How To Treat + Prevent Crepey Skin Anywhere On The Body

You may have heard the term crepey skin before, but do you actually know what it is? If not, picture streamers that are strung around as birthday or celebration decor. They’re crinkly, thin, and wispy. There’s not much solid structure, which is why they’re so pliable and literally wave around in the wind. 

This is where the term crepey comes from. Though your skin isn’t as thin as a streamer, similar wrinkles and lack of structure can occur, especially as you age. Besides being thin and wrinkly, crepey skin may also sag or feel loose, board-certified dermatologist Hadley King, M.D. tells mbg. 

Yes, you can certainly get crepey skin on your legs—though it’s important to first distinguish it from cellulite. “Cellulite occurs when fat deposits push through the connective tissue beneath the skin,” King says. This can appear dimply, rather than wrinkly. 

“The exact cause of cellulite is unknown, but it appears to result from an interaction between the connective tissue in the layer that lies below the surface of the skin and the layer of fat that is just below it,” King explains. 

Cellulite can be genetic, meaning you can have it no matter what you use on your skin, how old you are, and how much you weigh. A gentle reminder, cellulite is not a bad thing. While it’s completely normal to feel insecure about it—thanks to the unfortunately significant perfectionism culture around body image and photoshop—cellulite is extremely common, especially for women. 

Now, on the other hand, crepey skin can be prevented to a certain extent with skin care. Like cellulite, there’s nothing wrong with having crepey skin, and everyone will get it eventually as it’s a natural part of skin aging. But if you want to delay the process, there are a few things you can do—more on that in a bit.

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Your skin can get crepey anywhere on the body, but thinner skin is more susceptible, including the eyelids, upper arms, neck, chest, under the eyes, and the tops of the hands. Because these areas are thinner, they might be more sensitive to harsher treatments like retinol or strong exfoliants, so tread lightly.

These are areas that are often exposed to the sun as well (particularly the neck, hands, and eyes), which can mean premature aging, as we'll get to in a second.

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All of these factors can contribute to crepey skin on the legs, but a few are more common in this area. For example, if you have crepey skin on your legs but nowhere else, you may want to think about the last time you applied SPF in the affected area. 

Losing weight is also a frequent cause of crepey skin, so if you noticed particular slimming on your legs recently, then that could be why. The skin post-weight loss has been previously stretched, so it may be thinner once the fat underneath has decreased. 

Smoking, diet, and exercise are all factors that contribute to general skin health, so it’s not surprising that they can lead to crepey skin. We’ll get into specifics next. 

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As you age, your body will pump the breaks on collagen production. In fact, research shows that your collagen levels begin to decline by 1% each year1, starting around your mid-20s. Once the degradation rate surpasses production, a lack of collagen may lead to sagging, crepey skin. For those who experience menopause, collagen decline picks up around that time as well.

So, you’ll want to replenish the lost collagen via nutrition. “Collagen-rich foods can significantly support skin hydration and elasticity," board-certified family physician and functional medicine expert Alejandra Carrasco, M.D. once told mbg.

And one of the best ways to internally support collagen production is through hydrolyzed collagen supplements. Research demonstrates that ingesting this form of collagen (and yes, only hydrolyzed peptides) can promote your natural collagen and elastin production1. 

Not all collagen supplements use this form, so shop smart. Here’s a list of 9 clean and effective options, recommended by a nutrition Ph.D. to make your hunt easier.

Movement is beneficial to your health for so many reasons. If you are able, you should prioritize exercise in a way that works for your body and life. Perhaps it's not the primary benefit of working out, but it is worth noting that it may even help with crepey skin for a few different reasons.

First off, exercise can relieve stress which is just one of the many things that can lead to decreased collagen production and accelerated skin aging. Plus, exercise increases the delivery of nutrients to your skin’s cells and helps your body produce collagen which, as you just read, will help ease crepey skin. 

This is not to imply that once you add in a workout class into your schedule, crepey skin will magically disappear overnight. (That's not how skin health works.) However, moving your body regularly can have significant downstream affects, including the appearance of your skin.

Using both chemical and physical exfoliants is great for crepey skin, especially on the legs. “AHAs dissolve the bonds that hold dull, dead skin cells on the surface of the skin so the skin will gently shed, revealing smoother, brighter skin underneath,” King says. 

Glycolic acid, a popular AHA, is one of King’s top choices for this purpose. “Studies have shown, for example, that six months of topical glycolic acid stimulated a 27% increase in epidermal thickness2,” she notes. 

If chemical exfoliating isn’t your thing, using a dry brush or a body scrub are both great options for physically exfoliating the arms and legs. 

5.

Use a retinol body lotion.