Articles

June 2006

THE AGING FACE: Turning Back the Clock

Athough time, gravity, and sun exposure are constantly attacking the skin from all sides, there are things we can do to protect, maintain, and correct the appearance of the face. The first and most obvious is to wear protective sunscreen every day, even on cloudy days.

To maintain healthy skin, microdermabrasion is a great routine treatment. I recommend microderm with sodium bicarbonate crystals (baking soda), which are finer, safer, and gentler on the skin than the standard aluminum hydroxide crystals typically used (visit the microderm page on www.ASAbeautiful.com for more information).

If you already have a lot of sun damage, you may have fine lines and sun spots on the face. A great way to address these issues is with a chemical peel, which can be done in the office, or an Intense Pulsed Light treatment, sometimes called Photo-Facial. This is a simple, in-office laser treatment that can reduce redness and uneven skin pigmentation.

If you have or are developing "dynamic wrinkling" which are wrinkles created by facial expression, then treatment with Botox® Cosmetic® can be very helpful in reducing the existing appearance and preventing the appearance from becoming worse.

When is surgery an option?

At some point, the aging process is beyond improvement through "lunchtime" treatments. Significant, noticeable improvement can definitely be achieved with facial cosmetic surgery.

The first and perhaps most noticeable way to brighten your look is through a blepharoplasty (eyelid lift). This procedure reduces the "tired" look around the eyes by removing excess skin and fat, and tightening remaining tissues. Newer techniques are less dependent on the amount of fat removed and instead emphasize the concept of "rearranging" the fat to fill in the hollows for a more natural look. Eyelid surgical scars can heal so well that they may be nearly invisible even without makeup. If your brows have fallen also, you may consider a brow lift, which now is accomplished through tiny incisions hidden in the hair using an endoscope (small camera).

If you have deep "smile lines" but are not ready for facelift surgery, you can see a nice improvement with simply a midface lift. This less invasive procedure is accomplished through the same "nearly invisible" incision below the eyelash line that is used for lower eyelid surgery. A dissolvable device called an Endotine is used to lift the tissues of the cheek, which in turn reduces the appearance of the "smile lines."

Once the lower face "jowling" and sagging neck have become significant, a facelift is the best way to go. Facelift incisions heal very well and are much less visible than most people think. Most of the incision is hidden in the hairline. A facelift very nicely corrects lower face jowling, improves "frown lines" and tightens the neck. Modern facelift techniques address the tissues below the skin rather than simply pulling the skin tightly, resulting in a more natural look compared to the "pulled" look of the old days.

The patient in the photos is shown before and after facelift with necklift, midface lift, and lower eyelid surgery. She has regained a smooth, youthful neck and jawline. It is true that a facelift can easily help you to look ten years younger (sometimes more)!