Fast Facial Fixes

Is it already fall?!

Is it already fall?! This year has gone by so fast it's hard to keep up. Did you start the year planning to do something for yourself? Now it's October and you haven't done anything?

Our year started out with a new arrival. My office manager had her first baby. Now 8 months old, her rapid growth reminds me that every day we have a chance to learn something new, to see life with a new angle. Her fresh, beautiful skin reminds me that we all want that clear, newborn complexion. How do we get back to that, and how do we get it fast? Believe it or not there are some quick fixes for your face, just in time for the fall holidays.

Botox is still, definitely, the fastest fix for aging expression lines on your face. Deep lines between the eyes make you look tired or angry even when your face is still. It certainly gets worse with age. Within three days, Botox will make that area look flatter and smoother. People will think you look relaxed. You will even feel more relaxed. With repeat Botox treatments in the first year, those lines can be gone.

Dermal fillers like Radiesse and Juvederm can make the area around your mouth and your entire face appear 10 years younger. This is as close to immediate as you can get. I principally use Juvederm in the lips to restore fullness and soften those unsightly, aging vertical lip lines. These form from pursing your lips with speech and activity, and also from loss of lip volume. Restoring lip volume takes years off your face and creates youthful visual balance between the eyes and the mouth. This can last four to six months.

For those "parentheses" lines around the mouth – nasolabial folds – I use Radiesse. Radiesse is a firm, well-tolerated, calcium-based filler that provides structural support for the skin around the mouth. This area sags over time. I explain to my patients that fillers are for the topography of the face. If you have hills and deep valleys, then fillers go under the valleys to soften the transitions of the hills. The overall effect is a plumper, firmer, more youthful appearance. Radiesse in the nasolabial folds can last 12 months.     

IPL/limelight laser treatments can improve a wide range of issues on aging faces. Most people over 35 have sun damage – unfortunate, but true. Sun damage can mean brown spots, red pigment or veins, dilated pores, and uneven texture. IPL/limelight treatments can reduce red and brown pigments, but also help to even out texture and pores as well. It usually takes more than one treatment, but if you have substantial pigment issues even one treatment can be dramatic. I usually recommend a minimum of three treatments.

The Pearl laser is a serious approach to aging skin. This is a type of "fractional" resurfacing laser which literally removes a layer of surface skin to promote smoothness and to generate a high degree of collagen remodeling. Pearl treatments can truly turn back the age clock. Pearl resurfacing gives you the dramatic change of high-grade chemical peels with the photo-rejuvenating effects of a laser, with a greater degree of specificity and safety.

Any one of the previously mentioned procedures can make a significant, dramatic and fast improvement to aging and sun-damaged skin. Combining two or more procedures can fix multiple problems. If you need more information, we offer a complimentary consultation that allows me to evaluate your concerns and pick the right treatment for you. It's really not necessary to wait to the New Year to see a new you. It just takes getting started and moving forward, fast or slow. It's all about where you want to go and how fast you want to get there, but don't let another three months go by before you do something. You might wake up and two years have gone by!

Don't forget that small steps done over a period of time can make a big difference, too. Baby-fresh skin may be a long way away, but if you strive daily to slow down sun exposure, wear sunscreen and, yes, eat better, your skin will improve. I know that my daily consumption of a whole food concentrate of fruits and vegetables for the last 10 years has made my skin at 47 much better. I know that keeping my skin covered while doing yard work or outside activities has saved me from huge amounts of sun damage.

Call Advanced Cosmetic Medicine at (918) 280-0270.

For more information, contact

Advanced Cosmetic Medicine

(918) 280-0270