Procedures

Treatment for:

Skin Aging and Wrinkles

What Are Wrinkles?

Wrinkles are grooves or thin creases that are especially noticeable on the face, neck, and hands.

Wrinkles can be divided into two categories; fine, surface lines and deep furrows. Wrinkle treatments are in general much more effective for fine lines. Deeper creases may require more aggressive techniques, such as plastic surgery. Wrinkles are found primarily on the parts of the body where sun exposure is greatest. These areas especially include the face, neck, the backs of the hands, and the tops of the forearms.

What Causes Skin Aging and Wrinkles?

Wind, heat and chemicals and the natural effects of aging cause a certain amount of wrinkling in everyone, but it is much worse in people who spend a lot of time in the sun. Years of exposure to the sun cause "photoaging," which includes freckles, yellowing, dryness, roughness, sagginess, sunspots, visible blood vessels, and dark spots, as well as wrinkling. Much of wrinkling is also predetermined genetically from one's parents. Skin begins the aging process almost from the moment you're born, so if you want to control skin aging and wrinkles, start early! As a person ages, skin undergoes significant changes:

• The cells divide more slowly, and the inner layer of skin (the dermis) starts to thin.

• Fat cells beneath the dermis begin to atrophy (diminish).

• The underlying network of elastin and collagen fibers, which provides support for the surface layers, loosens and unravels.

• Skin loses its elasticity. When pressed, it no longer springs back to its initial position but instead sags and forms furrows.

• The sweat- and oil-secreting glands atrophy, depriving the skin of their protective water-lipid emulsions. The skin's ability to retain moisture then diminishes and it becomes dry and scaly.

• Frown lines (those between the eyebrows), smile lines (lines at the corners of mouths), and crow's feet (lines that radiate from the corners of the eyes) appear to develop because of permanent small muscle contractions. Habitual facial expressions also form characteristic lines.

• Gravity exacerbates the situation, contributing to the formation of jowls and drooping eyelids.

• In addition, the ability of the skin to repair itself diminishes with age, so wounds are slower to heal.

Several other environmental factors contribute to the onset of skin aging and wrinkles. Cigarette smoking, air pollution, laughing and frowning, and unprotected exposure to the sun all play a role. Skin aging and wrinkling can be slowed by always protecting the skin from the sun's damaging ultraviolet rays. These rays can penetrate unprotected layers of skin. They produce radiation which can seriously and permanently damage the cells that form skin tissue. UVA rays are believed capable of releasing oxidants, unstable particles that cause extensive cell damage.

Cigarette smoking promotes the release of oxidants as well. Oxidants slow the production of new collagen and elastin. Known also as free radicals, the best way to protect against their negative effects is to consume a diet rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Smoking also restricts the blood flow in the epidermis so skin doesn't get the quantity of nutrients it needs to stay healthy.

The repetitive nature of cigarette smoking, specifically the repetitive contraction of the muscles surrounding the mouth, accelerates skin aging and wrinkling as do the muscle contractions that occur when laughing and frowning. Air pollution contributes to wrinkles by depriving the skin of Vitamin E, another important antioxidant.

Skin Care for Anti-Aging and Wrinkles

Keeping skin clean and moist is the best skin care regime for anti-aging and wrinkles. Wash with warm water and gentle cleaner and pat skin dry and immediately apply water-based moisturizer. Hot water and harsh soaps deplete skin of essential oils and increase dryness. Avoid alkaline soap and products with dyes or perfumes which may further irritate skin. Gently remove eye makeup as the skin surrounding the eyes is very delicate and prone to wrinkling. And there you have it – simple, inexpensive skin care for anti-aging and wrinkles. Always apply sunscreen even if you are going outside for only a short period. Use a sunscreen product that protects you from UVA and UVB rays. Apply a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or greater at least 30 minutes before sun exposure and reapply every two hours while in the sun, even if the product is waterproof. Sunscreens with titanium oxide or zinc oxide are best since they provide broad ultraviolet (UV) coverage and do not irritate sensitive skin. Use the sunscreen every day, beneath your make-up if you wear cosmetics.

Aging is an unstoppable process and unfortunately, so are wrinkles. So protect your skin by living a healthy lifestyle. Eat right (plenty of whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables), exercise daily to keep circulation moving, don't smoke and avoid excess alcohol consumption.

