Finding the Perfect Anti-Aging Treatment for Your Patients

Aging is inevitable, people are bound to experience it as time goes by. Time can't be stopped but we sure can do something about the effects of time. The skin is first to show signs of age, with wrinkles and fine lines, droopy skin and age spots. There are a lot of options for anti-aging skin care but there comes a time that the topical treatments won't be enough anymore. Here is where we step in, for what else can be done to stop these visible signs of aging?

Crow's Feet, Forehead Furrows and Frown Lines

Botox

Botox is a drug made from  Botulinum toxin, produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. It is a neurotoxin that blocks neurotransmitter signals from the nerves to the muscles. Once the signals get blocked muscles can't contract, which makes wrinkles relax and soften.

Botox works best in treating wrinkles resulting from skin aging such as crow's feet, forehead lines and frown lines.

Botox reduces the visibility of crow's feet by relaxing the muscles that surround the corners of the eyes. After you have Botox, you should notice that the skin underneath and around your eyes looks smoother, and the difference should be particularly distinctive when you smile.

Forehead furrows or glabellar lines are horizontal indentations that stretch across the forehead. Botox is one of the best ways to alleviate forehead wrinkles, over time and with sun exposure, the muscle contracts and causes wrinkles. Botox will soften them as it paralyzes the muscles, stopping it from contracting therefore getting rid of the crease.

Under Eyes/ Tear Troughs

Dermal Fillers

Eye fillers are used to lighten the tear trough or under-eye area. They make that area look plumper and brighter, plus reducing under-eye shadows can make you look well-rested.

Hyaluronic acid fillers(Restylane, Juvederm) are soft and blend easily into the surrounding skin, they create the most natural effect under the eyes.

Nasolabial Folds

Dermal Fillers

Dermal fillers are gel-like substances that are injected beneath the skin to restore lost volume, smooth lines and soften creases, or enhance facial contours.

Hyaluronic acid (Restylane, Juvederm) is natural component of the skin's connective tissue and is the most common filler used for wrinkles. It is helpful in softening nasolabial folds by “plumping” the area of skin so that fine lines and deep wrinkles appear smoother. This clear substance is naturally produced in the skin and helps with firmness and hydration.

Calcium hydroxylapatite (Radiesse) is best for treating deeper wrinkles and skin folds such as nasolabial folds, it is also reported to help stimulate natural collagen production.

Poly-L-lactic acid (Sculptra Aesthetic) is a biocompatible (meaning it is safe to use in the body) synthetic substance that is injected into the face, causing the body to produce its own collagen. This type of dermal filler is known as a  collagen stimulator. This non-toxic, biodegradable substance has been used for more than 40 years as a suture material.

Marionette Lines

Marionette lines are facial wrinkles that occur with natural aging. The lines run vertically between the mouth and chin, which can also create sagging in the lower half of the face. The skin around the mouth is particularly prone to wrinkling because it’s thinner compared with the rest of your face.

Botox

Botox injections are popular solutions for facial wrinkles around the mouth and eyes. These work by relaxing the facial muscles underneath the injection site. In turn, your skin will become smoother with a reduced appearance in wrinkles. This treatment method works best if you’re just starting to develop these types of wrinkles.

Dermal Fillers

Dermal fillers are effective in replacing the lost volume in the skin, it is possible to dramatically reduce and smooth the appearance of marionette lines.

Dermal fillers help plump the skin with hyaluronic acid (Restylane, Juvederm). They are designed to mimic the effects of collagen to help smooth fine lines and wrinkles.

Hyaluronic acid dermal filler results in an immediate change, and may also help address sagginess caused by marionette lines.

Vertical Lip Lines

As people age, the collagen and elastin in the skin begin to break down. These proteins are what keep the skin looking tight and soft at younger ages hence the onslaught of wrinkles as people age. Lip lines are those vertical wrinkles running from the top of your lip up to your nose.

Botox

Botox works by relaxing the muscle of facial expression which through repetitive movement forms a wrinkle in the overlying skin. The orbicularis oris is a circular muscle that puckers the lips, strategic placement of Botox around the mouth and in the lip area can relax this muscle that causes vertical lines and return the skin to a smoother, more youthful appearance.

Dermal Fillers

Restylane® Silk is the first FDA-approved product specifically designed to provide natural-looking results in these particular areas by using smaller, smoother hyaluronic acid particles than those used in other Restylane® products. It is injected into the skin with an ultrafine needle to plump the skin to smooth away wrinkles and folds, such as the lines around the mouth (perioral rhytids).

Chin Wrinkles

A wrinkle forming horizontally across the chin can really distract from a smile. Due to facial volume loss resulting from aging, chin wrinkles appear gradually over time.

Dermal Fillers

Calcium hydroxyapatite (CaHA) gel microspheres filler (Radiesse) is an injectable filler used to plump wrinkled or folded areas of the skin, most often on the face. CaHA is made up of ions of phosphate and calcium, which occur naturally in the human body.

The injectable gel initially does all the work of filling in the volume required. As time goes on, though, the CaHA stimulates the naturally-occurring collagen beneath the skin, allowing the skin to produce more of its own filler.

Eventually, the CaHA absorbs back into your body, leaving your collagen in its place. Because of the science behind Radiesse, treatment results can last for well over a year — even up to two years for some people.