Wrinkle Removal-Dispelling the “wrinkle cure” Myth
Expecting a skin cream to remove skin wrinkles from your facial skin is like putting an aspirin on top of your head to cure a headache! (Contact Dr Seckel)
Most wrinkle removal creams cannot get into the skin wrinkle to correct the skin damage that is causing the wrinkle and thus achieve wrinkle removal. There are fabulous skin wrinkle removal and facial rejuvenation techniques available today but they do not come in a jar. Save yourself a lot of money, time and aggravation and read this article and learn what causes wrinkles on your facial skin and how you can effectively remove skin wrinkles from your facial skin and rejuvenate your aging face and re-evaluate the wrinkle cure myth.
A Facial Skin Wrinkle is A Surface Irregularity like a scratch on Your Facial Skin
A skin wrinkle is a surface irregularity. In an oversimplification (there are also folds around a skin wrinkle) it is an irregular depression in an otherwise smooth surface-like a scratch on a piece of wood. How do you perform wrinkle removal on a scratched piece of wood? One way is to sand the wood surrounding the scratch down to the level of the scratch which makes the surface smooth and wrinkle free again. This is an older method used for skin wrinkle removal called dermabrasion, which is a fancy word for sanding your face, but dermabrasion is not used much anymore because it is a surgical wrinkle removal procedure which requires healing, and dermabrasion for wrinkle removal can leave the skin white, thin and susceptible to injury, and the surrounding skin can be left a different color. Newer high tech laser skin peels and deep skin exfoliation techniques can be very effective at “sanding “the wrinkled face for wrinkle removal and removing wrinkles without damaging the surrounding skin.
A Facial Skin Wrinkle is also Caused by Volume Loss in the Dermis, The Deep Layer of The Skin and loss of elasticity
Think of a nice juicy plum with no wrinkles, which is placed in the sun to dry. After time the nice juicy plumb becomes a dried wrinkled prune. The plum loses its inner volume of water and the tissue volume becomes less and the plumb shrinks, the plum skin falls into wrinkles and becomes a wrinkled prune. To perform wrinkle removal on a prune you would have to restore the inner volume of the plum with water.
Our skin loses volume from the deeper layer, the dermis after years of collagen loss which is caused by the breakdown of collagen from damage by the ultraviolet rays of the sun and aging of the skin. As our deep skin layers loose collagen, the skin collapses onto the new depleted dermis and forms skin wrinkles. Sun damage causes about 80% of the facial aging changes we see in the mirror. Wrinkle removal requires restoration of the volume loss caused by collagen loss in the deper layer of the skin, the dermis.
In addition to volume loss, some of the damaged collagen in the deep layers of the dermis loses elasticity, so the skin also loosens, stretches and falls into folds which cause additional wrinkles. Restoration of the skin elasticity is a very effective wrinkle removal technique.
Another potential method for skin wrinkle removal is to restore new volume to the dermis by adding new collagen. This method is the basis of many therapies designed to stimulate new collagen production to plump the skin for wrinkle removal. There are many examples including lasers, IPL or Photo facial, and other forms of light energy such as infrared and radiofrequency energy, all wrinkle removal methods which will be discussed below.
Modern effective skin wrinkle removal requires:
1. Correction or removal of the facial skin wrinkle surface irregularity e.g. removal of damaged wrinkled skin surface to smooth the surface and,
2. Plumping the deep skin layers beneath the facial skin wrinkle by restoring the volume of collagen in the dermis and
3. Remodeling or tightening of dermal collagen of the facial skin to restore elasticity.
Deep skin exfoliation is the first step in any effective facial skin wrinkle removal and facial rejuvenation program. Exfoliation removes dead skin cells and helps reduce skin wrinkles and fine lines. Deep skin exfoliation is in a way like sanding the skin. The irritation caused by deep exfoliation also stimulates the dermis to make new collagen which helps with wrinkle removal by plumping the deeper dermal layer of the skin.
There are many excellent methods for deep skin exfoliation and laser wrinkle removal available today. Prescription Retinoids like Retin A have this effect in topical cream form. Microdermabrasion, skin peels with Glycolic and salicylic acid and Dermasound are excellent exfoliation methods done by aestheticians and skin care professionals. The most effective deep exfoliation methods are done by newer laser skin rejuvenation techniques such as the ActiveFX Laser Skin Peel and the Microlaserpeel which provide deep laser skin exfoliation and wrinkle removal, stimulation of new plumping collagen growth in the dermis, and also remodeling or tightening of the skin all in one treatment with minimal down time. These new effective wrinkle removal skin exfoliation techniques are step 1 of my 6-step non-surgical facial rejuvenation program which is the most effective wrinkle removal and facial rejuvenation program available today. Results of the Lux2940 can be excellent-see before and after photos below:
Plumping the deep facial skin layer by stimulating new collagen production for wrinkle removal and modern facial rejuvenation.
