Today it is possible to restore freshness and smoothness to the skin and to smooth lines in the facial contour without expensive operations.There are many modern lifting procedures that do not require major surgery.How do you choose the ideal lifting and how do the procedures differ from each other?
Every woman sooner or later has to deal with such problems: the skin of the face loses its elasticity, becomes dull and wrinkles form.Modern cosmetology knows many ways to get rid of these unpleasant processes, and surgical intervention is not at all necessary.
Stages of age-related skin changes
Biologists do not yet agree on what constitutes aging and what causes it.However, we can say that aging is the result of the accumulation of defects in cells and intercellular structures that gradually paralyze the body's vital systems.
childhood
Perhaps the only time when the skin requires practically no care is the period of life from around six months of age to the beginning of puberty.Children's skin is elastic, smooth, vibrant and fresh and is a joy to look at.
youth
Unfortunately, all good things come to an end sooner or later and from the age of 12 to 14 the appearance of the skin begins to deteriorate.Firstly, it becomes greasier and some people produce so much oil that it literally runs over 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 people with oily skin.However, the skin never remains the same as it was in childhood.
And of course, the worst skin lesion that poisons the lives of a significant part of teenagers is acne, which appears during puberty and, despite all attempts to get rid of it, affects the skin for many years (sometimes for decades).For many teenagers, fighting acne is the main goal of cosmetic procedures and sometimes the meaning of life.Unfortunately, in the course of this battle, many people cause serious damage to their skin, which is very difficult to compensate for in the future.
A very small percentage of teenagers are aware of the need to protect their skin.Most, as a rule, at this time irradiate the skin mercilessly with sunlight (and sometimes with artificially created ultraviolet radiation in solariums), cover it with layers of cosmetics (which are often left overnight), tattoos, exhaust it with night guards and all sorts of toxic substances.Despite all this, the skin remains fresh and elastic for some time.
youth
By the age of 20, many people's skin condition improves - it becomes less oily, less prone to acne, more even and more attractive.
The period from 20 to 30 years is a period of stability for the skin, when most people do not think about the intricacies of cosmetic care, can choose cosmetics based on packaging, fragrance or company name and still have good skin.
But all of this only applies if the skin is healthy.Unfortunately, teenage stress, attempts to self-treat acne by indiscriminately smearing anything labeled “against acne” on the skin, excessive use of antibiotics or retinoids, and sometimes unthinkable diets can provoke the appearance of various skin problems, ranging from advanced forms of acne to allergic dermatitis, etc.In these cases, the skin requires carefully considered care, which is best left to a competent specialist.
The beginning of skin aging
From the age of 25 onwards, the skin gradually loses the fresh charm of youth.Cell renewal in the stratum corneum slows down and the skin becomes duller.The speed of collagen and elastin formation decreases and the skin no longer looks as elastic.Fine wrinkles appear under the eyes, skin defects such as age spots, stretch marks, scars from previous acne, etc. accumulate.
As the 30-year mark approaches, women increasingly begin to think about skin care and try to slow down the aging of their skin or hide its signs.And although doctors repeatedly emphasize that it is necessary to protect and care for the skin from an early age, in reality it is only after 30 years that the skin can finally count on its needs being taken into account.
Middle age
Between the ages of 35 and 50, skin aging becomes increasingly noticeable.At this time, the 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 the fat is redistributed (there is less and less fat on the cheekbones and fat pads often form under the chin and in the lower part of the cheeks), age spots appear, expandedBlood vessels and of course wrinkles.
It must be said that the wrinkles that annoy women so much not only look different, but also have different causes.They are often divided into static and dynamic folds.
Static wrinkles arise as a result of changes in the skin itself (damage to skin fibers caused by various harmful factors, age-related wear and tear and destruction of skin structures, etc.).
Dynamic wrinkles form in areas of constant muscle activity as the muscle shortens and the skin folds when it contracts.When relaxing, it returns to its original position and “pulls” it back with it.
In young women, the skin is elastic, it quickly responds to such muscle movements and returns to its original state.As she gets older, such exercises become more and more difficult, especially 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 50 years
After 50 years, the skin is affected by the onset of menopause, when the amount of the female sex hormone 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 process of rapid aging continues until around age 60, after which the skin enters a phase of relative stability.At this stage, little depends on cosmetics and changes are possible only with the help of plastic surgery.Anyone who protects their skin from harmful influences (especially the sun) throughout their life will have fewer wrinkles and blemishes and will look fresher and younger.
If the skin has been exposed to intense sunlight (this is especially important in hot countries), it is most likely to show rough, deep wrinkles and be covered with age spots.
In old age (70 years and older), the skin is characterized by a thickened (parchment-like) layer of calluses, a thin dermis (through which the subcutaneous fatty tissue is visible and gives the skin a yellowish color), low elasticity and numerous deep wrinkles and folds.
