With today’s work environment increasingly focused on youth, health, and vitality, and with cosmetic surgery procedures becoming more widely accepted, more and more men and women are turning to various forms of facial rejuvenation to get rid of irritating wrinkles. Whether they come in the form of frown lines, laugh lines, or crow’s feet, wrinkles make us look older and more tired than we feel and most patients would like for them to just all go away forever. However, not all wrinkles are the same. They can actually be caused by a variety of different physical conditions and environmental factors, so different customized treatment options are necessary in order to properly address each individual case.
Wrinkles Caused by Facial Movement
Perhaps the most common, and least avoidable, cause of facial wrinkles is the constant movement and animation of the face itself. When the skin is young, it is highly elastic, springing back into place no matter how much it is stretched. However, as we age, the production of vital collagen and elastin slows and the skin’s support structure weakens. As this occurs, the drier, less flexible skin loses the ability to stretch and spring back, so deep lines and permanent creases start to form. This phenomenon is often best addressed with the use of Botox® injectable treatments, which temporarily relax the underlying muscles responsible for facial movement, smoothing out facial expression lines, or “dynamic wrinkles,” and giving the face a more clear and youthful appearance.
Wrinkles Caused by Weight Fluctuations
Many today struggle to maintain a healthy weight or to recover their bodies after pregnancy, and the gaining and losing of excess pounds can stretch out the skin, leaving it to hang loose in sagging folds. This is even true in the face, where the loss of tissue volume often results in sunken cheeks, hanging jowls, and deep creases along the sides of the nose and mouth. Facial fillers, like Juvéderm®, work by restoring facial volume with hyaluronic acid, a substance that occurs naturally in young, healthy skin. They fill in the depressions that develop as aging skin looses elasticity and facial fat begins to lessen and give the face a more full and youthful look.
Wrinkles Caused by Sun Exposure
Ultraviolet light from the sun is perhaps the single greatest external cause of premature aging and permanent skin damage. Repeated exposure accelerates the deterioration of the collagen fibers that keep the skin flexible and elastic, and also increases abnormal cell division, which contributes to skin discoloration. Surface skin treatments, like chemical peels or Sciton® laser skin resurfacing, can be used to remove dead and damaged skin cells, revealing fresher and younger-looking skin underneath. By stimulating the skin’s natural healing factors and the production of collagen, they can also help reduce the appearance of scars, minor facial wrinkles, and other skin pigment irregularities.
Every face is different, and only by carefully examining your individual needs and aesthetic goals can we determine the course of treatment that is right for you. If you are interested in learning more about any of the cosmetic plastic surgery procedures that I perform, please feel free to connect with me, Dr. James Namnoum, on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ for all the latest plastic surgery news and updates. If you are interested in discussing what plastic surgery procedures might be able to specifically do for you, please schedule a consultation today.
