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non-invasive facial rejuvenation



You might have noticed the signs of ageing for some time, or they might have crept up on you more recently. In 2018, most people have a grooming and anti-ageing regimen, whether that’s a litany of lotions or potions or a more minimalist approach. However, when your trusted regimen begins to fall short of your needs, it might be time to consider more advanced intervention.

For a lot of people, advanced aesthetics equals surgery – and often, this is the case. Certainly, there’s no disputing the efficacy of a face, brow or eyelid lift in rejuvenating the face and turning back the clock. However, a lot of people are not suitable for or do not want to undergo, facial surgery - Particularly, Millennials who prefer to focus on popular social media platforms to filter appearances.

Some people – for health reasons – cannot be put under general anaesthetic or are not suitable for their specific procedure. For others, it’s the idea of going under the knife itself that they cannot abide. It might also come down to a matter of costs.

If you do want to undergo surgery as your personal choice and as a long-term investment in you, but you feel there is something holding you back, book a consultation with a registered plastic surgeon to discuss your options. You might be right, and cosmetic surgery might not be for you, but often the issues that prospective patients identify can be overcome.

Chatting with an expert will allow you to decipher whether cosmetic surgery is something you can pursue, after all.However, if – either as the result of a consultation with a cosmetic surgeon or just due to personal inclination – you are not a candidate for surgery but would still like advanced help with your anti-ageing plight, there are a number of non-invasive facial rejuvenation treatment options available to you. Here are the top 3:

 

1. Cosmetic injectables

If your signs of ageing are manifesting as lines and wrinkles – as they most commonly are – you might be well suited to cosmetic injectables. Many patients find the prospect of injectables more appealing than full surgery because of their relatively short treatment time, cost-effective nature and the little downtime required.


If you feel they are for you, you’ll need to choose between Botox and dermal fillers. Botox acts as a muscle relaxant, which stops the muscles in the face from working overtime, and therefore the skin does not have to crease to accommodate the movement. Therefore, Botox works as an excellent preventative measure against the further development of lines and wrinkles. Meanwhile, dermal fillers plump out wrinkles and fill in existing problems with the face. They can also be used to fill in the lips, which can become thinner as part of the ageing process. Combined, the two make a good anti-ageing ‘team’.


2. Skin Peels

Skin peels treat myriad skin complaints, and it really depends what you are looking for in terms of treatment and results as to which depth peel will be right for you. Skin issues such as complexion problems, fine lines and wrinkles, acne scarring and rosacea can be treated with a peel. Light and medium peels are performed under local anaesthetic (i.e. a topical numbing cream), whereas deep peels are administered under sedation, or sometimes even general anaesthetic.
Unlike other non-invasive treatments, there is still down-time associated with skin peels, because the epidermis (top layer of skin) takes time to peel off and expose the fresh, healthy skin underneath.


3. Carbon dioxide Fractional Laser Resurfacing

Laser resurfacing is used to treat issues related to skin complexion in a similar manner to chemical peels but provides the opportunity for more effective results. It is a technique which is useful for minor pigmentation problems, fine lines, irregular skin texture and even acne scarring. This technique can usually be carried out under local anaesthetic but may have slightly longer downtime. 


Combined Treatments

Combining Botox, fillers and laser treatment helps to rejuvenate the complete manner since each kind of intervention achieves a slightly different effect on different regions of the face. For example, Botox is most effective for lines around the eyes and forehead, fillers work best for the lines around the mouth and chemical peels and lasers are effective for surface skin complexion problems.

Of course, fillers and Botox are temporary treatments. Laser resurfacing can also be considered for a more permanent solution to fine lines but a more powerful laser energy is needed which can result in longer recovery times and sometimes a repeat treatment is also necessary.


What are the limitations of non-invasive treatments?

The main limitations of non-invasive facial rejuvenation treatments are their temporary effects. Also, these treatments cannot lift loose skin and tissues for which surgery is most effective. For example, there is no effective non-invasive solution to the development of jowls and loose skin in the cheek, jawline and neck. In these instances, a face and neck lift in one form or another is required.

Thread lifts are advocated by some aesthetic doctors but these techniques are also short lived since a thread cannot maintain the lifted appearance long term and cannot lift the deeper tissues, which is where the majority of problems occur which result in jowls and loose tissue in the neck. It is not surprising that plastic surgeons rarely offer thread lifts since they have seen the very limited and short-lived results from such techniques. They tend to be offered by non-invasive trained doctors who are unable to offer facelift surgery and therefore are forced to offer other less effective short cut measures.

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