Every person's skin follows the path that we have now outlined, and there are no products in cosmetics that would prevent skin changes at every stage.
A teenager's skin will never regain the fresh smoothness of a child's skin, and the skin of a lady of Balzac's age will never look like the skin of a 20-year-old girl.
Senile changes in the skin arise because this is a program anchored in the cells, because the skin, like the entire body, accumulates damage and diseases over the course of life and wears out.It is virtually impossible to influence genetic aging, but you can slow the rate of skin wear and prevent premature aging.To do this, you need to know which skin changes are inevitable, which are caused by our careless attitude or which arise from harmful environmental influences.
What happens to skin as it ages?
As we see, over the years, almost all structures of the skin (and the entire body) deteriorate and no longer fulfill their biological functions.For convenience, we can identify specific aging targets, which are also the main targets for anti-aging procedures.
Professional cosmetic, aesthetic and medical-cosmetological procedures - we found out what procedures for facial skin rejuvenation are offered in the salons of our city.
Facial massage + botulinum toxin injections
Facial massage - manual or with hardware - is one of the procedures that can be used at a relatively young age to prevent age-related changes.It also shows a good effect in correcting age-related changes that have already occurred (pronounced nasolabial folds, “pride wrinkles” and longitudinal wrinkles in the forehead, “crow's feet” in the eye area, loss of facial contours, double chin).Massage allows you to train and strengthen relaxed muscles or, conversely, relax tense muscles.This reduces the severity of wrinkles and improves the oval of the face.The massage is carried out in one course (on average 10 procedures, two per week), after which you can correct facial wrinkles using botulinum toxin injections.In this case, it is possible to get by with a smaller amount of the drug and achieve a more pronounced result.
Facial skin lifting + filler or autofat injections
With the help of plastic surgery you can achieve a lifting effect, but unfortunately wrinkles cannot be completely eliminated.After plastic surgery, for example, wrinkles around the mouth and “marionette lines” (the so-called “sad lines”) remain.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, which uses your own fat cells to replenish volume.They are taken with a syringe from certain areas of the body (stomach, 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 have to be replaced every year, while fat cells remain in the injection area for years.With lipofilling, a possible allergic reaction to the injected fillers is also ruled out.
Blepharoplasty + laser procedures
To a greater extent, this combination is suitable for plastic surgery on the lower eyelid, where the muscles are “soldered” to the skin and it is impossible to remove all the excess.Therefore, 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 becomes thicker and more elastic.One session may be enough for a significant effect.
Often this technique is used in cases where it is necessary to remove hernial sacs (by the way, this problem can worry even quite young people).The operation to remove such hernias is carried out transconjunctivally (through a small incision on the side of the lower eyelid mucosa) and after the fat bags are removed, excess skin remains that needs to be tightened - this requires a laser.
What is lifting and which procedure is better to choose?
Perhaps almost every woman sooner or later begins to think about lifting weights.Over time, the skin loses its former elasticity and wrinkles begin to form.This is an inevitable process - after 30 years, the amount of collagen and elastin begins to gradually decrease, and without this framework, the skin becomes flabby and inelastic.
All procedures are divided into surgical and non-surgical procedures.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.
Circle lift
This is typically a circumferential faceliftis an operation that corrects the front and sides of the neck, the midface and frontotemporal areas, the outer 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 will be removed, and the swelling will completely disappear after about 2 months.With the help of massage and physiotherapy you can speed up rehabilitation.You can fully assess the results after a facelift after 6-8 months.A circular lift is the heaviest and most traumatic lifting procedure.However, the effect lasts for a very long time - surgeons recommend performing such operations no more often than once every 7-10 years.A circumferential lift should not be performed before the age of 40-50.year of life.Based on the depth of impact, there are two types of circular lifting: the SMAS lifting, which affects not only the skin but also the fat and muscle tissue, and a more superficial subcutaneous lifting.The former can handle even the biggest 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 diseases of internal organs, heart disease, hypertension, diseases of the nervous system, epilepsy, pregnancy, lactation and a number of others.Therefore, it is very important to consult a doctor before undergoing surgery.
Endoscopic lifting
This procedure is sometimes referred to as a seamless lift.All manipulations are carried out through small incisions, after which practically no scars remain.In the case of minor age-related changes - the appearance of facial wrinkles on the forehead and in the area of the nasolabial folds as well as drooping eyebrows - an endoscopic lifting is indicated.However, if there is significant deterioration in the skin, it is better to opt for a traditional circular lift.In terms of effectiveness and recovery time, the endoscopic lift is very similar to a traditional circuit lift.The contraindications are similar: heart and vascular diseases, oncology, diabetes, hypertension, blood clotting disorders, diseases of the internal organs, thyroid gland, wounds and burns on the surface of the face, pregnancy, breastfeeding, etc. In addition, feelings of pulling in the suture area are possible after the operation.
