You can get major results in minimal time, either at home or in the doctor's office, say Good Housekeeping's beauty pros. Here is their best advice for anyone who has already celebrated her 30th birthday.

Gravity does take its toll, but something else is at work here: With time, the skin's underlying structure breaks down, robbing faces of their definition, youthful plumpness and resilience. Skin also renews itself much more slowly than it once did.

Thanks to all of these factors (not to mention genetics, weight changes and sun damage), skin starts to sag and hang. That's where jowls come from.

And some doctors say that once skin starts to slacken, pores often look larger, as if they've been stretched out of shape.

There are no easy fixes here. "Tightening sagging skin requires more intervention than any other problem," said Ranella Hirsch, spokesperson for the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery. A good moisturizer will plump skin temporarily, Hirsch said. But if the cream is too heavy, it will clog those oversized pores.

The best at-home solution is what the beauty industry calls an "active" treatment, such as an over-the-counter vitamin A (known as retinol) cream, vitamin C serum, and alpha or beta hydroxy acids (AHAs or BHAs). These usually go on at night and help skin renew itself faster and look firmer. Good Housekeeping suggests trying Garnier Nutritioniste Ultra-Lift Firming Moisture Cream ($15), which contains vitamin A.

You can't shrink pores, but you can minimize their appearance, said Jeanine Downie, a dermatologist in Montclair, N.J. "Pores will look smaller if you keep your skin clean and protected from the sun," she said.

If they really bother you, consider using pore-minimizing makeup or a cream like Dermadoctor Picture Porefect Pore Minimizing Solution ($40). And, of course, daily sunscreen is a must. Try Skin Effects Sun Effects Sunscreen Lotion ($16).

Not interested in a face-lift? That's fine - there are noninvasive procedures worth investigating. Both infrared and laser treatments help stimulate the development of new collagen and "get heat deeply into the skin to help tighten fibrous bands," explained Robert Weiss, associate professor of dermatology at Johns Hopkins University and vice president of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery.

Ask your doctor about the Palomar Lux DeepIR, Cutera Titan or CoolTouch treatments. While they are pricey, and you'll need several sessions, the results are visible and impressive.

To help improve the look of enlarged pores (and speed up the skin's renewal process) at a much lower cost, ask a doctor about a prescription for Retin-A. "Whether you're dealing with acne or wrinkles, it's been proven to work on many levels," said Hirsch.

* On another matter: The Good Housekeeping Research Institute's testers say you might want to toss your mop and invest in the SteamFast Multi-Purpose Steam Cleaner ($80) - a tool that makes floor-scrubbing a cinch. Here's how it works: Fill the reservoir with water and plug in the mop; the water will heat up in less than 30 seconds. Twist the dial and the cleaner will release steam that can cut through grime and disinfect surfaces - without using any detergent. When the Institute tested the SteamFast against two competitors, it proved best at cleaning dried chocolate syrup, ketchup and sticky fruit juice from vinyl, tile and sealed hardwood flooring. And its reservoir held enough water to last for an impressive 20 minutes.