Nowadays it is possible to restore freshness and smoothness to the skin, and soften facial contour lines without expensive operations.There are many modern facelift procedures that do not require major surgery.How to choose the ideal facelift and how do the procedures differ from each other?
Every woman, sooner or later, faces this type of problem: the skin on the face loses its elasticity, becomes dull, and wrinkles appear.Modern cosmetology knows many ways to get rid of these unpleasant processes and surgical intervention is not necessary at all.
Stages of age-related skin changes.
Biologists have not yet reached a consensus on what is considered aging and what its causes are.However, we can say that aging is the result of the accumulation of defects in cells and intercellular structures, which gradually disable the body's vital systems.
Childhood
Perhaps the only time when the skin practically does not require care is the period of life from about six months of age to the onset of puberty.Children's skin is elastic, smooth, vibrant and fresh, and it is a pleasure to look at.
Adolescence
Unfortunately, all good things sooner or later come to an end and, from the age of 12-14, the appearance of the skin begins to deteriorate.Firstly, it becomes oilier and some people produce so much oil that it literally runs down their skin.Then the structure of the skin changes, it becomes rougher and more porous.
In people with dry and thin skin, these changes are less noticeable than in those with oily skin.However, in any case, the skin does not remain the same as in childhood.
And, of course, the most distressing skin change that poisons the lives of a significant part of adolescents is acne, which appears during puberty and occupies the skin for many years (sometimes for decades), despite all attempts to eliminate it.For many teenagers, fighting acne becomes the main goal of cosmetic procedures, and sometimes the meaning of life.Unfortunately, in the process of this fight, many people cause serious damage to their skin, which can be very difficult to compensate for in the future.
A very small percentage of teenagers understand the need to protect their skin.Most, as a rule, at this time mercilessly irradiate the skin with sunlight (and sometimes with artificially generated ultraviolet radiation in solariums), cover it with layers of cosmetics (which are often left overnight), tattoos, exhaust them with night vigils and all kinds of toxic substances.Despite all this, the skin remains fresh and elastic for some time.
Youth
By the age of 20, the skin condition of many people improves: it becomes less oily, less prone to acne, more even and attractive.
The period from 20 to 30 years is a period of stability for the skin, when most people cannot think about the ins and outs of cosmetic care, choose cosmetics based on packaging, scent or company name and still have good skin.
But all this is true only if the skin is healthy.Unfortunately, teenage stress, attempts to self-medicate against acne by randomly smearing anything on the skin that says "for acne", excessive use of antibiotics or retinoids, and sometimes unthinkable diets, can lead to the appearance of various skin problems, ranging from advanced forms of acne to allergic dermatitis, etc.
The beginning of skin aging.
Already from the age of 25, the skin gradually loses the fresh charm of youth.The renewal of cells in the stratum corneum slows down and the skin becomes duller.The rate of collagen and elastin formation decreases and the skin no longer appears as elastic.Fine wrinkles appear under the eyes, skin defects accumulate, such as age spots, stretch marks, scars from past acne, etc.
The closer they get to 30, the more often women begin to think about skin care, trying to slow down their aging or hide its signs.And although doctors do not stop repeating that it is necessary to protect and care for the skin from the earliest youth, in reality, only after 30 years can the skin expect that attention will finally be paid to its needs.
middle age
Between the ages of 35 and 50, skin aging becomes increasingly noticeable.At this time, its ability to retain moisture decreases, cell renewal slows down, defective collagen and elastin accumulate, the amount of hyaluronic acid decreases, the fat layer on the face becomes thinner and fat is redistributed (there is less and less fat on the cheekbones, and fat pockets often form under the chin and on the bottom of the cheeks.cheeks), age spots, dilated blood vessels and, of course, wrinkles appear.
It must be said that the wrinkles that bother women so much not only look different, but have different causes.They are often divided into static and dynamic wrinkles.
Static wrinkles occur due to changes that occur in the skin itself (damage to skin fibers from various harmful factors, age-related wear and tear and destruction of skin structures, etc.).
Dynamic wrinkles form in places of constant muscle activity because when the muscle contracts it shortens and wrinkles the skin, and when it relaxes it returns to its original position and “pulls” it with itself.
