Fight Aging Skin With Advanced Dermatology
The effects of gravity are inescapable. Even if you spent your life walking around on your hands instead of your feet, your facial skin would still sag — just in the opposite direction! Other factors also cause wrinkling and sagging, but treatment is available
Collagen Changes
As we get older, the underlying structure of the skin begins to change. Collagen, a major component of the skin structure that makes the skin look smooth and plump, begins to break down. Although your skin cells renew themselves, as we age, that process slows down. Add in the effects of genetics, weight changes and sun damage, and it becomes apparent that gravity isn’t the only culprit. Avoiding sun damage, not smoking, eating a nutritious diet and faithfully using moisturizer can all help, but eventually, the aging process will overcome all of these strategies.
Surgery vs. Non-Invasive Procedures
Today’s advanced dermatology procedures are offer several choices for skin tightening. A surgical facelift is one option to tighten sagging skin. Disadvantages: a relatively lengthy healing time, expensive (and not covered by insurance), the need for anesthesia or conscious sedation and an increased risk of complications such as allergic reactions from medications, anesthesia complications or infection. New technology includes non-invasive procedures that can provide impressive results, including laser and ultrasound treatments. One of the benefits of non-invasive skin tightening is that the skin doesn’t look “pulled.” Conventional plastic surgery can result in tighter skin, but at the expense of a stretched, taut look that makes the face seem less mobile.
Lasers and Ultrasound
Although it sounds counter-intuitive, laser treatments tighten skin by creating very small holes in the skin. As part of the healing process, your skin responds by producing more collagen. The additional collagen rejuvenates skin elasticity, softens lines and plumps up wrinkles. If you have “crepe paper skin” with many fine wrinkles — often caused by sun damage — laser treatments can also help reverse this effect. Ulthera — an ultrasound treatment that is also non-invasive — is used to target deep skin support structures. Ulthera also stimulates collagen.
About the Procedure
A non-invasive face lift takes about an hour. The clinician will apply a local anesthetic to your face to numb the skin; it takes about 40 minutes for this to take effect. Then the practitioner uses a hand-held device, holding it very close to and passing it over the skin several times. After the procedure, your skin will be red and tender temporarily. Sagging skin begins to tighten after about a month. Each session includes several passes with a device, and most people need more than one session for the best effect. You should see maximum effects about five months after the first procedure, and the effects typically last two to three years.
What’s Right for You?
Each person is an individual, and treatment should be customized to the patient; there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach. For example, if you’ve had previous skin work done, you may need a different approach compared to an individual who has never had a procedure. A person who cannot take time off for an extensive recovery needs a different procedure than someone whose schedule is more flexible.
Calabasas Medical Spa also offers many other advanced dermatology options and cosmetic skin procedures that can leave you looking your best. For example, we can help remove or minimize the appearance of scars, make your skin softer and smoother, and eliminate age spots. Contact us today for a consultation.