Today, it is possible to restore youthfulness and smoothness to the skin and smooth facial contours without the need for costly surgery.There are many modern body lifting methods that do not require major surgery.How to choose the ideal lift level and what are the different procedures?
Every woman sooner or later faces such problems: facial skin loses elasticity, becomes dull and wrinkles appear.Modern cosmetology knows many ways to get rid of these unpleasant processes, and surgical intervention is not necessary.
Age-related skin changes
Biologists have not yet come to a consensus on what counts as 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, gradually disabling the body's vital systems.
Childhood
Perhaps the only time when skin needs virtually no care is the period from about six months of age until the onset of puberty.Children's skin is elastic, smooth, full of vitality and youthfulness, and enjoyable to look at.
teenage years
Alas, all good things must come to an end sooner or later, and starting from the age of 12–14, the appearance of the skin begins to deteriorate.First of all, it becomes more oily and some people produce so much fat that it literally drips down into the 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, in any case, the skin is no longer the same as in childhood.
And of course, the most disturbing skin change that poisons the lives of a significant portion of adolescents is acne, which appears during puberty and takes hold of the skin for years (sometimes for decades), despite all efforts to get rid of 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 struggle, many people cause serious damage to their skin that is difficult to compensate for later.
A very small percentage of teenagers understand the need to protect their skin.As a rule, at this time, most irradiate the skin with sunlight (and sometimes with artificial ultraviolet radiation in solariums), cover the skin with many layers of cosmetics (usually leave it overnight), get tattoos, exhaust all-nighters and all kinds of toxic substances.Despite all this, the skin remains young and elastic for some time.
Young
By age 20, many people's skin condition improves - less oily, less acne-prone, more even-toned and attractive.
The period from 20 to 30 years is a period of stability for the skin, when most people cannot think about the intricacies of cosmetic care, choosing cosmetics based on packaging, scent or company name, and despite this, having beautiful skin is a must.
But all this is true only if the skin is healthy.Unfortunately, teenage stress, trying to self-treat acne by randomly applying anything labeled “for acne” to the skin, overuse of antibiotics or retinoids, and sometimes unimaginable diets can cause a variety of skin problems ranging from severe forms of acne to atopic dermatitis and more.In these cases, the skin requires careful care, which is best left to a competent specialist.
The beginning of skin aging
From the age of 25, the skin gradually loses the youthful charm of youth.The renewal process of cells in the stratum corneum slows down and the skin becomes duller.The rate of collagen and Elastin formation decreases, the skin is no longer elastic.Small wrinkles appear under the eyes, skin imperfections accumulate, such as age spots, stretch marks, scars from past acne, etc.
The closer to the 30 mark, the more women begin to think about skin care, trying to slow down the aging process or hide its signs.And although doctors constantly repeat that it is necessary to protect and care for the skin from a young age, in reality, only after 30 years can the skin expect its needs to finally be taken care of.
Middle age
Between the ages of 35 and 50, skin aging becomes increasingly evident.At this time, the ability to retain moisture decreases, cell regeneration 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 (fat in the cheekbones becomes less and less, excess fat often forms under the chin and lower cheeks), age spots appear, blood vessels dilate and, of course, wrinkles.
It must be said that the wrinkles that bother women not only look different but also have different causes.They are often divided into static and dynamic wrinkles.
Static wrinkles occur due to changes occurring in the skin itself (damage to skin fibers due to various harmful factors, wear and tear and destruction of the skin structure due to age, etc.).
Dynamic wrinkles form in places where muscles work continuously because when they contract, they shorten and wrinkle the skin, and when relaxed, they return to their original position and "pull" again.
In young women, the skin is elastic, it quickly reacts to such muscle movements and returns to its original state.With age, such exercises become more difficult for her, around the eyes, bridge of the nose, forehead and around the mouth - where the facial muscles work most actively.
Age-related skin changes after age 50
After age 50, 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 rapidly reduces, and the skin becomes noticeably dull.The rapid aging process continues until about age 60, after which the skin enters a period of relative stability.At this stage, there is very little dependence on cosmetics and any changes are possible only with the help of cosmetic surgery.People who spend their lives protecting their skin from damage (especially the sun) have fewer wrinkles, fewer blemishes, and look more youthful.
If the skin is exposed to the sun a lot (this is more important in hot countries), it will most likely develop rough, deep wrinkles and be covered with age spots.
In old age (70 years or older), the skin is characterized by a thickened stratum corneum, a thin dermis (through which fatty tissue can be seen under the skin, giving the skin a yellowish color), poor elasticity and many deep wrinkles and folds.
The path we have outlined is now applicable to each person's skin and there is no product in the cosmetology industry that can prevent the skin changes that occur at each stage.
A teenager's skin will never return to the youthful smoothness of a child's, and the skin of a lady of Balzac's age will never be the same as that of a 20-year-old.
Senile changes in the skin occur because this is a program embedded in the cells, because the skin, like the entire body, accumulates damage and disease throughout life, or in other words, it wears out.It's practically impossible to influence the genetically determined aging process, but you can slow down the rate of skin wear and tear and prevent premature aging.To do this, you need to know which changes in the skin are inevitable, which are due to our careless attitude or arise due to toxic environmental factors.