In young women, the skin is elastic, quickly responds to such muscle movements and returns to its original state.With age, these exercises become more difficult for her, and around the eyes, on the bridge of the nose, on the forehead and around the mouth, where the facial muscles work most actively.
Age-related skin changes after age 50.
After the age of 50, the skin is affected by the onset of menopause, when the amount of female sex hormones, estrogen, in the body decreases.At this time, more wrinkles appear, the thickness of the dermis and epidermis decreases rapidly, and the skin noticeably fades.The rapid aging process continues until approximately age 60, after which the skin enters a period of relative stability.At this stage, little depends on cosmetics and any changes are possible only with the help of plastic surgery.Those who have spent their entire lives protecting their skin from harmful influences (especially the sun) will have fewer wrinkles, fewer blemishes, and look fresher and younger.
If your skin has been exposed to intense sun exposure (this is more important in hot countries), you will most likely develop rough, deep wrinkles and be covered with age spots.
In old age (70 years and older), the skin is characterized by a thickened stratum corneum (parchment), a thin dermis (through which subcutaneous adipose tissue is visible, giving the skin a yellowish color), low elasticity and numerous deep wrinkles and folds.
The path that we have now traced is followed by each person's skin, and there are no products in cosmetology that prevent the skin changes that occur at each stage.
The skin of a teenager will never again have the fresh softness of a child's skin, and the skin of a lady of Balzac's age will never resemble the skin of a 20-year-old girl.
Senile changes in the skin occur because this is the program embedded in the cells, because the skin, like the entire body, accumulates damage and diseases throughout life, that is, it wears out.It is practically impossible to influence genetically determined aging, but you can slow down the rate of skin wear and prevent premature aging.To do this, it is necessary to know which changes in the skin are inevitable and which are caused by our negligent attitude or arise due to harmful environmental factors.
What happens to skin as you age?
As we see, almost all the structures of the skin (and the body as a whole) deteriorate over the years and stop performing their biological functions.For convenience, we can identify certain targets of aging, which are also the main targets of anti-aging procedures.
Professional cosmetic, aesthetic and medical cosmetology procedures: we find out what procedures for facial skin rejuvenation are offered by salons in our city.
Facial massage + botulinum toxin injections
Facial massage, whether manual or hardware, is one of those procedures that should be used to prevent age-related changes even at a fairly young age.It also gives a good effect in correcting already emerging age-related changes (pronounced nasolabial folds, "pride wrinkles" and longitudinal wrinkles on the forehead, "crow's feet" in the eye area, loss of facial contour, double chin).Massage allows you to work and tone relaxed muscles or, on the contrary, relax tense ones.Thanks to this we achieve the effect of reducing the severity of wrinkles and improving the oval of the face.The massage is performed in one course (on average 10 procedures, two per week), after which facial wrinkles can be corrected using botulinum toxin injections.In this case, it will be possible to get by with a smaller amount of the drug and obtain a more pronounced result.
Facial skin lifting + filler or autofat injections.
With the help of plastic surgery, a lifting effect can be achieved, but, unfortunately, wrinkles cannot be completely eliminated.After plastic surgery, for example, wrinkles remain around the mouth, as well as “marionette lines” (so-called “pain lines”).To make them less noticeable, filler injections are used in the area of the nasolabial folds, lips and cheekbones.An alternative to filler injections is the lipofilling procedure, in which your own fat cells are used to fill the volume.They are extracted with a syringe from certain areas of the body (abdomen, inner thighs, knees) and injected in small quantities into the desired area.This must be done very carefully, because the main task is to ensure that the fat cells adapt to the right place and take root.The advantage of lipofilling over filler injections is obvious: fillers must be renewed every year, while fat cells remain in the injected area for years.Furthermore, in the case of lipofilling, a possible allergic reaction that may occur to the injected fillers is excluded.
Blepharoplasty + laser procedures
To a greater extent, this combination will be suitable for plastic surgery of the lower eyelid, where the muscles are "welded" to the skin and it is impossible to remove all the excess.This is why laser treatment of this area is indicated three weeks after surgery.The laser has a stimulating effect on the skin, reducing it and activating the synthesis of new collagen and elastin, after which the skin thickens and becomes more elastic.One session may be enough to obtain a pronounced effect.
