Crepey Skin: Causes, Treatments & The Best Products To Treat It With

Imagine a sheet of crepe paper—that thin, wispy material commonly used to make streamers or fold into faux flowers. Sure, it's great for all your DIY craft projects, but it's not so fun when your skin resembles the same fragile texture.

"Skin 'crepiness' is commonly used to describe aging skin that has lost elasticity, appearing thinner and more fragile, often with wrinkles," explains board-certified dermatologist, dermatologic surgeon, and founder of Spectrum Skin and Laser Jeremy Brauer, M.D.

Crepey skin is a normal, common skin concern that affects people of any age (especially if you already have thin skin); it tends to show up more prominently as you get older. This is due to the natural collagen loss that happens with age, accumulated sun damage, and increased dryness of the skin. (We get into causes in a moment, so we'll elaborate there.)

As board-certified cosmetic dermatologist Divya Shokeen, M.D., FAAD, tells us, it's most often triggered by excessive sun exposure, especially if crepey skin starts to show up in your 20s or 30s. Shokeen notes crepey skin starting in your mid-20s is more often caused by notable tanning bed use or aggressive, unprotected sun exposure (i.e., regular sunbathing without SPF). All the more reason to practice safe sun!

So, no, you can't entirely prevent crepey skin from coming along at some point (and that's OK! It's normal for skin to change as we age). However, you can encourage tighter, more resilient skin should you feel insecure about crepey skin you already notice. Or if you just want to prevent accelerated skin aging, that's reason enough too (after all, taking care of your skin usually just amounts to healthy lifestyle habits).

As mentioned before, sun exposure is a huge contributor to collagen loss and crepey skin. While you shouldn't hide from the sun entirely (for the sake of living your life to the fullest), you should wear sunscreen every day—even when it's cloudy. 

If you're in direct sunlight for more than two hours (on a long walk, at the beach, working outside, etc.), be sure to reapply your SPF. You should also utilize accessories such as hats, sunglasses, and clothing with UPF.

We covered this above, but a gentle reminder: Consuming enough protein is essential for maintaining healthy, elastic skin.

The current Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.8 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day (g/kg). For a 130-pound individual, that would be approximately 47 grams of protein per day, though many experts regard that as the absolute minimum and recommend a goal closer to 100 grams of protein per day.

"An intact skin barrier not only protects your body by preventing outside agents (i.e., bacteria) from getting in but also by preventing water from getting out, maintaining hydration and locking in moisture," explains Brauer. "When your skin barrier is compromised, there is a greater loss of water, resulting in decreased skin turgor, which ultimately leads to crepey skin." 

First up, you must prioritize internal and external hydration. As board-certified dermatologist Hadley King, M.D., told us, "Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize—this can improve the appearance."

Here's why: "Trapping in water with moisturizers helps to decrease transepidermal water loss and prevents dry skin, hence, ease crepey skin," Patel notes. In essence, never skip your moisturizer, and add a hydrating serum and nourishing oil to your routine if you find your complexion running dry throughout the day. 

Especially if you start using retinol and exfoliants (more details to come), your skin will crave moisture post-treatment, so get into the habit of moisturizing twice daily. 

"Using retinoids regularly on the face, neck, body can help to build collagen and improve skin texture over time," Shokeen says. If you're new to retinol, start slowly with a gentle, low-potency formula, apply it over moisturizer at first, and work your way up to regular use. 

"When you are exposed to certain environmental aggressors, oxygen can be converted into a free radical by using antioxidants like green tea, vitamin C, resveratrol, or turmeric (ferulic acid), and the skin can neutralize these free radicals and prevent damaging the elastin in your skin," Shokeen notes. 

In order for your hydrating products and retinol to work, your skin will have to be cleared of excess dead skin cells. The way to do so: Exfoliate, but gently. See, crepey skin is especially sensitive because it's on the thinner and drier side, so you don't want to scrub your skin raw. 

Instead, opt for once or twice a week at first, and consider working your way up to three times a week should you need it—but remember that over-exfoliation will only lead to irritation and more dryness (read: more crepey skin). 

You now know that crepey skin is directly linked to a lack of collagen in your skin, so why not tend to it at the source? Do this by ingesting hydrolyzed collagen peptides (the most well researched form as of now), and make it a daily habit.