If you are seeking a quick and simple treatment for a few areas around your face, sometimes Botox and fillers may do the trick. But for more permanent and longer lasting results, looking younger and refreshed often means going to a more invasive route.
There are three things that occur on our face as we get older, these are called triads of aging; (1) skin sagging and drooping, (2) wrinkling and fine lines, and (3) loss of volume due to skin thinning and loss of fat pads under eyes, temple, and cheeks. Botox and fillers can be used to help resolve minor instances of these triads, however, patients will be disappointed if they use injectables to resolve extensive triad issues.
Here are some recommendations for each of these extensive aging triads:
#1. Skin sagging and drooping. The classic gold standard treatment here is a facelift operation. There are many devices that attempt to forego the gold standard and promise results without going under the knife. Some of these devices use radio-frequency and they are called Ulthera, Thermage, but buyers beware, these devices simply are NOT substitutes for a well performed facelift operation by a certified Plastic Surgeon. After spending thousands of dollars on these “non-invasive” procedures, many people come to us for a facelift operation.
#2. Wrinkling and skin aging with larger pores and fine lines. Although Botox and fillers may help a little here, the effects are very temporary, and only in small localized areas that were treated. The gold standard here is a Carbon Dioxide fractionated laser treatment. This is considered an ablative treatment because it is invasive, however, this is the only treatment that offers permanent changes to skin by remodeling your skin at the microscopic level and regenerating the collagen under your skin, which results in more youthful, tighter skin, while improving pigments and other age-related skin conditions.
#3. Loss of Volume. Tear trough, the cheeks near the naso-labial smile lines, temple, over the brow, and eye sockets are often subject to early hollowing due to loss of fat volume and skin thinning. As mentioned previously, for a small localized area, a filler or two injected may do the trick, but for a youthful appearance, I recommend an Autologous Fat Injection. This is a procedure where some fat is harvested usually from your belly with a needle, and the fat cells are refined by centrifuge then re-injected into your face by micro-canula. This fat transfer technique is the best semi-permanent solution that naturally enhances the loss of volume on your face.
All three of the above-mentioned technique can be performed at one time. In my office, they are performed under local anesthesia, which makes the procedures more safer, simple, and cost-effective.
Everyone has unique needs and require customized treatments, which is why I prefer to have one on one consultations with my patients. I have over 20 years experience in treating aging faces, employing all of the above techniques as well as being an expert in minor procedures such as Botox and fillers. Call us to schedule your private consultation at 770-458-4255. I'm looking forward to meeting you and getting your aging triads resolved.