Facial Rejuvenation–Get Your Young Face Back
None of us wants to see our faces get older looking. Facial rejuvenation is a very appealing concept. The definition of rejuvenate is to restore to a youthful condition. To be effective a facial rejuvenation procedure must restore our face to a younger looking face. True facial rejuvenation requires not only tightening of the skin but also restoring the skin surface to a more youthful appearance. We all have seen people who have had a face lift but still have old looking facial skin-that is hardly effective facial rejuvenation.
Effective facial rejuvenation must restore the facial skin to a firm, blemish free, wrinkle free, soft, clear appearance. You need to understand the very sophisticated and high tech facial rejuvenation methods that are in use today. This knowledge will help you avoid a bad result or worse, a complication.
Successful facial rejuvenation depends on the skill of your doctor. Today’s facial rejuvenation technologies are complicated medical and surgical procedures, and facial rejuvenation is an integral part of your overall health care and fitness program.
A spa or beauty salon is no longer the place to provide you with the latest medical grade skin treatments using prescription drugs, lasers, fillers and other effective anti-aging techniques. There is no face lift in a jar or wrinkle cure cream. Become an expert in facial rejuvenation and an informed consumer.
What creates a youthful appearance?
There are many characteristics that create a youthful fresh look to your face. Bright open eyes without wrinkles, bags and dark circles under the eyes, a high arched brow, a full high plump cheek, a firm smooth jaw line, a tight neck without fat and hanging skin, and full wrinkle free lips are important characteristics of a young face. Successful facial rejuvenation depends on an understanding of exactly what creates this youthful look.
The eyes are the windows to the soul and the first feature that people notice, followed by our lips and mouth. Unfortunately the eyes and lips are the first areas of our face to show signs of aging, often in our thirties or even earlier in people with thin skin or those who smoke. Young fresh looking eyes and lips are an essential component of any facial rejuvenation effort.
Below are the aging changes we must correct to have a youthful appearance:
• Eyes-Correct wrinkles, loose skin, hooding of the eyes, bags and dark circles under the eyes, brown spots and crow’s feet.
• Lips-Remove lip wrinkles, correct thin or sagging lips, plump the lips, and shorten the space between the pink lip and nose.
• Mouth-camouflage or correct sagging skin around the mouth, nose to mouth lines (nasal labial fold), mouth to chin lines (marionette lines), and whiten teeth for a young looking smile.
• Chin-Remove chin wrinkles, shrink large pores, camouflage chin crease, and lift the sagging chin.
• Cheek-Plump or lift the cheek to a high position on the face, fill depressions high on the cheek below the eye, and remove wrinkles, brown spots, red spots and other skin aging changes.
• Brow-Lift the sagging brow to open the eyes and create a fresh bright look.
• Jaw line-tighten, lengthen, or smooth the jaw line skin. Camouflage, lift or remove jowls.
• Neck-Remove fat, eliminate a double chin, remove neck bands or turkey wattle and tighten the neck.
• Décolletage-The neck and décolletage are frequently noticed when people view our face, and yet this area is one of the most neglected when it comes to prevention of skin aging. Removal of brown spots, red spots and skin aging changes from the décolletage must be accomplished if you want to look young in today’s fashions.
• Cleavage-A woman’s cleavage has always been an important component of feminine beauty and sensuality. Clothing today reveals this area, and aging changes such as wrinkles and brown spots detract from a youthful look.
• Face Skin- Aging and sun damage make the skin look old. Brown spots, red spots (Telangiectasia), dry skin and wrinkles are classic signs of skin aging.
What are the best facial rejuvenation methods available today?
The methods available to achieve true, effective facial rejuvenation to a youthful appearance are modern, sophisticated medical and in some cases, surgical procedures. You need to find a trusted, experienced, board certified physician who specializes in aesthetic and anti-aging procedures if you are going to achieve a beautiful result that you will be happy with.
Below I am going to briefly list the modern, most effective facial rejuvenation methods for each important area.
• Eyes- Botox, Retin A, and Microdermabrasion are the most effective methods for refreshing the eye area and crow’s feet. Bags and dark circles under the eyes require laser surgery and when done properly these techniques can achieve remarkably beautiful results. Avoid injection of fillers and fat around the eyes, these techniques are dangerous.
Before and after Botox treatment for crow’s feet.
Before and after laser removal of dark circles under the eyes.
