By Dr. Jerry Horton
If you work out and watch your diet, you’re likely trying to maintain good health to get the most out of life. But if you’re not happy with what you see in the mirror – tired eyes, sun-damaged skin, flattened cheeks plus lines and folds you didn’t have when you were 30 – there are now non-surgical treatment options. Facial features can be rebalanced to enhance symmetry. Skin color, texture, tone and tightness as well as lost facial shape and contours can be restored. Utilizing energy-based modalities such as TriPollar and Fractora combined with good skin care, neuromodulators and facial volume fillers, you can reverse the signs of aging and look more rested and refreshed.
Take Care of the Skin You’re In
Start with a good daily skin care program to cleanse, treat, hydrate and protect your skin. Sunscreens with an SPF 30 to 50 should be applied every day regardless of anticipated sun exposure. Cosmeceutical products like Refissa® and ReGenica® containing retinoids, hyaluronic acid, skin cell proteins and human growth factors hydrate and treat the skin to improve color, texture, tone and skin tightness.
Prevent Wrinkles with Neuromodulators (BOTOX® Cosmetic, Dysport®, XEOMIN®)
Neuromodulators work best on dynamic wrinkles – lines that appear with facial expression (when you frown or smile) – so there is a definite rationale for starting neuromodulators in your 30s-40s based on facial muscles and skin type. For static wrinkles, neuromodulators can soften the lines and complement other treatments to rejuvenate the skin. Neuromodulators have an excellent safety profile and there is minimal injection discomfort. Expert dosing and placement can prevent a frozen, over treated appearance. Regular dosing every 4-6 months over the first year of treatment often allows for a reduction of the dose over time.
Replace Lost Facial Volume
By forty, an average person loses the soft tissue facial volume equivalent of 1-2 teaspoons, by 50 years 2-3 teaspoons and by 60 years 3-4 teaspoons of facial volume have been lost due to decreases in skin, muscle, bone and fat. These losses change the shape of the eyes, temples, brow, cheeks and chin, altering light reflection and creating shadows that our eye perceives as older and less attractive. Longer lasting facial volume fillers such as Artefill®, Sculptra® and Juvederm® Voluma differ in applications and durability but can all be used to replace lost facial volume. Replacing lost volume decreases shadowing and improves light reflection, resulting in an enhanced appearance of the face.
Combination Therapy in Non-Surgical Facial Rejuvenation
Scientific advances in light and energy-based therapies such as IPL (intense pulse light), fractional laser and RF (radiofrequency) devices empower cosmetic medicine physicians with tools to provide global facial rejuvenation without surgery. Skin over the face, neck, decollete as well as above and below the eyes can be brightened, tightened and rejuvenated with simple office procedures and minimal recovery time. At MD Age Management, each client’s concerns are addressed and together with physician recommendations, a comprehensive, personalized care plan is developed and executed so that you can “Look Your Best at Every Age.”
Dr. Jerry Horton is a board certified cosmetic medicine physician specializing in non-surgical facial rejuvenation. Additionally, he is a featured writer for the Orlando Sentinel. To learn more, call 407-930-9639 or visit mdage.com.
