Turn Back Time — Two Procedures to Help NOT Look Your Age
We all want the wisdom, success and personal achievement that often accompany age, but can happily do without all the aches and pains, wrinkles and sagging. I’m not going to say that plastic surgery can stop or completely reverse the aging clock, but we can sure help put it on “snooze” for a while and offer expert insight about which procedures—from quick fixes to more invasive surgeries—net the best results to help not look your age.
Quick Fix Procedure Number One : Fillers or a “smaller” less invasive surgery
One of the most common “quick fixes” to reverse aging of the face are injectable fillers. Undoubtedly, fillers have become quite popular in the news and have been aggressively marketed to the public.
The safest and most common fillers, with minimal down time are “hyaluronic acids.” These include the brand names Juvederm and Restylane. They are used with great success for lines and folds around the mouth including the folds from the corner of the nose to the corner of the mouth (the “nasolabial fold”), the creases at the corner of the mouth; and to improve the shape and fullness of the lips. They are also used to diminish the indentation or “hollow” around the eye and brow.
Filler treatments are performed in an office setting and except for occasional bruising (which might delay recovery), there is little down time. Most “hyaluronic fillers” last between 7-12 months and in some areas even longer. Fillers provide significant benefit to our facial rejuvenation options.
Quick Fix Procedure Number Two : Eyelid Surgery
One of the most common surgical procedures with a relatively short recovery and minimal down time is upper eyelid blepharoplasty or upper eyelid lift. Genetics and aging lead to excess skin the upper eyelid, hiding the normal youthful contour of the upper eyelid crease.
This “quick fix” procedure can be done under local anesthesia with IV sedation in the office setting with a typical 24hr recovery back to office work. Bruising and some swelling is evident for at least 4-7 days. There’s minimal discomfort and the results are evident immediately although improvement continues for several weeks.
Both men and women are often happily surprised at the significant benefit of an upper eyelid lift and the quick recovery.
Since there are so many factors, skin elasticity, genetics, lifestyle and so on, I always recommend a consultation so that your doctor can access where you are today and where you’d like to go.