Often this technique is used in cases where it is necessary to get rid of hernial sacs (this problem, by the way, can also bother quite young people).The operation to remove such hernias is performed transconjunctivally (through a small incision on the mucosal side of the lower eyelid), and after removing the fat pads, excess skin remains that must be tightened;For these purposes a laser is needed.
What is lifting and which procedure is better to choose?
Perhaps almost every woman sooner or later starts thinking about lifting weights.Over time, the skin loses its former elasticity and the first wrinkles appear.This is an inevitable process: after 30 years, the amount of collagen and elastin begins to gradually decrease, and without this structure, the skin becomes sagging and inelastic.
All procedures are divided into surgical and non-surgical.Operating rooms require the intervention of a surgeon.Non-surgical methods include various types of hardware lifting, as well as injections of cosmetic preparations that improve skin tone and saturate it with moisture.
circular elevator
A circumferential facelift usuallyrefers to an operation that corrects the front and sides of the neck, the midfacial and frontotemporal areas, the outer part of the eyebrows, the cheeks, and the areas around the corners of the mouth.The operation is performed under general anesthesia and can last several hours.After the operation you will have to spend several days in the hospital, after a week the stitches are removed and the swelling disappears completely in about 2 months.You can speed up rehabilitation with the help of massage and physiotherapy.You can fully evaluate the result after a facelift after 6 to 8 months.A circular lift is the most serious and traumatic lifting operation.However, the effect is very long-lasting: surgeons recommend resorting to this type of operation no more than once every 7 to 10 years.A circumferential lift should not be performed before age 40 to 50.Depending on the depth of the impact, there are two types of circular lifting: the SMAS lifting, which affects not only the skin, but also the adipose and muscle tissue, and a more superficial subcutaneous lifting.The former can cope with even the most significant age-related changes, while the latter is suitable for less noticeable problems.
this is important
The procedure has a number of contraindications, including blood diseases, oncology, serious disorders of internal organs, heart diseases, hypertension, diseases of the nervous system, epilepsy, pregnancy, lactation and many others.Therefore, it is very important to consult a doctor before surgery.
endoscopic lifting
This procedure is also sometimes called sutureless lifting.All manipulations are carried out through small incisions, after which there are practically no scars.Endoscopic lifting is indicated for minor age-related changes: the appearance of facial wrinkles on the forehead and in the area of the nasolabial folds and drooping eyebrows.But if there is significant skin deterioration, it is better to opt for a traditional circular lift.In terms of effectiveness and recovery time, the endoscopic facelift is very similar to a conventional circular facelift.Contraindications are similar: heart and vascular diseases, oncology, diabetes, hypertension, blood coagulation disorders, diseases of internal organs, thyroid gland, wounds and burns on the surface of the face, pregnancy, lactation, etc.Also, after the operation, pulling sensations in the suture area are possible.
By the way
Facelift surgery reduces the blood supply to the skin, which affects its elasticity.Therefore, after surgery, additional procedures are always required for quick rehabilitation.
Thread lifting
It is a relatively simple, minimally invasive and very effective procedure.That's why it gained so much popularity.The essence of the method is to implant fine threads under the skin that reinforce the skin.These threads are made of gold, caprolactone, polypropylene, polylactic acid, are biologically compatible with the human body and do not cause allergies or other undesirable effects.The thread is inserted using an elastic needle.Over time, connective tissue forms around the thread, which supports the skin and prevents it from sagging.
Today, absorbable and non-absorbable sutures are used.The latter disintegrate after 8-9 months and are eliminated from the body naturally.The threads are used not only for face lifting, but also for body contouring.
The operation is performed under local anesthesia and lasts approximately one hour.After 2 to 4 days, the swelling disappears and after 2 weeks you can return to your normal lifestyle.
This type of facelift has many fewer contraindications than the previous two types.These include pregnancy and lactation, acute infections, skin diseases, allergies, oncology and autoimmune diseases.