What happens to skin as we age?
As we see, almost all structures of the skin (and the whole body) deteriorate over the years and stop performing their biological functions.For convenience, we can identify certain targets of the aging process, which are also the main targets of anti-aging procedures.
Professional cosmetics, cosmetic and medical procedures - we have found out which facial rejuvenation procedures are offered by beauty salons in our city.
Facial massage + botulinum toxin injection
Facial massage ─ manual or hardware ─ is one of the suitable procedures to use to prevent age-related changes even at a fairly young age.It also gives a good effect when correcting already appeared age-related changes (pronounced nasolabial folds, “pride wrinkles” and vertical wrinkles on the forehead, “crow's feet” in the eye area, loss of facial contours, double chin).Massage allows you to work and tone relaxed muscles or, conversely, relax tense muscles.Thanks to this, we get the effect of reducing the severity of wrinkles and improving the oval of the face.The massage is carried out in a course (an average of 10 treatments, two per week), after which you can correct facial wrinkles with botulinum toxin injections.In this case, you can use a smaller amount of the drug and get a more pronounced result.
Facelift + filler injection or autologous fat injection
With the help of plastic surgery, you can achieve a lifting effect, but alas, it cannot completely eliminate wrinkles.For example, after cosmetic surgery, wrinkles around the mouth as well as “puppet lines” (so-called “sadness lines”) remain.To make them less noticeable, filler injections are used in the nasolabial folds, lips and cheekbones.An alternative to filler injections is the lipofilling procedure, where your own fat cells are used to fill in volume.They are taken with a syringe from certain areas of the body (abdomen, inner thighs, knees) and injected in small amounts into the desired area.This must be done very carefully, because the main task is to ensure that the fat cells adapt to the correct position and take root.The advantage of lipofilling over filler injections is obvious: fillers need to be renewed annually, while fat cells remain in the injected area for many years.In addition, in the case of lipofill injections, possible allergic reactions to the injected filler are excluded.
Blepharoplasty + laser procedure
To a greater extent, this combination would be suitable for lower eyelid cosmetic surgery, where the muscles are “welded” to the skin and the excess cannot be completely removed.That is why laser treatment in this area is indicated three weeks after surgery.The laser has a stimulating effect on the skin, thereby reducing it and activating the synthesis of new collagen and Elastin - then the skin becomes thicker and more elastic.One session may be enough for a noticeable effect.
Most often, this technique is used in cases where it is necessary to remove the hernia sac (by the way, this problem can also bother quite young people).Surgical removal of such a hernia is performed through the conjunctiva (through a small incision on the side of the lower eyelid mucosa), and after removing the fat pocket, the excess skin still needs to be tightened - for this purpose it is necessary to use a laser.
What is a lift and which procedure is better to choose?
Probably 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. Without this framework, the skin will become flabby and less elastic.
All procedures are divided into surgical and non-surgical.The operating room requires the intervention of a surgeon.Non-surgical methods include various types of lifting, as well as injections of cosmetic preparations that improve skin tone and moisture saturation.
Round elevator
A circumferential facelift typically refers to a surgery that corrects the front and sides of the neck, the midface and forehead, the outer eyebrows, the cheeks, and the areas around the corners of the mouth.The operation is performed under general anesthesia and may last several hours.After surgery, you will have to stay in the hospital for a few days, after a week the stitches are removed and the swelling disappears completely after about 2 months.You can speed up rehabilitation with the help of massage and physical therapy.You can completely evaluate the results after a facelift after 6–8 months.Circular lifting is the most serious and traumatic lifting activity.However, the effects are long-lasting—surgeons recommend performing such surgeries no more often than every 7–10 years.A circumferential lift should not be performed before age 40–50.Based on the depth of impact, there are two types of circular lifts: SMAS lifts, which affect not only the skin but also fatty tissue and muscle, and more superficial subcutaneous lifts.The first type can cope with even the most significant age-related changes, while the second type is suitable for less noticeable problems.
This is important
This procedure has a number of contraindications, including blood diseases, cancer, serious disorders of internal organs, heart disease, hypertension, diseases of the nervous system, epilepsy, pregnancy, lactation and some others.Therefore, it is very important to consult a doctor before surgery.
Endoscopic lift
This procedure is also sometimes called a sutureless lift.All operations are performed through small incisions, after which practically no scars are left.Endoscopic facelift is indicated for minor age-related changes - the appearance of facial wrinkles on the forehead and in the area of nasolabial folds and drooping eyebrows.But if the skin deteriorates significantly, it is better to choose the traditional method of circumferential lifting.In terms of effectiveness and recovery time, endoscopic facelift is very similar to conventional circular lift.Similar contraindications: diseases of the heart and blood vessels, cancer, diabetes, hypertension, blood clotting disorders, diseases of internal organs, thyroid gland, wounds and burns on the surface of the face, pregnancy, lactation, etc.Additionally, after surgery, there may be a pulling feeling in the suture area.
