In brief
- When skin sags, it loses firmness and bounce, because collagen and elastin decline. You see it mainly along your jawline and in your neck.
- We work on the skin itself. A facelift, threads, fillers and Botox belong with a doctor, and we don't do those.
- After a connective tissue massage or anti-ageing treatment your skin feels tighter straight away. It becomes lastingly firmer with microneedling, because your skin then makes new collagen itself.
- Your first appointment is the skin analysis for €69.00. At home, daily sun protection does most of the work.
Written by Nilay, owner and beauty therapist at Moons BeautyUpdated on
What happens when your skin sags
You often notice it first in a photo taken from the side. Your jawline is less sharp than you're used to, and the skin sags a little at the corners of your mouth. On your neck and décolletage the skin gets thinner and creases more easily.
Beneath your outer skin lies the dermis, with a network of collagen and elastin. Collagen gives your skin firmness, and elastin lets it bounce back after every movement. If that network gets thinner, your skin gives more and bounces back more slowly.
Loss of firmness and fine lines have the same cause and often go hand in hand. Lines are little grooves in the surface, whereas loss of firmness is about the firmness of your skin as a whole. If your face mainly looks tired and sallow, have a look at dull skin.
Why your skin loses firmness
Some causes come with the years, others you can do something about yourself.
Collagen and elastin decline
From your mid-twenties your skin makes a little less collagen each year, and elastin is hardly made any more. After the menopause it goes faster, because oestrogen supports the production of collagen.
Years of sun, even behind glass
UVA passes through clouds and windows right down into the dermis. There it breaks down collagen and damages the fibres that let your skin bounce back. How to protect yourself is explained under sun protection.
Weight loss, especially if it's quick
After losing weight your skin has to shrink back, and the more bounce it still has, the better that works. After many kilos, or after repeatedly losing and regaining weight, loose skin is more likely to be left behind, in your face too.
Lifestyle and genetics
Smoking narrows the small blood vessels in your skin and speeds up the breakdown of collagen, and with little sleep your skin has less time to recover. Part of it is fixed in your genes: one person's skin naturally stays firm for longer than another's.
Firming is possible, a doctor does the lifting
In the salon we work on the skin itself. After microneedling your skin makes new collagen and elastin, and massage and care keep it supple and with good circulation. That way your skin becomes firmer, and your face simply stays your face.
What lies beneath your skin is outside our trade. With a facelift a doctor lifts the tissue and removes excess skin. Threads pull the skin up from within, fillers add volume and Botox relaxes a muscle. We don't do those at Moons.
If you've already had something done by a doctor, you're still welcome to come to us for your skin. Just tell us what was done and when.
Skin, volume or contour, where it sits
In the mirror it all blends together. Which layer you're seeing determines who can do something about it.
| Topic | What you see | Where it sits | Who does something about it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skin with less bounce | Thinner skin that bounces back more slowly | Collagen and elastin in the dermis | The salon, with microneedling and massage |
| Volume that sinks away | Flatter cheeks, a deeper fold beside your mouth | Fat pads under your skin that shrink | A cosmetic doctor |
| A softer jawline | Skin that sags over the edge of your jaw | Skin, volume and your bone structure together | The salon for your skin, a doctor for a facelift |
| Loose skin after weight loss | Skin that hangs loose in more places | Skin that has been stretched for a long time | A doctor first, care can go alongside |
Usually it's a mix. In the skin analysis we look at what the skin itself shows, and what falls outside our trade, we tell you that too.
Check for yourself how firm your skin is
With a mirror and an old photo you can already see a lot.
Compare a photo from the side
Put a photo from a few years ago next to one from now, both from the side. If the line from your chin to your ear has become softer, firmness or volume has gone.
Look down into a mirror
Lay a hand mirror flat on a table and lean over it. Your skin falls forward, and you can see where it's least firm. Don't be alarmed, because from this angle everyone looks like this.
Notice your pillow mark
If the imprint of your pillow stays for a long time in the morning, your skin bounces back more slowly than it used to.
Look at your neck and décolletage
If you see fine creases on your décolletage or your neck feels thin, give those areas a fixed place in your routine.
Treatments for firmer skin at Moons
Often we combine two things. Microneedling works in the long term, because afterwards your skin makes new collagen itself. You feel massage and care straight away, and they keep your skin in good condition in between.
Connective tissue massage
€59.00Half an hour for circulation and firmness. We massage the connective tissue from your face down to your décolletage, with cupping as an extra stimulus: small cups briefly draw your skin in. Afterwards your skin feels warm and tighter.
30 minutesbookable per sessionViewConnective tissue massage with LED
€79.00The same massage, followed by LED therapy. The light calms redness and supports recovery, so your skin gets a firmer foundation.
