Everyone ages. Unfortunately, with aging come wrinkles, discoloration, and lines in your skin – especially on the face. Many factors, like stress and diet, can contribute to these lines and wrinkles, but they can never be fully prevented. There are many options and procedures that help reduce wrinkles and make your face look younger, As expected, different procedures are best suited for certain ages, needs, and parts of the face. Three examples of popular and widely-used solutions for facial plastic surgeons are Botox Cosmetic, dermal fillers, and facelift surgery.
1. Botox Cosmetic
Botox Cosmetic has been used since 2002 (when it was approved by the FDA) as a way to smooth out facial lines and wrinkles. It works by blocking signals between nerves and muscles, which causes muscles under the skin to stop contracting, thereby reducing wrinkles. A Botox injection procedure only takes about 10 minutes, and costs vary depending on whether a doctor charges for the area of your face or for individual units of the injection. Botox works best for fixing wrinkles between your eyebrows and on your forehead, and crow’s feet around the eyes. The results of Botox can be seen in about two to four days, and it requires almost no healing time. A Botox injection generally lasts three to six months, at which time you will need another injection.
2. Dermal fillers
Where Botox relaxes muscles under wrinkles, dermal fillers actually fill in wrinkles. Dermal fillers work best to hide signs of aging, and may delay time before needing a surgical facelift but frequently complement surgical procedures. They can also be used to plump lips, and fill in lines lower on one’s face (such as on the cheeks and mouth), which Botox may not always be suited for. Dermal fillers can be a good option for those who are just beginning to notice lines and wrinkles, have finer wrinkles, or have lines around the lip and mouth area. The most common type of dermal fillers are hyaluronic acid, while synthetic, autologous, and collagen fillers are also available. Typically, dermal fillers can last for about four to 12 months, and there are new products available such as BellaFill, that lasts for up to 5 years. Sometimes, patients find that they need more than one initial injection before getting satisfactory results, and then return once or twice a year for additional injections.
3. Facelift surgery
During a facelift surgical procedure, a doctor creates incisions on the sides of the face in order to reposition the deep structures of the face and neck back so that it rests more youthfully across the face, reducing lines and wrinkles. The healing time after this procedure tends to a few weeks. Though it varies greatly, facelifts usually last 10 to 15 years, making them one of the most permanent options for reducing wrinkles and making your face look younger.
