It wasn’t so long ago that the only truly effective treatment for combatting signs of aging skin was a surgical facelift. But modern technology has changed all that, and minimally invasive options for looking younger abound! Plastic surgery North Carolina doctors are offering a variety of nonsurgical alternatives for achieving healthy, youthful skin. Two of the most popular treatments currently offered are injectable and microneedling treatments.
Injectable Treatments
Injectable anti-aging treatments include dermal fillers and neurotoxins. Both can reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles but work in very different ways. Dermal fillers are gel substances that fill out areas of lost volume. They are injected directly under the skin to actually plump up wrinkle folds and are most frequently used in the nasolabial folds (lines from the edges of the nose to edges of the mouth) and in the hollows of the eyes. They can also be used to fill out asymmetrical features or to add volume to the lips.
Neurotoxins, on the other hand, work by temporarily relaxing the muscles that are pulling on skin tissue. When the muscles are relaxed, the skin around them is also relaxed, which smooths out the skin. Neurotoxins such as botulinum are primarily used to treat the eye and forehead areas but can also be used to relax muscles in the neck and jaw and to treat an overly-gummy smile.
Microneedling Treatments
Microneedling is a treatment that stimulates the skin to produce new tissue by introducing very small wounds into the skin. During treatment, a clinician uses a dermaroller to create these tiny micro-wounds. The skin responds to this injury by remodeling and producing stronger skin tissue that is rich in collagen. The new skin will be more elastic and even-toned. Microneedling is also used to treat acne scarring.
Most patients will need to undergo several treatments over a course of a month or two and can expect to see the full results within a month of completion of treatment.