You look in the mirror and aren’t happy to see forehead lines, an uneven skin tone or smile lines looking back at you. Fortunately, you’re living in a time when there are several ways to fight back against the signs of aging, without surgery.
The options that will work best for you depend on your skin’s degree of aging, how much time you have to recover, and how long you want the treatments to last. In many cases, non-surgical treatments, such as injections or chemical peels, can be sufficient when it comes to restoring a more youthful look.
Your Skin Issue
The anti-aging treatment that’s best for you depends in large part on what type of skin issue is bothering you the most. While facelifts and eyelid surgeries are designed to reduce droopiness or sagging, these procedures don’t improve the tone or texture of your skin. Wrinkles are only one part of the aging process. Your skin can also look older than you feel or actually are if it’s dull or if it has uneven texture. Dark spots, caused by sun exposure, can also age you.
If your skin issue involves wrinkles, uneven tone, and dull or rough texture, a chemical peel might be better suited for you than surgery. Just as there are different levels of facelift, there are different levels of chemical peel. Superficial or light peels are considerably more gentle than deep peels. Both exfoliate dead skin from the surface. But, deep peels are designed to fight wrinkles and scars while lighter peels typically focus on improving the skin’s texture and encouraging the production of collagen.
Downtime
Tone and texture might not be an issue for your skin; instead it’s wrinkles. While surgery can solve your wrinkle problem, it also involves a considerable amount of downtime, which you don’t have. In that case, injectables such Botox and fillers can help reduce the appearance of wrinkles on your skin, without a long recovery period. A liquid facelift can also give you the results you want with practically no downtime.
The location and type of wrinkles you have determines what injection is best for you. Injections of botulinum toxin, such as Botox or Dysport, are designed for the wrinkles that develop when you move your facial muscles. These wrinkles include the vertical lines between your eyebrows and the crow’s feet at the corners of your eyes.
There is no downtime or recovery time after a Botox or Dysport injection. Depending on your work schedule and the type of work you do, you might be able to schedule your treatment for your lunch hour, then get back to the grindstone right away.
Dermal fillers such as Juvederm are made of hyaluronic acid, a natural substance produced by the body. Hyaluronic acid helps bring water to the surface of the skin, making it look more dewy and youthful. In a gel form, it also fills in areas of the face that have lost volume, such as the lines around the mouth. The results from an injection of Juvederm or similar fillers are instantaneous. As with Botox injections, the downtime is practically non-existent. You can go back to your regular life almost right away.
A liquid facelift involves the use of several fillers to reduce the signs of aging all over the face without the need for incisions, the week-long recovery time or the risk of surgical complications. If you want to target wrinkles in several areas of your face, but aren’t ready for surgery, a liquid facelift can be a good option.
Cost and Results
There is one area where surgical procedures have non-surgical options beat, and that’s in terms of lasting results. Depending on how you age, the results of a facelift can last for more than 10 or 15 years. But, the results from injections typically last between just a few months for Botox and about two years for certain dermal fillers.
If you decide to have a chemical peel, you will most likely have to continue to get the peels. The frequency depends on how deep the peel is. You’ll need fewer deeper peels, but the recovery time for each is significantly longer than it is for superficial peels.
Cost might be another issue when deciding between surgical or non-surgical anti-aging treatments. Injections and chemical peels cost less up front than surgery. But, if you decide to continue to receive fillers, Botox or a peel every year, for many years, over time the costs may end up being about the same.
At the Naderi Center in Maryland and Northern Virginia, Dr. Jessica Kulak is a facial specialist. She can help you decide on the treatment that works for you and discuss your concerns and expectations. Call (703) 481-0002 in Virginia or (301) 222-2020 in Maryland to schedule a consultation today.
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