If you've noticed skin on your upper arms, under your eyes, or along your neck and décolletage starting to look thin, crinkled, and a little like tissue paper, you're not imagining things, and you're definitely not alone. It's called crepey skin, and it's one of the most common skin concerns people bring up as they get into their 40s and beyond. It can also show up earlier than that, especially if you've spent a lot of time in the sun or gone through a significant change in weight.
The good news: crepey skin is well understood, it's not a medical problem, and there's a lot you can do about it, whether you're looking to prevent it, treat it, or both.
What Is Crepey Skin?
Crepey skin describes skin that has taken on the texture and appearance of crepe paper: thin, finely wrinkled, and looser than the skin around it. It tends to show up first in areas where skin is naturally thinner and more delicate, like the upper arms, under the eyes, neck and chest, and even the inner thighs.
Different from wrinkles, which can occur around the eyes, mouth and areas where there is constant muscle movement, crepey skin has more to do with a breakdown in the skin's underlying structure, the network of fibers (elastin) that gives skin its bounce and its ability to snap back into place.
What Causes It
A few different factors can work together to create the appearance of crepey skin.
Sun Exposure
This is one of the biggest drivers. UV exposure contributes to the gradual breakdown of collagen and elastin, the protein fibers that enable your skin to stretch and return to shape. When you’re younger those fibers tend to repair themselves more quickly, but with years of repeated sun exposure, they lose the ability to bounce back. This is why crepiness often shows up first in the areas that get the most cumulative sun over a lifetime.
Aging and Loss of Elasticity
As we age, skin naturally produces less collagen & elastin (the two proteins responsible for keeping it firm, plump, and supple) as well as hyaluronic acid. In addition, hormonal changes in older women contribute to decreased estrogen causing a loss of elasticity, firmness, and skin appearing thinner.
Dehydration
Skin relies on both water and natural oils to stay supple and resilient. As oil production slows down, especially after your 40s, skin becomes more vulnerable to irritation and moisture loss, which can make crepiness more noticeable. Hormonal shifts during perimenopause and menopause further contribute with declining estrogen levels linked to drier, thinner skin.
Weight Changes, Including GLP-1 Related Weight Loss
When skin stretches to accommodate weight gain and then has to contract quickly, it doesn't have time to keep pace. This has become an increasing concern with the rise of GLP-1 medications that result in weight loss. Rapid, significant weight loss can leave skin without the volume it was used to holding, and if elastin and collagen levels are already declining with age, that skin has less capacity to spring back.
Medications, Genetics and Lifestyle Factors
Long-term use of certain medications, including corticosteroids, can thin the skin over time. Smoking, alcohol use, poor sleep, and chronic stress can all quietly contribute as well, since they affect how efficiently your body repairs and produces collagen.
How to Treat Crepey Skin with Topical Solutions
When looking for skincare products that treat crepey skin focus on rehydrating the skin, hyaluronic acid-based serums and creams that help skin attract and retain moisture.
Ingredients such as peptides, vitamin C, niacinamide, ceramides, retinoids, bakuchiol, and hyaluronic acid all help to support collagen production.
Cellcosmet Formulas for Treating Crepey Skin
Face
A rich, targeted moisturizer is one of the simplest and most effective preventive tools. Cellcosmet’s line of face creams are formulated with our peptide-powered CytoPep™ Cellular Extracts which helps to visibly improve loss of firmness, wrinkles and crepey skin by restoring skin’s resiliency, plumping and smoothing the skin.
Ultra Vital and CellLift Cream are our more advanced moisturizers helping to lock in moisture while helping to repair loss of elasticity and firmness.
Eyes
Using advanced hydrating and firming eye formulas, specifically formulated to improve the appearance lines, dryness and loss of firmness while supporting skin for improved resilience and bounce. CellLift Eye Contour Cream and CellFiller-XT are both powered by our signature CytoPep™ Cellular Extracts along with hyaluronic acid, and smoothing actives to hydrate, firm, and minimize the appearance of lines, and crow’s feet.
