Preserve Your Skin Without Cosmetic Surgery

Age isn’t kind to skin. Years of repeated sun exposure can leave their mark in the form of lines, wrinkles and hyperpigmentation. By the time you reach your 60s and 70s, much of the damage has been done.

But there’s hope–some of that damage can be repaired. While most dermatologists agree that prevention is key when it comes to aging gracefully, there are still a lot of things you can do about the changes that time, aging and sun exposure have brought about.

Prevention Is Key

The first step to preserving youthful skin is to slow down the pace of further damage caused by the sun. This means wearing adequate sun protection whenever you go outside. You should completely cover exposed skin with an SPF 30 or higher sunscreen and wear sun-protective clothing, sunglasses, and a wide-brimmed hat that shields your face, neck, and ears.

To diminish wrinkles that have already cropped up try dermal fillers.  Dermal fillers are highly effective, non-invasive treatments. Botox for example dramatically decreases the appearance of dynamic wrinkles such as frown lines, crow’s feet, and smoker’s lines. When injected, it temporarily relaxes the underlying muscles that cause dynamic wrinkles, and with repeated use, Botox actually trains the muscles to relax on their own. Other dermal fillers, such as Radiesse, plump sagging areas of skin. They’re sometimes called “liquid facelifts,” because they can create a more youthful look without the downtime and risks associated with cosmetic surgery.

Dermal fillers are often used to soften the “laugh lines” that run from the side of the nose down to the mouth. Oftentimes, neuromodulators and dermal fillers are used in conjunction with one another – neuromodulators diminish frown lines while dermal fillers plump up the appearance of the lower face, cheeks, chin and laugh lines.

Botox and similar injections may cause a little bruising at the injection site or a slight heaviness of the brow, but these effects are temporary. Fillers also may cause some slight, temporary bruising. You should also note that the effects of these treatments are temporary. To keep seeing results, you’ll need to return for repeat sessions: Botox two or three times a year, fillers once or twice a year.

Age Spots and Other Annoyances

What can you do about age spots? That’s one of the most popular questions asked dermatologists.

For any sort of skin discoloration, including freckles, age spots and liver spots, laser resurfacing or pulsed light therapy is your best bet. Fractional laser resurfacing uses very small beams of high-energy light to smooth and tighten the surface of the skin, stimulating the production of collagen. Because fractional laser resurfacing works only on fractions of the larger areas treated at a time, redness is reduced and healing is fast. But it’s normal to experience some swelling and itching in the treated area.

Pulsed light therapy exposes the skin to intense broadband wavelengths of light energy, unlike the laser, which emits one specific wavelength. This technique, which also stimulates collagen production, reduces the appearance of sun damage and brown spots and minimizes wrinkles. Side effects are usually mild, but there may be some redness afterward.

Dermabrasion is also a good option for correcting skin tone and diminishing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It involves “sanding” the skin with a special instrument. The procedure makes way for a new, smoother layer of skin to replace the skin that’s been treated. Dermabrasion especially improves the look of acne scars, pox marks, and other scars. Be aware, however, that dermabrasion does take some time to recover from – generally seven to ten days. You should avoid sunlight for a few weeks after the redness has faded. When outdoors, use a sunscreen with a SPF of 30 or more and wear a wide-brimmed hat.

And what about sagging skin?

If you have loose jowls, hooding around the eyes, and crepey, sagging skin elsewhere on your body, Thermage might be an ideal treatment. Thermage is a non-invasive radiofrequency therapy that can transform and revitalize aging skin on many areas of the body. Thermage works from the inside out. It transfers heat to the epidermis, which not only encourages collagen production, but also tightens existing collagen. Most individuals experience dramatic tightening and smoothing of the skin over the six months following treatment. Since the outer layers of the skin are unaffected, there is almost no recovery time involved. Results achieved through a single Thermage treatment tend to last several years.

Beauty on a Budget

And what if you can’t afford any of these treatments?

It’s true – all of the treatments mentioned can get rather pricey. Botox injections range from $300 to $700 per session, and fractional laser resurfacing can exceed $1,000. If you don’t want to invest quite as much money, consider the following options:

• Chemical peels use chemicals such as glycolic acid to strip away the outer layer of damaged skin. They’re reasonably mild, and your skin is left refreshed, a little pink, and shiny. A glycolic acid peel can cost as little as $80, but it needs to be repeated every few weeks or months to continue showing an effect.
• Microdermabrasion uses tiny exfoliating crystals to buff off the top layer of skin and reveal the smoother surface below. Although the technique is different from a chemical peel, the results are similar. Microdermabrasion costs around $100.
• Clear + Brilliant is a gentler version of fractional laser resurfacing. It involves smaller areas of skin, and the beam is less intense. This means there’s less downtime and discomfort afterward than what you would experience with a more traditional laser resurfacing procedure. The cost ranges from $200 to $500, depending on the area being treated.
• Consider a prescription anti-wrinkle cream like Prevage MD. It has the highest concentration (1%) of the most powerful topical antioxidant ingredient, idebedone. Idebedone anti-aging treatment helps correct preexisting skin damage and also protects your skin from future damage. It is clinically proven to be more effective in protecting against environmental stressors known to cause skin aging than any other topical antioxidant, and significant improvement in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles can been seen in as little as four weeks.

Want to turn back the clock? Visit your local LaserAway. We aim to make your medical spa experience comfortable, enjoyable and satisfying. Schedule a free, no obligation consultation today by emailing LaserAway.net or calling the staff at LaserAway at (888) 965-2737.