Many women tell me that they love being older. They love their families, their life’s experiences and the knowledge they have gained through the years. Many women embrace their age and few want to be or look like young women. Most older women (like me) just want to look as good as they can, without large expense and, preferably, without surgery.
So what are some of the ways the face changes with age? Structurally, fat redistributes in the face shifting the weight from the eyes, cheek bones and temples to the lower face. Secondly, wrinkles develop over time from contraction of facial muscles, and from degeneration of skin elements, made worse by sun exposure. Lastly, changes in cartilage and the tissues supporting them can lead to droopy earlobes.
While we all can continue to celebrate our age, below are a few things we can do, or have done, to give our face a more youthful appearance.
- SUNPROTECTION. Protecting your face from the sun is the single best way to keep it youthful. Barrier, mineral based sunscreens that block both UVA and UVB rays will protect your skin best. Add a cute wide-brimmed hat for extra protection if you wish!
- CREAMS AND LOTIONS. Moisturizers soothe dry skin. Exfoliating creams improve the appearance of aging skin by removing dead skin, and Vitamin A derivatives such as Retinol, Retin-A and Avita reduce wrinkles and brown spots by inducing collagen production and altering the pigment, melanin.
- BOTULINUM TOXIN INJECTIONS. These injections partially immobilize the muscles that form expressive lines so the skin smooth’s out. Commonly injected areas include the forehead, between the brows, and around the eyes.
- DERMAL FILLERS. Dermal fillers are used to treat lines and hollows created by loss of collagen or fat. The two most common lines treated are the nasolabial folds between the nose and the corners of the mouth and the marionette lines which extend from the corners of the mouth to the chin. The hollows that are often filled are the cheeks and the temples. The most common fillers currently in use are composed of Hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring complex sugar. They typically last 6-18 months, sometimes longer after repeat injections.
- LASER TREATMENTS. Lasers are used to resurface skin to eliminate wrinkles, scars and pigmentation. Ablative lasers remove the uppermost layers of skin and require several weeks of recovery time. Non-ablative lasers (ex. Radiofrequency) pass the energy through the outer layer of the skin to work at a deeper level in the dermis which stimulates inflammation and collagen formation. Non-ablative treatments require minimal downtime and are usually performed in a series.
Keeping your skin healthy and youthful can be relatively easy and fun. You can age gracefully.
Have a great day and I hope you continue to “Look Fresh and Feel Confident”!
– Dr. Tara Wegryn
