THE AGING FACE AND TREATMENT OPTIONS

Until Recently, the conventional solution to the lax and aging face was to "cut out the excess skin and underlying soft tissue, pull tight, and tack". In order to accomplish the stretch, skin to bone ligaments may be severed.

And fat pads may be removed to avoid conspicuous bulges in the facial contours under the ultra thin, limp skin. Hollywood icons have become famous examples of "what not to do", eg Joan Rivers. Facial Plastic Surgery was becoming recognizable to the average public viewer as hollow, bony, drawn, and unnatural looking as ever more icons parade conspicuously in front of the viewer. The increasingly sophisticated viewer had become adept at recognizing the signs, and so the first seeds of doubt were sewn about surgery as "the solution". Of course, the best examples of facial plastic surgery are never recognized, and obviously many realize this as cosmetic surgery is still on the list of things to do sooner or later for many.

Emphasis on "non-surgical", "minimal downtime", "healthier, more natural looking" are all buzzwords of the aging cohorts as they seek help for their face. Surgery may be ruled out or put off. The desire for a healthier more natural looking "younger" is driving dialogue, research, and development.

Innovators went back to the basics of facial aging. The subtle and gradual changes that occur over time to the aging face are multiple and complicated, but the simplified list includes: 1) advancement of abnormal tiny blood vessels and / or pigment abnormalities; 2) thin transparent skin, loss of collagen, dehydration, poor turgor, poor overall function; 3) loss of soft tissue volume, due in part to thin skin, but also to loss of other soft tissues such as fat and muscle.

The skull becomes more prominent as the skin and soft tissues fade away. The contrasting appearance between young and old then, is not simply a matter of tighter skin over the skull. Rather it is a matter of flesh, plumpness of the soft tissue creating round contours, supporting and stretching the skin to achieve a light reflection, brightness. The shrinking soft tissue over time is like a grape becoming a raisin. Restoration requires water. And water clings to collagen, inside the skin, like a sponge.

It is well recognized that human skin cells can reproduce even in the very advanced elderly. Yet they tend to become lethargic. Can they become stimulated? If so, will they resume normal function and begin to make natural collagen? The answer is yes. And there are numerous evidence based techniques nowadays that will bugle the sleeping old cells to action. The skin cells then become proliferative, and the population of cells within the skin booms. These young recruits begin to repair and construct new collagen, natural collagen, and in turn there is re-hydration. Skin function and skin thickness is restored toward younger days. The jowls plump out and reflect light.

But that is not enough. More volume beneath the skin, over the bony prominences will create youthful beauty, not unlike the painter transforms a canvas to a work of art. A little volume here and there, artistically and knowledgably administered will re-create beauty and vitality. The face will plump. The axis of the face is uplifted. The skin is tighter and brighter again. Even the dark circles around the eyes can be rejuvenated. The transformation is so marked and exciting, yet the product is simply hyaluronic acid, a bioidentical substance that is comprised of natural sugars and looks like clear jello. It is biodegradable but long lasting.

The combination of skin revival and soft tissue augmentation results in an attractive and wholesome look that is safe and affordable for those who prefer to revitalize the skin and more naturally re-create the contours and features of their more youthful beauty.

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