Before and after laser removal of bags under te eyes.
• Lips-Soft tissue fillers like Juvederm, Restylane, Perlane and others can plump the lip beautifully and help lip lines. Tiny amounts of Botox can remove lip wrinkles. Fractional laser resurfacing can smooth the lip. There are also effective surgical techniques to plump and refresh the lip.
Before and after filler injection into upper lip.
• Mouth-Soft tissue fillers are very effective at restoring the mouth area. The downward sagging and deep lines around the mouth can be plumped and lifted with filler injections used in the liquid face lift. Small amounts of Botox can help lift the corners of the mouth. Fractional laser resurfacing can help refresh the skin, lift the corners of the mouth and remove lines and wrinkles. Skin tightening machines such as Thermage, Titan, LuxIR and Refirme can help tighten the skin around the mouth, but only by about 20% and not nearly as well as a surgical lift.
Before and after liquid face lift to mouth area and Botox to the upper lip.
• Chin- Fractional laser resurfacing can remove wrinkles and shrink large pores. Fillers can help the chin crease and marionette lines. A surgical chin implant can lift the chin and a surgical lift can help the aging sagging chin.
Before and after chin implant and laser liposuction for neck lift.
• Cheek- The cheek area sags and moves downward as we age. New liquid cheek lift techniques using soft tissue fillers such as Radiesse and Juvederm can lift and plump the cheek for a young look. A well done surgical cheek lift should create a high full look to the cheek. The cheek area is one of the most important areas for correction of aging changes.
Before and after liquid cheek lift using soft tissue fillers.
• Brow- The brow can be lifted about 6 millimeters using Botox. Complete brow restoration requires a brow lift or forehead lift with plastic surgery.
• Jaw Line- Very small amount of Botox and soft tissue fillers like Restylane, Juvederm and Radiesse can be used to improve the marionette lines and jowls, and smooth the jaw line. A well done surgical face lift can restore a beautiful jaw line.
Before and after face lift to lift the cheek and tighten jaw line and neck.
• Neck- Very small amounts of Botox can be used to lessen the folds or bands hanging below the chin. These are called platysmal bands and are caused by a muscle called the platysma muscle which lies under the neck skin. Skin tightening machines can help tighten sagging neck skin, but only by about 20-30%. A well done plastic surgical neck lift can create a beautiful, firm, tight neck.
• Décolletage- Topical Retin A, Microdermabrasion, and IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) treatments can restore the décolletage to a smooth, clear uniform skin appearance. Sun protection for this area is essential.
Before and after IPL to freshen the decolletage and cleavage area.
• Cleavage- Retin A, Microdermabrasion and IPL are all useful to keep your cleavage area looking young and fresh without brown spots, wrinkles and aging skin changes.
• Face Skin-All of the above techniques are to no avail if your skin looks old. Anti-aging skin care is an essential component of any anti-aging program. Sun block for prevention of further aging is essential. Retin A, topical Vitamin C Serum, and frequent Microdermabrasion are essential. IPL is a safe, effective, non painful, no down time, easy way to remove age spots and red blood vessels from skin. IPL is not effective for removing wrinkles. However, new fractional laser resurfacing techniques can remove wrinkles safely without danger of pigment loss and other problems associated with old fashioned CO2 laser resurfacing.
Before and after fractional laser resurfacing to freshen the face and remove pigment and fine wrinkles
I have seen fair skinned, blond and red headed women in my plastic surgery practice who look 30 when they are actually 55 years old. This was never possible 20 years ago in my experience. What these women have in common is a healthy life style, use of sun block, stress management and proactive anti-aging skin care. Very important is avoidance of tanning, smoking and excess alcohol intake.
It is never too late to start. If aging changes are showing on your wonderful face take action now. The remarkable, effective, scientifically based new anti-aging therapies work and can give you a second chance to stay looking younger and looking as good as you feel for a very long time.
Just please do your homework and avoid disappointment or worse, a complication. Understand how these sophisticated, high tech techniques work. Find a board certified doctor who specializes in anti-aging and preventative skin care. Read more about this exciting new field and continue to look as good as you feel for many years to come.
For more information on facial rejuvenation call 978-369-4499 or email us. Read our free newsletter to keep up with new methods of facial rejuvenation. Read Save Your Face to learn how to prevent facial aging.
Dr Seckel
Concord, Massachusetts
Boston, Massachusetts