this leads to a build-up of dead skin, which gets really tough and thick. 

With so much dead skin in this area, your knees are deprived of collagen and elastin – which helps the skin stretch and stay youthful. Therefore, you get the hard knee skin that looks dark and wrinkly. 

Sun damage

Similarly, constant exposure to the sun can damage the skin on your knees. The skin on your knees is already very thin, meaning it can tan and burn easily. You probably already know this as your knees often look a darker shade than the rest of your legs. 

Of course, sun damage is bad for your skin as it can cause irregular pigmentation and lead to wrinkles. Once more, you can look at collagen and elastin in this situation. Chronic sun exposure is proven to reduce collagen and elastin production, which makes the skin appear a lot looser. 

The natural aging process

Yes, saggy knees can be a result of the natural aging process. As you get older, it takes longer for skin cells to reproduce. This is why you see a natural reduction in things like collagen and elastin, creating wrinkles all over your body. However, problem areas like your knees and elbows – which already have excess skin – are some of the first places you see the effects of aging. 

Plus, as mentioned earlier, the aging process can start a lot sooner than you think. This could be down to genetics, lifestyle choices, etc. For whatever reason, your skin cell turnover rate is decreasing, and you’re not producing enough collagen and elastin. 

How do you solve sagging knees?

You will come across many potential remedies for sagging knees. In some cases, you can see improvements by using a good anti-aging moisturizer on the area. Also, apply a serum that encourages collagen production can help. Some experts also suggest that exercising can improve things as the additional muscle mass almost ‘fills up’ the excess saggy skin. 

However, one of the best and most effective ways of reversing your saggy knees is through Thermage skin-tightening treatment. We offer this at Vida Wellness and Beauty, and it has proven to be a very popular treatment amongst many women. 

What is Thermage and how does it work?

Thermage is a non-invasive treatment that can tighten your skin without any downtime. It takes anywhere between 20-minutes and two hours, depending on how much of your skin requires treatment. For a small area like the knees, you will probably be closer to the lower end of that scale. 

How does it work? A qualified Thermage technician will apply a cooling spray to your knees, forming a protective barrier. They then use the patented ThermaCool device and apply heat from radiofrequency energy to the skin. It penetrates deep into the underlying tissues, tightening the fibers and making your body produce more collagen and elastin. 

What are the benefits of Thermage for sagging knees?

For one, you can use an FDA-approved method of tightening your skin without any surgery or incisions. It is proven to work and uses your body’s natural mechanisms to help you see results. Plus, as it stimulates collagen production, you should see results that continue to improve. Most patients walk away with visible results already, but you will see your knee skin get tighter and younger for up to six months!

In conclusion, sagging knees can cause a loss of confidence in many young women. If your knees are making you feel older, then perhaps Thermage skin-tightening treatment is the solution to try.

Dr. De La Fuente

Dr. De La Fuente is our board-certified Dermatologist practicing at VIDA Clinic in Tijuana. He specializes in Cosmetic Dermatology, Laser treatment & Non-invasive procedures, Medical Dermatology and Surgical Dermatology. He is a member of the Mexican Academy of Dermatology, Mexican Board of Dermatology, Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, American Academy of Dermatology.