Dear Dr. Seckel, I want to get rid of the wrinkles on my face and look younger but I definitely do not want to have Facelift surgery. What are the best non-surgical facial rejuvenation techniques for wrinkle removal? Thank you, Heather, Atlanta GA.
Dear Heather,
You have asked the question that most of my patients ask in my plastic surgery practice today.
Everyone wants to look younger and have wrinkle removal but most people do not want to have surgery. Happily there are many excellent non-surgical facial rejuvenation techniques for wrinkle removal available today. Facial aging is not just the presence of facial wrinkles. Facial aging involves several different skin aging changes on the face, and no one facial rejuvenation treatment alone can rejuvenate the face.
Wrinkles, brown spots, small blood vessels around the nose, crow’s feet, frown lines, worry lines, deep nasal-labial fold lines, Marionette lines, and loose sagging skin in the cheeks, along the jaw line and the neck all contribute to an aged facial appearance and thre are non-surgical facial rejuvenation techniques available which not only remove wrinkles but also remove brown spots, blood vessels and tighten skin.
If you attempt to rejuvenate the face by correcting only one of these changes the face will still look aged. Some doctors try to do non-surgical facial rejuvenation by using only one treatment such as the laser, Botox, Restylane, or IPL. Some only suggest diet and skin creams for the same reason. I call this the when your only tool is a hammer, the whole world looks like a nail approach.
Because there are so many different facial aging changes you need to address each one for a truly youthful appearance. I approach non-surgical facial rejuvenation in an organized effective 6-step non-surgical facial rejuvenation program, which corrects each of the facial aging changes:
Skin Exfoliation - You must exfoliate or remove the aged dead skin cells which are on the surface of the face and which give the skin a dull appearance. Some creams, microdermabrasion, and microlaserpeel are very effective exfoliation techniques. The result of skin exfoliation is fresh new glowing skin, and the wrinkle removal creams I use can penetrate better.
Stimulation of new collagen formation - The main thing that causes our skin to age is the loss of collagen. It is important to stimulate the skin to form new collagen. Many creams, lasers, microlaserpeel, IPL, Radiofrequency devices and other techniques can start this process.
Removal of Pigment and blood vessels - Brown spots are called age spots and the blood vessels around the nose also contribute to an aged appearance. Many prescription creams can help remove pigment and vessels, as can lasers and IPL. Microlaserpeel, ablative lasers and IPL or photofacial treatments are also very helpful for pigment and blood vessels.
Relaxation of lines of facial expression – Botox is a miracle drug for removing crow’s feet and frown lines, wrinkles caused by the contration of the facial muscles.
Filling of deep facial lines – Many new fillers such as Radiesse, Restylane and others can soften the deep facial lines.
Skin Tightening - The most effective way to tighten facial skin is with a face lift. However new non-surgical skin tightening is on the horizon. Radiofrequency and Infrared waves, and some lasers are being used to tighten the facial skin but they are not perfected and do not give a good enough result for me to use them at the present time. I anticipate there will be effective skin tightening technology available in the next few years.
This is a very long answer to your question, but it is important to understand that no one treatment or wrinkle cure is effective alone. Effective non-surgical rejuvenation is a complex multi-step process.
You must find a board certified doctor who has the experience and skill to offer you the options you need for non-surgical rejuvenation of your unique face.
For further information on facial aging and non-surgical facial rejuvenation procedures visit my Boston Plastic Surgery Practice, read Save Your Face or contact me.
Sincerely,
Boston, Massachusetts