Women's Skin Care

All skin care is not created equally! Women's skin care differs from that of children and men, and among women, skin care even differs at various stages of life. A woman's appearance on the outside is generally a good indication of what's going on inside her body. Poor nutrition, unhealthy lifestyle choices and stress all contribute to the overall poor health of the skin. Bad habits such as smoking and consuming high-fat, high-salt diets deprive the body of the important nutrients skin needs. Although they don't shave their faces, women do shave other body parts, including parts that are very sensitive. Extra care should be taken to avoid further skin irritation, cuts or ingrown hairs. Women have a tendency to retain water, causing skin to look and feel more bloated. To keep water retention under control, it's important for women to limit the amount of salt in their diets. Besides emotional ups and downs, wildly fluctuating hormones during pregnancy and menopause can cause changes in a woman's skin.

·          Skin care during pregnancy

Take a look at the products you use to ensure they're safe during pregnancy. Should you have any concerns, purchase products which are labeled safe to use during pregnancy. Pregnancy can cause normal skin to become oily so you may have to change to skin care products that combat acne. Use toners and exfoliate to remove dead cells and deep clean pores. Continue to moisturize skin, especially your growing belly, to reduce chances of developing stretch marks. Your feet are getting an extra workout so be sure to massage with a foot lotion containing refreshing menthol. Pigmentation sometimes changes during pregnancy, increasing the likelihood of sunburn/tan. Never forget to wear sunscreen to protect against damaging skin.

·          Skin care during menopause

Fluctuations in a woman's progesterone and estrogen levels will cause skin to change. Facial hair may sprout and skin will start to sag, wrinkle and thin. It's also drier due to slowed production of sebum. Interestingly, changing hormone levels may cause a new round of acne! Random dark spots and broken blood vessels will likely appear. To counter the effects of dry skin, add humidity into the air, take shorter and warmer baths or showers and moisturize. Risks of skin cancer now increase so closely monitor moles and other skin discolorations. Most importantly, be vigilant about proper sun protection.

Men's Skin Care

Men's skin differs from women's in that it contains a higher percentage of collagen and elastin, so it's thicker. Men's sebaceous glands also work harder than a woman's meaning that men's skin generally is oilier. Besides all the regular enemies of skin like the sun, poor diet and cold weather, men's skin needs protection from the razor blade. Daily removal of facial hair requires the application of vitamin-rich shaving gel to protect skin from rashes and burns that sometimes result from shaving. If you want to avoid having your appearance referred to as 'weather beaten' you had better start protecting your skin from the sun.

 General guidelines for men's skin care:

Begin the day by deep-cleaning your face to remove dirt and sweat. Cleanse again before going to bed.  Exfoliate to remove dead skin cells and other pore-blocking grime. Exfoliating also will open your pores and that's going to ensure a closer shave. Before shaving, splash your face with warm water. That will make it easier to work up a good lather and it will soften skin. Take a few extra moments to really massage in the shaving cream. The massaging action will help stimulate blood flow in the dermis. Never use a dull blade to shave. And to ensure a close shave, always shave in the same direction as hair growth. Shaving in the opposite direction or shaving in both directions can leave you with skin that's red and irritated. Finally, take your time when shaving. Even though you've done it most of your life, you still need to be careful. Moisturizing is important to help skin seal in moisture. Plus, many shaving products dry skin. Choose moisturizing products that also condition skin such as those that contain vitamins or aloe vera. It's important to use after shave products that don't contain alcohol. It's too harsh and it'll dry skin which is opposite of what you want.

Remember that your face isn't the only part of your body that's covered with skin. Keep all skin clean and moist, especially on your feet, elbows, arms and your hands. And finally, live the good life. Eat right, exercise moderately, don't smoke, and limit your intake of alcoholic beverages, all of which help keep skin healthy. That's the part of men's skin care you don't often hear much about.

What Can Be Done About Wrinkles Medically?

Botox Cosmetic and injectable skin fillers (i.e. Restylane) have added new dimensions to the field of cosmetic dermatology, allowing new forms of facial rejuvenation and wrinkle treatment without surgery. Injectable skin and wrinkle fillers are used to increase tissue volume (as with lip augmentation), reduce wrinkles, and improve skin’s overall contour. Chemical Peels and Microdermabrasion also reduce fine lines and wrinkles and help people to achieve smoother, more beautiful skin. Laser resurfacing offers a more effective treatment for fine to moderate wrinkles. However it requires more down time on the patients.

Copyright 2007 New Image MD

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