Hardware lifting
Hardware hardening is performed using equipment that uses various types of energy (laser, radio waves, ultrasound) to influence the skin.Hardware lifting is available not only in plastic surgery clinics, but also in medical cosmetology clinics.These methods do not require general anesthesia or a long rehabilitation period and are incomparably cheaper than surgical methods of restoring youth.However, we must not forget about contraindications, which include epilepsy, oncology, heart diseases, pregnancy and other serious diseases.
laser lifting
When the laser is applied to the skin, thermal energy is generated, which promotes the natural rejuvenation process.After laser lifting, the skin becomes denser and more elastic, the production of collagen and other elements that contribute to the natural rejuvenation process increases.Wrinkles are smoothed, blood circulation is accelerated, and the face acquires not only smoothness, but also a healthy color.
Laser lifting is performed quickly and without anesthesia, although very sensitive people may experience slight discomfort during the procedure.No major and long rehabilitation is required: the slight redness disappears on its own very quickly and the effect of laser lifting is immediately visible.
ultrasonic lifting
Ultrasonic lifting is the only hardware technology that allows action at deep levels of the skin.This type of lift is often called a non-surgical SMAS lift.The procedure is moderately painful and lasts between 30 and 60 minutes.After the procedure, slight redness or swelling may persist for another 2 to 3 hours.
When performing this type of lifting, an ultrasonic wave acts specifically on the deep layers of the skin and the muscle aponeurotic layer, activating the process of formation of new elastin and collagen fibers.The synthesis of new collagen fibers continues for 3-4 months, so the skin will be fresher and younger every day.The effect can last up to 3 years.
The safety of the procedure is ensured by ultrasound visualization of the skin and muscles;In real time, the doctor sees the changes in the tissues produced by the ultrasound wave.
Radio wave lifting (RF lifting)
Radiofrequency lifting affects the superficial layers of the skin and subcutaneous fat using high-frequency electrical current.Some devices combine RF with exposure to a magnetic field.The pulses heat the skin cells, activating them and stimulating collagenogenesis.As in the case of ultrasonic lifting, RF lifting has a prolonged effect, which increases over several months and lasts between 1.5 and 2 years.The session only lasts 20 to 30 minutes and does not require pain relief.The procedure is carried out without age restrictions.
The method is contraindicated for people with a heart sensor and metal structures in the body (pins, plates, etc.).
photolifting
The procedure promotes skin rejuvenation through the use of light and heat pulses that affect its deep layers.It is done using IPL therapy devices.Light energy is absorbed by various chromophores of the skin (hemoglobin, melanin pigment) and converted into heat, thereby stimulating the renewal process of skin cells, age spots lighten and the vascular network disappears.This type of lifting is often used not only to smooth wrinkles, but also to eliminate spider veins and even out the complexion.The duration of a session is about 30 minutes.The course consists of 1 to 3 procedures.
Plasmolifting
Our blood contains platelets, cells responsible for its coagulation.But in addition, platelets secrete special substances that accelerate cell division.The introduction of platelet-rich plasma stimulates the synthesis of new cells and initiates regeneration processes.For this procedure, blood is drawn from patients in a volume of 8 to 40 ml.Using a special centrifugation mode, platelet-rich plasma is isolated from the blood.The concentration of platelets in plasma for cosmetic injections is 4 to 5 times higher than in human blood.Thanks to such a high content, a notable and very fast effect is achieved.The course consists of 3-5 weekly procedures.The first results can be seen already on the day of the procedure.
Like other types of lifting, plasmolifting has a number of contraindications: pregnancy and lactation, skin diseases, tumors, infectious and autoimmune diseases, etc.
Lifting using hyaluronic acid injections (fillers)
Contour plastic surgery can also achieve a significant lifting effect.For example, with volumetric correction, by creating volume, for example, in the cheekbones, a general lifting of the lower half of the face occurs.Bioreinforcement of the cheeks and neck, when the filler is injected intradermally and subcutaneously in the form of a mesh, the skin becomes more elastic and toned.Vector Lift: The filler is injected subcutaneously in the direction of the sagging skin, strengthening and tightening it.
Contraindications for the procedure are blood diseases, infectious diseases, pregnancy and lactation, damage or inflammation in the treatment area, drug intolerance.