The second essential step for modern facial skin wrinkle removal is to restore the deep collagen volume to the skin. This is like re hydrating a wrinkled prune to make it a nice firm juicy plum again. The collagen in the dermis or deep layer of the skin is produced by a cell called the fibroblast when the skin is irritated or inflamed. This is a normal response of the skin to injury. Thus new effective methods for wrinkle removal gently injure the skin so that the skin will respond by producing fibroblasts which will produce new collagen which will plump the skin and help remove the wrinkle. This collagen producing skin injury can be caused by irritation by a skin cream like Retin A, repeated deep skin exfoliation techniques, and more commonly today by heating the deeper dermal skin layers with a laser or other form of heat produced by light energy such as IPL-Intense Pulsed Light-also called photo facial, and specially designed non-ablative laser wrinkle removal lasers.
New sophisticated non-ablative lasers and IPL have specially designed cooling devices placed on the skin before the laser or other light heating device is turned on so that the collagen stimulating heat gets down into the dermis to heat the tissues and stimulate new collagen production by the fibroblasts to promote wrinkle removal without burning the overlying skin surface. This minimizes down time since a burn would cause the skin to peel and turn red. These newer collagen stimulating wrinkle removal facial rejuvenation therapies are called non-ablative laser and light therapies because the superficial skin is not injured or peeled-that is the skin is not ablated or removed. These new skin plumping, new collagen forming, non-ablative laser and light wrinkle removal therapies do work, with no down time and minimal pinkness of the skin, but wrinkle removal using these methods takes time. I use the Lux1540 by Palomar and the Fraxel Restore , results can be excellent-see before and after Lux1540 photos below:
The wrinkle plumping new collagen production is step 2 of my 6-step non-surgical facial rejuvenation program.
After a treatment it takes 6 weeks for the fibroblasts in the dermis to start making new skin plumping collagen for wrinkle removal and this process goes on for many months. Expect at least 4-6 months to see beneficial visible skin plumping and wrinkle removal from these high tech laser and light therapies, but the good thing is that you are forming new collagen in your skin, which should last if you take care of your skin, eat healthy, and use sun block.
Remodeling or tightening of dermal collagen to restore elasticity, remove wrinkles, and rejuvenate your face.
The most recent new wrinkle removal facial rejuvenation technology is the deep dermal collagen remodeling methods commonly referred to as “skin tightening” or non-ablative skin tightening. Skin tightening involves the same heat injury induced new collagen production used to plump the skin for wrinkle removal, but the elastin collagen fibers which control skin elasticity and tightness reside in the deeper layers of the dermis. Thus new technology has been required to get heat deep into the dermis without damaging or ablating the overlying skin surface while heating the deep layers. This has required the development of very effective skin cooling devices and the employment of new types of skin heating energy, infrared and radiofrequency energy as opposed to laser and IPL Photo facial energy.
Infrared and radiofrequency energy have much different wavelengths and are able to penetrate the skin more deeply than lasers and IPL thus they can heat the much deeper layers of the dermis and injure the deep elastin containing layers to remodel elastin and collagen to plump and tighten the skin for wrinkle removal. These new machines have very powerful skin cooling mechanisms to prevent burn injury to the skin, and treatments produce only minimal redness and down time. Newer skin tightening devices are LuxIR by Palomar, Aluma by Lumenis, Thermage, Titan by Cutera, and Refirme by Syneron. Skin tightening is the 6th and final step of my 6-step non-surgical facial rejuvenation program.
Results from the Palomar LuxIR Deep can be gratifying-see before and after photos below:
From the above you can see that effective, modern facial skin wrinkle removal for facial rejuvenation is a complex scientifically sophisticated process and not something that can be achieved by a cream purchased over the counter or on the internet. Laser skin rejuvenation techniques have improved dramatically in the past few years and new laser skin peels provide effective wrinkle removal with faster recovery and less side effects.
For effective, modern wrinkle removal and facial rejuvenation you need the advice of an experienced board certified doctor, usually a board certified plastic surgeon or dermatologist to help you remove and prevent facial wrinkles.
You need to be an informed consumer, there is so much misinformation on the topic of wrinkle removal and facial rejuvenation and billions of dollars are spent each year on “wrinkle cures” that simply don’t work. If you have knowledge you have power, so educate yourself on what causes facial wrinkles and what are the proven methods for effective wrinkle removal and facial rejuvenation that are scientifically proven to work. An excellent place to start is by reading my book on facial rejuvenation entitled Save Your Face-The truth About Facial Aging Its Prevention and “Cure”. Also check the archives of my blogs “What’s New” and “Ask Dr Seckel” where you will find non-commercial unbiased discussions of most contemporary wrinkle removal, facial rejuvenation and facial aging topics, or contact me.
Boston, Massachusetts