By the way
Facelift surgery reduces blood supply to the skin, affecting skin elasticity.Therefore, after surgery, additional procedures are always needed for quick recovery.
Lift the thread
This method is relatively simple, less invasive and highly effective.That's why she's so famous.The essence of the method is to implant thin threads under the skin to strengthen the skin.These threads are made from gold, caprolactone, polypropylene, polylactic acid, they are biologically compatible with the human body and do not cause allergies or other unwanted effects.The thread is inserted using an elastic needle.Over time, connective tissue forms around the thread, helping to support the skin and prevent it from sagging.
Today, both nonabsorbable and absorbable sutures are used.The latter breaks down after 8–9 months and is naturally eliminated from the body.The thread is used not only to lift the face but also to contour the body.
The operation is performed under local anesthesia and lasts 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, cancer and autoimmune diseases.
Upgrade hardware
Hardware tightening is performed using a device that uses various types of energy (laser, radio waves, ultrasound) to act on the skin.Hardware augmentation is not only available in cosmetic surgery clinics but also in medical aesthetic clinics.Such methods do not require general anesthesia or long recovery periods, and they are much cheaper than surgical methods to restore youth.However, one should not forget about contraindications, which include epilepsy, cancer, heart disease, pregnancy and a number of other serious diseases.
Laser body lift
When the laser is shined on the skin, heat energy is created, promoting the natural rejuvenation process.After laser lifting, the skin becomes denser and more elastic, the production of collagen and other factors that contribute to the natural rejuvenation process also increases.Wrinkles are smoothed, blood circulation is accelerated, and the face acquires not only smoothness, but also a healthy color.
Laser facelifts are performed quickly and without anesthesia, although very sensitive people may feel some discomfort during the procedure.No significant and long-term rehabilitation is required - slight redness will disappear on its own very quickly and the effects of laser lifting will be seen immediately.
Ultrasonic lift
Ultrasound lifting is the only hardware technology that allows you to penetrate the deep layers of the skin.This type of lift is often called a non-surgical SMAS lift.This procedure is moderately painful and lasts 30–60 minutes.After the procedure, redness or mild swelling may last another 2–3 hours.
When performing this type of lifting, ultrasound waves specifically impact the deep layers of the skin and fascia, triggering the formation of new elastic fibers and collagen.The synthesis of new collagen fibers continues for 3-4 months, so the skin becomes more youthful every day.Effects can last up to 3 years.
The safety of the procedure is guaranteed by ultrasound imaging of the skin and muscles;In real time, the doctor sees the tissue changes created by the ultrasound waves.
Radio wave lifting (RF lifting)
Lifting RF acts on the surface layers of the skin and subcutaneous fat using high-frequency electric current.Some devices combine RF with exposure to magnetic fields.The pulses warm skin cells, activating them and stimulating collagen production.Like muscle lifting with ultrasound waves, muscle lifting with RF waves has a lasting effect, gradually increasing over several months and lasting up to 1.5–2 years.The session only lasts about 20-30 minutes and does not require pain relief.The procedure is performed without age restrictions.
This method is contraindicated for people with heart sensors and metal structures in the body (pins, plates, etc.).
Photolifting
This procedure promotes skin rejuvenation through the use of light-heat pulses that impact its deep layers.It is performed using IPL therapy devices.Light energy is absorbed by various chromophores of the skin (hemoglobin, melanin pigment), converted into heat, thanks to which the renewal process of skin cells is stimulated, pigment spots lighten and the vascular network disappears.This type of lift is often used not only to smooth out wrinkles, but also to remove spider veins and even out skin tone.The duration of a session is approximately 30 minutes.The course includes 1 to 3 procedures.
Plasma lifting
Our blood contains platelets - cells responsible for blood clotting.But in addition, platelets also secrete special substances that help accelerate cell division.The introduction of platelet-rich plasma stimulates new cell synthesis and initiates the regeneration process.For this procedure, blood is taken from the patient in a volume of 8 to 40 ml.Using a special centrifugation mode, platelet-rich plasma is separated from the blood.Platelet concentration in plasma after cosmetic injection is 4–5 times higher than in human blood.Thanks to such high content, clear and very fast results are achieved.The course includes 3-5 weekly procedures.The first results can be seen on the day of the procedure.
Like other forms of lifting, plasmolifting has a number of contraindications: pregnancy and lactation, skin diseases, tumors, infectious and autoimmune diseases, etc.
Lifting with hyaluronic acid injection (filler)
Contouring surgery can also achieve a significant lifting effect.For example, with volume correction, by creating volume, for example, in the cheekbones, an overall lift in the lower half of the face occurs.Biological reinforcement of the cheek and neck area, when filler is injected intradermally and subcutaneously in the form of a mesh, the skin becomes more elastic and firmer.Vector lift - filler is injected under the skin in the direction of sagging skin, thereby strengthening and tightening the skin.
Contraindications to the procedure are blood diseases, infectious diseases, pregnancy and lactation, damage or inflammation in the treatment area, drug intolerance.