50 minutesbookable per sessionViewAnti-ageing treatment
€75.00For the first signs of skin ageing. You get a collagen serum with a cooling gel mask, and your décolletage is massaged too. After the LED therapy your skin feels tighter and looks fresher.
60 minutesevery 4 weeksViewAnti-ageing+ treatment
€89.00Our most extensive anti-ageing treatment, with an extra jelly mask for deep hydration. Here you work on firmness and glow, and you take your time over it.
75 minutesevery 4 weeksViewCollagen (microneedling)
€99.00Of the microneedling variants, clients choose this one most often for skin ageing. With the Dermapen we bring vegan collagen fragments and peptides into your skin. Your skin then starts making more collagen itself, and in the weeks after it feels firmer and smoother.
50 minutes3 to 6 times, every 4 weeksViewPDRN (microneedling)
€99.00A step more intensive. PDRN is an active ingredient from salmon DNA that stimulates collagen, and exosomes are signalling substances that help your skin renew itself. Your skin then feels firmer and fuller. Often chosen from 35.
50 minutes3 to 4 times, every 4 weeksView
If you'd like twenty more minutes of LED therapy after microneedling, that costs €20.00 extra. The light calms your skin while collagen production carries on. You book microneedling separately from your first appointment.
Six treatments side by side
You feel massage and care straight away, microneedling builds up over your course.
| Topic | Duration and price | What you notice | Choose this if |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connective tissue massage | 30 minutes, €59.00 | Warm and tighter straight away, short-lived | You want something in between, or aren't ready for microneedling yet |
| Connective tissue massage with LED | 50 minutes, €79.00 | Tighter, and your skin feels calmer | Your skin also turns red quickly |
| Anti aging treatment | 60 minutes, €75.00 | Tighter and fresher, for a few days | You see the first signs and want a fixed rhythm |
| Anti aging+ treatment | 75 minutes, €89.00 | Firmness and deep hydration | Your skin lacks moisture as well as firmness |
| Collagen (microneedling) | 50 minutes, €99.00 | Firmer and smoother, building up over your course | You want to work on firmness that lasts |
| PDRN (microneedling) | 50 minutes, €99.00 | Firmer and fuller, building up | You want to give your skin an extra boost from 35 |
Don't schedule microneedling right before an occasion: for the first one to two days your skin is red.
When your skin feels firmer
What you feel straight away and what lasts are two different things.
Straight after your appointment
Warm and tighter
After a massage or anti-ageing treatment your skin feels warm and tighter. That's down to circulation and moisture. After an anti-ageing treatment it lasts a few days, after a massage less long.
The days after microneedling
Briefly red
Expect a red, warm skin for one to two days, like after a day in the sun. You can wear make-up from day three, although ideally you let your skin rest from it for two weeks.
Around week 6
Firmness you can feel
In the weeks after each treatment your skin makes new collagen. Around week six most people feel that their skin is firmer.
After the course
The cumulative result
At the end of your course, after three to six times, your skin is firmer and smoother. Put a photo from the side next to it that you took before your first appointment, and only then do you really see the difference.
After that
Holding on to it
The built-up result stays visible for about six months to a year and then gradually fades back. If you plan a maintenance treatment every eight to twelve weeks and apply sun protection every day, you hold on to it for longer.
Neck and décolletage, the areas you forget
The skin of your neck and décolletage is thinner than that of your face and has fewer oil glands, so it dries out faster. Even so, many people's routine stops at the jawline, while that skin catches the sun just as much.
In the salon we include these areas. With the connective tissue massage we work right down to your décolletage, and with the Anti aging treatment your décolletage gets a massage of its own. Whether microneedling on your neck suits you, we discuss at your appointment.
At home, you apply everything that goes on your face down to your décolletage too, and especially your sun protection.
Your routine at home, from jaw to décolletage
Protecting what you have and keeping your skin supple is what it's all about at home. Four steps for each time of day are enough.
Morning
- Wash your face with lukewarm water or a mild cleanser, and include your neck
- Apply a serum with vitamin C, an antioxidant that helps protect your skin during the day
- Work in a cream that holds moisture, down to your décolletage
- Finish with sun protection of SPF 30 to 50, and take about two finger lengths for your face and neck together
Evening
- Cleanse thoroughly but gently, so that your sun protection comes off completely
- Build up retinol gradually, two evenings a week, and even more carefully on your neck
- Leave retinol and acids alone for a few days before and after microneedling
- Massage your night cream in gently, without pulling at your skin
A new product needs four to twelve weeks before you see anything. Which active ingredients go well together is explained in active ingredients explained.
What does it cost to treat loss of firmness?
