With age comes wisdom and experience, but getting older can also mean changes to our physical appearance. Common signs of facial aging include volume loss, wrinkles and lines, hollowness, loose and sagging skin, and sun damage.
Fortunately, there are a variety of ways that patients can turn back the hands of time, including sun protection and non-surgical procedures like Botox, dermal fillers, and lasers. These treatments rely on prevention, correction, and rejuvenation and offer patients safe and effective results without any downtime.
Here are four ways that you can address facial aging.
1. Sun Protection
Sun damage is one of the key contributors to facial aging, and that’s why it’s essential to wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen daily. Patients should ensure that their sun protection defends against UVA light, which causes sun damage, and UVB light, which causes a sunburn, and that it has at least a 30 SPF.
Wearing hats and avoiding the sun between the hours of 10 am – 2 pm can also limit exposure to harmful UV rays that wreak havoc on the skin.
2. Botox
This neurotoxin is the most popular cosmetic treatment and can be used to smooth forehead lines, crow’s feet, and frown lines between the eyebrows. Botox and other neuromodulators, like Dysport and Xeomin, are able to banish wrinkles by inhibiting contraction of facial muscles that tug on skin and cause it to crease.
As a result, Botox relaxes lines and wrinkles and helps patients look refreshed and more youthful.
3. Dermal Fillers
Dermal fillers correct facial lines caused by fat and collagen loss, and common treatment areas include the nasolabial folds and marionette lines.
These cosmetic injectables often restore facial fullness with hyaluronic acid, a complex sugar that can hold more that 1000 times its weight in water. It’s this ability that makes hyaluronic acid an excellent plumping agent that provides instant volumizing and hydrating effects.
4. Laser Treatments
Laser treatments use light-based energy, ultrasound, and radiofrequency to lift, tighten, and smooth aging skin. In fact, pigmentary and vascular lasers can target brown and red discoloration, while skin resurfacing devices can reduce fine lines, wrinkles, sun damage, acne scars, and uneven tone and texture.
Some non-ablative lasers are especially effective for facial aging, as they penetrate all the way to the dermis and stimulate the growth of new collagen and elastin.
To learn more about how you can combat facial aging, please call DC Derm Docs in Washington DC today to schedule a consultation.