Gentle Cleansing
Harsh cleansers strip away the natural oils that help skin retain moisture and protect its barrier. Gentle Cream Cleanser is just what its name says, a gentle, moisturizing cleanser that helps preserve the barrier instead of working against it.
Body
Neck and Décolleté Cream - Powered by Cellcosmet’s proprietary CytoPep™ Cellular Extracts, it works at the deepest layers to restore elasticity and reduce the appearance of lines and sagging.
Breast and Cleavage area - CellBust XT, formulated specifically for the breast area, is powered by CytoPep™ Cellular Extracts to visibly firm, tighten, and restore elasticity.
BodyStructure-XT is intensely moisturizing and firming, creating a tightening effect on the skin to help improve firmness.
Hand Cream - an ultra-luxe reparative cream hydrates at the cellular level to help soften, smooth, revitalize and protect hands.
Exfoliation
Exfoliant Dual Action is a gentle yet effective creamy exfoliant for the face that removes dry, flakey skin cells as it smoothes, and refine’s skin’s texture. BodyGommage-XT, a gentle body exfoliator aids crepey skin by sloughing off dead skin cells without causing inflammation or micro tears. Both ensure your skincare treatments that follow will penetrate and enable cell turnover.
Sun Protection - Choose a broad-spectrum of SPF 30 or higher, and apply daily, year round.
In Summary
Crepey skin is a common condition where skin on areas like the upper arms, thighs, neck, chest and under the eyes take on the thin, wrinkled texture of crepe paper. It's caused by a mix of sun damage, natural aging, dehydration, and rapid weight loss, including the kind of rapid weight loss that's become more common with GLP-1 medications. Some of these causes may be out of your control, but many aren't.
The most effective approach is a combination of protecting your skin from the sun, keeping it well hydrated, supporting it with a balanced diet, and the right skincare regimen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Collagen and elastin loss are the primary causes, but deficiencies in vitamin C, amino acids and essential fatty acids can impact the skin’s ability to repair and maintain elasticity.
CellLift Neck & Décolleté delivers instant, long-lasting hydration with a tightening effect for the delicate neck and décolleté area, helping to address crepey skin in that zone specifically.
BodyStructure-XT is an intensely hydrating, firming body cream infused with skin-firming actives that create a tightening effect, helping to improve firmness and elasticity while boosting moisture.
For a more targeted option for the breast and cleavage area, CellBust-XT is formulated specifically for this zone, restoring firmness and elasticity, and with continued use, helping to reduce the appearance of creasing and wrinkling.
It can't be undone completely, but its appearance can be meaningfully improved with the right combination of consistent skincare, sun protection, and in some cases, professional treatments.
Yes. Men experience the same breakdown in collagen and elastin, and the same sun damage and weight-related skin changes. Crepey skin is simply less talked about in men's skincare, not less common.
- Smoking: When the blood flow to the small vessels that feed the skin are compromised from smoking wrinkles and crepey skin form.
- Over-Exfoliating: Overdoing it with glycolic acids, AHAs/BHAs or harsh physical scrubbing will make the skin appear dry, red and irritated, leading to crepey looking skin.
- Dehydration: Drink plenty of water, layer humectants like hyaluronic acid and apply barrier-repairing creams with peptides, and ceramides.
- Lack of Sleep: “Beauty sleep” isn’t just a saying. As we sleep, the skin repairs itself, cells rejuvenate, and your topical skincare can work more effectively.
- Neglecting Moisturizing (or not using the right type): The right moisturizer nourishes skin, restores hydration, and suppleness, smoothing and plumping wrinkled skin.
- Alcohol: Dehydrates the skin, making it appear crepey and wrinkled.
*Cleveland Clinic, "Have Crepey Skin? Here's How You Can Address It"