You pay per session, afterwards in the salon. The table shows roughly what a course costs you. You start with the first skin appointment for €69.00.
| Treatment | Per session | Usual course | Full course (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collagen (microneedling) | €99.00 | 3 to 6 sessions | €297.00 to €594.00 |
| PDRN (microneedling) | €99.00 | 3 to 4 sessions | €297.00 to €396.00 |
| Anti-ageing+ treatment | €89.00 | 3 to 6 sessions | €267.00 to €534.00 |
See this as a guide. The connective tissue massage for €59.00 is a one-off appointment, without a course. Your health insurance doesn't cover cosmetic treatments. All prices are on the prices page.
When it suits you and when we talk it through first
If one of these points applies to you, tell us when booking or send us a quick WhatsApp.
A good idea if
- Your skin feels less firm and bounces back more slowly than a few years ago
- Your jawline or neck looks softer and you want to firm up the skin there
- You want to work on your skin and leave your face itself as it is
- You want to maintain the result of a course
Check with us first
- You've lost a lot of weight. Have loose skin assessed by a doctor first.
- You recently had injectables or threads. We then skip that area for now.
- You've just been in the sun. For microneedling we then wait about two weeks.
- You're pregnant or breastfeeding. In that period we choose nourishing treatments and skip microneedling.
- You use blood thinners or a medicine such as isotretinoin. Talk to your doctor first.
- You use medication that makes you sensitive to light, or you have epilepsy. We then skip the LED therapy.
Good to know about loss of firmness
Collagen in a cream stays on the surface
A collagen molecule is too big to get through your outer skin layer. In a cream it holds moisture, and that makes your skin feel softer. New collagen is something your skin makes itself, after a stimulus such as microneedling.
Skin that lacks moisture looks more slack
Moisture gives your skin volume, as air does a balloon. If it lacks water, loss of firmness is more noticeable, and that part often recovers within weeks. See also dry skin.
A roller or gua sha only works for a moment
That kind of massage pushes fluid away, so your face looks less puffy in the morning. You don't build firmness with it, because for that your skin has to make collagen itself.
The pace is partly in your genes
Just look at your parents at your age. What you control yourself is mainly the sun.
When to see a doctor first?
If one side of your face suddenly droops, call 112 or your GP straight away. That is something different from loss of firmness and needs to be looked at immediately. If your skin has become loose after a lot of weight loss, or you want a real facelift, that belongs with a doctor. We don't do injectables such as Botox and fillers, or threads. If you're unsure, feel free to WhatsApp us or ask your question via the skin quiz.
Frequently asked questions about loss of firmness
What can you do about sagging skin in your face?
At home you start with daily sun protection and a cream that holds moisture, right down to your décolletage. In the salon, microneedling prompts your skin to make new collagen and elastin, so that it becomes firmer in the weeks after. You feel a connective tissue massage or anti-ageing treatment straight away, and it keeps your skin in good condition in between.
Can a beauty therapist make my jawline tighter?
We can make the skin over your jawline firmer, so that it bounces back better. We don't change the shape of your jaw or the volume beneath it. If skin really hangs over your jaw, a facelift with a doctor is the better fit.
What is the difference between loss of firmness and fine lines?
Fine lines are little grooves in the surface, mainly around your eyes and mouth. With loss of firmness the skin itself loses firmness, and you see that along your jawline and on your neck. There is more about lines under fine lines.
Does microneedling help with loss of firmness?
Yes. Of the microneedling variants, clients choose Collagen most often for skin ageing. While your skin repairs the fine pricks, it forms new collagen and elastin. Allow for a course of three to six times, four weeks apart each time.
Will my skin get tighter from a connective tissue massage?
Straight after the massage your skin feels warm and tighter, because your circulation increases. That effect is short-lived. Microneedling is meant for firmness that lasts, and a massage fits in well in between.
How long does it take before my skin is firmer?
After a massage you feel a difference straight away, although that's mainly down to circulation and moisture. New collagen after microneedling takes longer: around week six most people notice that their skin feels firmer. You see the full result at the end of your course.
Do you also do threads or a facelift?
No, we don't do a facelift, threads, fillers or Botox. With us it's about the skin itself, and that's what we make firmer. For a procedure you're better off with a cosmetic doctor or plastic surgeon.
Can my skin become tight again after weight loss?
That depends on how much and how quickly you've lost weight, and on how much bounce your skin still has. We can improve the condition of your skin, so that it feels firmer. If there is really skin hanging, only a doctor can remove it.
What does a treatment for loss of firmness cost at Moons Beauty?
A connective tissue massage costs €59.00, or €79.00 with LED therapy. The Anti aging treatment costs €75.00 and the Anti aging+ €89.00. Microneedling with Collagen costs €99.00 and with PDRN €99.00. Your first skin appointment costs €69.00, and you pay per session in the salon.
Treatments for loss of firmness
