Elastin

What is it?

Elastin is a vital protein found in the dermis—the skin’s middle layer—responsible for giving skin its flexibility and ability to “bounce back.” While collagen keeps skin firm, elastin allows it to stretch and return to its shape, playing a key role in expressions, movement, and wound recovery.

In youthful skin, elastin fibres are plentiful, tightly coiled, and highly resilient. As we age, production slows and the fibres lose structure, leading to visible signs like sagging, wrinkles, and reduced elasticity.

Both natural ageing and external factors, especially UV exposure, break down elastin. Sun damage not only causes pigmentation but also weakens the skin’s structural support—making daily sun protection essential for long-term skin health and firmness.

How does it work?

Unlike collagen, elastin is significantly harder for the body to regenerate. After puberty, the production of new elastin declines sharply, and most topical skincare products cannot rebuild it directly. However, certain ingredients—such as retinoids, peptides, and antioxidants like vitamin C—can help support fibroblast activity and maintain a healthier dermal environment.

While you can’t fully replace lost elastin, professional treatments like radiofrequency, microneedling, and laser therapies can remodel the dermis and stimulate limited elastin regeneration over time.

Elastin also plays a key role in wound healing. During tissue repair, fibroblasts attempt to rebuild the skin’s structure, though the elastin formed in scar tissue is typically less organized and not as elastic as in healthy skin.

Elastin is what gives skin its snap, suppleness, and firmness. Though full regeneration isn’t possible, protecting existing elastin through daily sun protection, antioxidant support, and collagen-stimulating treatments can help preserve skin elasticity and delay signs of ageing.

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