Who doesn’t love a baby’s skin – so soft, smooth and perfect. But as we grow, our skin loses that perfection of youth and reflects our life experiences. Wrinkles, age spots and saggy skin can be signs of wisdom and experience, but they can also make us look older than we care to appear. The good news is that today we have more and more non-surgical alternatives that help us to look - and feel - younger. Additionally, non-surgical procedures have minimal recovery times, and can provide instant results!
Dermatologists offer many non-surgical approaches to restoring or maintaining beautiful and youthful skin, including:
Injectables for Wrinkles (Botulinum Toxin and Dermal Fillers)
There are two types of injectables: relaxers and fillers.
Relaxers, such as Botox®, relax the muscles so that the skin that lies over them becomes smoother. It can take from a few days to two weeks for the full effects of a Botox® treatment to be seen, but the results last up to four months. Patients using Botox® report looking up to five years younger and less stressed.
Fillers, such as Juvederm®, Restylane®, Radiesse®, Perlane® and Collagen replace lost volume by plumping up wrinkles and firming sagging spots. Local or topical anesthetic creams minimize any discomfort involved. Bruising and swelling are temporary side effects, so fillers should not be used for several days before important events. However, the results can last up to six months, and fillers can unwrinkle deeper lines than Botox® can reach, as well as work in areas that are not a candidate for Botox®.
Lasers for Wrinkles
Non-ablative lasers are intense, focused beams of light that lessen signs of aging like brown spots, acne scars and wrinkles. They can also help remove unwanted hair. And unlike ablative laser treatments, which are more aggressive and can cause superficial burning, non-ablative lasers are less invasive and conduct heat to deeper dermis stimulating collagen synthesis.
Examples of non-ablative lasers include: IPL, Fotofacials, Trinity and ReFirme. The abalative lasers, such as Active FX/Deep FX will affect deeper lasers of the skin, and thus provide even better results with the fine lines and wrinkling.
Chemical Peels for Wrinkles
There are many different types of peels, and results depend on both the ingredients and how long the peel is left on the skin. Chemical peels can enhance your appearance by reducing blotchy and uneven pigmentation, fine lines and renewing sun-damaged cells. Many offices offer antioxidant brightening and lightening peels, which boost the skin using vitamins C & E, Green Tea Extract and other ingredients to fade stubborn dark patches and restore your skin’s natural smoothness.
Chemical peels take 20 minutes and are done once a month until the desired results are obtained. Other types of peels include Green Peel (a 5-day deep herbal peel), Vi Peel, Mesoclat, Fruit Peels and Glycolic Acid Peels .
Source: Vivacare
Last updated : 2/10/2023