By the way
Facelift surgery reduces the blood supply to the skin, which affects its elasticity.Therefore, additional procedures are always required for rapid rehabilitation after surgery.
Thread lifting
This 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 thin threads under the skin that strengthen the skin.These threads are made of gold, caprolactone, polypropylene and 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, supporting the skin and preventing it from sagging.
Nowadays, both non-absorbable and absorbable sutures are used.The latter break down after 8-9 months and are naturally excreted from the body.Threads are used not only for facelifts but also for body contouring.
The operation is performed under local anesthesia and takes about an hour.After 2-4 days the swelling will disappear and after 2 weeks you can return to your normal lifestyle.
This type of lifting has significantly fewer contraindications than the previous two types.These include pregnancy and breastfeeding, acute infections, skin diseases, allergies, oncology and autoimmune diseases.
Lifting hardware
Hardware tightening is performed using devices that use different types of energy (laser, radio waves, ultrasound) to act on the skin.Hardware lifting is possible not only in plastic surgery clinics, but also in medical cosmetology clinics.Such methods do not require general anesthesia or a long rehabilitation period and are incomparably cheaper than surgical methods of restoring youth.However, one should not forget about contraindications, which include epilepsy, oncology, heart disease, pregnancy and a number of other serious diseases.
Laser lifting
When the laser is used on the skin, heat 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 process of natural rejuvenation increases.Wrinkles are smoothed, blood circulation accelerates, and the face acquires not only smoothness, but also a healthy color.
Laser lifting is carried out quickly and without anesthesia, although very sensitive people may experience slight discomfort during the procedure.Significant and long rehabilitation is not necessary - slight redness disappears very quickly on its own and the effect of the laser lifting is immediately visible.
Ultrasonic lifting
Ultrasonic lifting is the only hardware technology that allows it to act on the deeper layers of the skin.This type of lift is often referred to as a non-surgical SMAS lift.The procedure is moderately painful and takes 30-60 minutes.Slight redness or swelling may remain for 2-3 hours after the procedure.
In this type of lifting, an ultrasound wave acts specifically on the deep layers of the skin and the muscular aponeurotic layer, thus activating the process of new formation of elastin and collagen fibers.The synthesis of new collagen fibers takes 3-4 months, so the skin becomes fresher and younger every day.The effects can last up to 3 years.
The safety of the procedure is ensured by ultrasound visualization of the skin and muscles;The doctor sees the tissue changes caused by the ultrasound wave in real time.
Radio wave lifting (RF lifting)
RF lifting affects the surface layers of the skin and subcutaneous fat using high-frequency electrical current.Some devices combine RF with exposure to a magnetic field.The pulses warm the skin cells, activate them and stimulate collagen formation.Like ultrasonic lifting, RF lifting also has a prolonged effect that increases over several months and lasts up to 1.5-2 years.The session only lasts about 20-30 minutes and does not require any pain relief.The procedure is carried out without age restrictions.
The method is contraindicated in people with a heart sensor and metal structures in the body (needles, plates, etc.).
Photo lifting
The procedure promotes skin rejuvenation through the use of light-thermal pulses that act on the deeper layers.It is carried out using IPL therapy devices.Light energy is absorbed by various skin chromophores (hemoglobin, melanin pigment) and converted into heat, thereby stimulating the renewal process of skin cells, lightening pigment spots and disappearing the vascular network.This type of lifting is often used not only to smooth wrinkles, but also to eliminate spider veins and unify the complexion.The duration of a session is approximately 30 minutes.The course consists of 1 to 3 procedures.
Plasma lifting
Our blood contains platelets – cells that are responsible for blood clotting.In addition, blood platelets also secrete special substances that accelerate cell division.By introducing platelet-rich plasma, the synthesis of new cells is stimulated and regeneration processes are initiated.In this procedure, blood is taken from the patient in a volume of 8 to 40 ml.Platelet-rich plasma is isolated from the blood using a special centrifugation mode.The concentration of platelets in plasma for cosmetic injections is four to five times higher than in human blood.Thanks to such a high content, a noticeable and very quick effect is achieved.The course consists of 3-5 weekly procedures.The first results are visible on the day of the procedure.
Like other types of lifting, plasmolifting has a number of contraindications: pregnancy and breastfeeding, skin diseases, tumors, infectious and autoimmune diseases, etc.
Lifting using hyaluronic acid injections (fillers)
A significant lifting effect can also be achieved through contour plastic.For example, volume correction results in a general lifting of the lower half of the face by creating volume, for example in the cheekbones.Bioreinforcement of the cheek areas and neck: due to the intradermal and subcutaneous injection of the filler in the form of a mesh, the skin becomes more elastic and firm.Vector Lifting – Filler is injected subcutaneously towards the sagging skin, thereby strengthening and tightening it.
Contraindications to the procedure are blood diseases, infectious diseases, pregnancy and breastfeeding, damage or inflammation in the treatment area, drug intolerance.