Wrinkle Care

Face Lifts

Face lifts are also known as rhytidectiomies. These procedures are surgical cosmetic procedures, and do exactly what their name promises- they lift the skin upwards, thereby lightening the appearance of wrinkles. Face lifts are not for everyone, however. The kind of enhancement you will see will depend on your age, skin type, bone structure and your lifestyle (whether you smoke, sunbathe etc).

How is a Face Lift Performed?

A face lift can take approximately 2 hours and can be performed under local anesthesia in a doctor’s office. However, more complex face lift procedures are performed under general anesthesia in a hospital setting. These procedures can take between three and 6 hours.

Types of Face Lifts

The most common face lift procedure is the SMAS or superficial musculoaponeurotic system. Here, the surgeon makes a cut at the hairline, and pulls back the skin. Excess fat and tissues are removed, and the muscles are tightened. The skin is pulled back over again, and the incision is sutured.

The endoscopic subperiosteal or subgaleal face lift involves raising the structure of the face by making only a few incisions of half inch each. This technique is less invasive and involves less scarring.

Laser resurfacing

In this procedure, the physician will use carbon dioxide and erbium lasers, and will pass these over the skin until the lasers reach the middle of the dermis. The laser action stimulates the natural production of collagen. The patient may remain awake, and may receive sedative medications intravenously to help calm any anxieties. These treatments don’t require general anesthesia. The physician may also apply topical anesthesia or administer a local anesthetic injection. Laser resurfacing may have to be repeated at intervals of 6 to 12 months, to keep the collagen synthetic process going. Besides, laser resurfacing may involve some pain, and may take a longer time to heal. There can be risks like scarring and permanent changes of pigment.

Botulinum

The botulinum toxin is generally found in uncooked foods, and is actually quite deadly. The toxin has a paratactic effect, and if injected in high doses, can actually cause paralysis in the breathing and respiratory system, resulting in the person’s death. That same attribute of the toxin is used, in small dozes, to paralyze or freeze the muscles responsible for wrinkling, preventing these muscles from moving at all. Botulinum, under its well known form, Botox is injected into a purified form into the wrinkles. It is most widely used to freeze wrinkles on the forehead, lower eyelid, crow’s feet, frown lines, expression lines in the area around the mouth and the nose, and on the skin above the upper lip. Sometimes, a face lift can result in involuntary muscle movements, and Botox can be used to treat these too.

Botox is not entirely without its side effects. Persons may have a frozen expressionless face because of the lack of movement in the facial muscles while laughing, smiling, frowning, talking animatedly etc. This can give a creepy expression to the face. Botox may lead to the corners of the mouth turning down, and there may be temporarily muscular weakness close to the injection site.

Non ablative laser Resurfacing

Newer laser resurfacing procedures work by stimulating the natural production of collagen without causing any damage to the dermis. So far, there haven’t been enough studies to prove the effectiveness of these newer procedures, but some studies indicate that treatment of fine lines may be close to the results seen through conventional laser resurfacing. The advantage of non ablative laser resurface is the absence of any redness or recovery period.

Implantation

Implantation of material is used to treat deep furrows, under eye depressions and acne scars. However, the effectiveness of these treatments has not been proved. Besides, there is a risk that the body will reject foreign implanted bodies. Not everyone may suffer from a reaction, and when such allergic reactions occur, the results can be painful and disfiguring.