Facial Lines
Aging skin can droop and develop wrinkles, lines and furrows. The severity of these changes in an individual depends on genetic tendency, skin phototype and exposure to environmental factors.
Dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons use two classifications.
Glogau's Classification
Dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons often use Glogau's classification when describing these ageing changes.
Mild: Few wrinkles, requires little or no make-up for coverage
Moderate: Early wrinkling, sallow complexion, requires little makeup
Advanced: Persistent wrinkling, skin discolouration with broken blood vessels and actinic keratoses, often wears makeup
Severe: Severe wrinkling and furrows, actinic keratoses, often wears makeup but it may not hide the ageing changes
Fitzpatrick Classification
The Fitzpatrick classification of facial lines refers to the degree of wrinkling around the mouth and eyes.
Class I: Fine wrinkles
Class II: Fine-to-moderately deep wrinkles and moderate number of lines
Class III: Fine-to-deep wrinkles, numerous lines, and possibly redundant folds
How Do Facial Lines and Wrinkles Form?
Facial lines and wrinkles (rhytides) form because of the following factors:
Aging processes
Genetics
Sun damage
Muscle movement
Gravity
Injury
Surgery
Acne
Other skin diseases with a tendency to scar (e.g. discoid lupus)
There is often a degree of asymmetry to the lines, as people tend to smile or frown more on one side than the other, or consistently sleep on the right or the left cheek. People who tend to drive vs. sit on the passenger side of a car will often have more lines on the sun-exposed side.
Fine Lines
Fine lines and wrinkles arise because of irregular thickening of the dermis and because of a decrease in the amount of water held by the epidermis. This is mainly caused by aging, sun damage and exposure to environmental toxins particularly tobacco smoke.
Furrows
Deeper lines or furrows are classified as dynamic or static. Dynamic lines appear with movement i.e. the activity of facial muscles. Static lines are unchanged with muscle movement. Eventually dynamic lines become static.
Crow's feet around the eyes are due to smiling and activity of the eyelid muscles (orbicularis oculi).
Horizontal/Worry lines on the forehead are due to contraction of the frontalis muscle when raising the eyebrows
Frown lines between the eyebrows are due to contraction of corrugator supercilii muscles and procerus muscle when concentrating or angry
Treatments
Remarkable treatments are available that can give great changes in facial appearance, giving a younger appearance and improving complexion. Often combinations of different cosmetic procedures are required for the best results. The number one treatment for lines on the upper face is Botox.
Neurotoxins - Botox & Xeomin & Dysport
WHAT IS BOTOX? Botox® Cosmetic is a simple, non-surgical and safe treatment that can temporarily smooth moderate to severe facial wrinkles in adults of all ages. Botox® Cosmetic is injected into certain muscles in the face to relax them and lessen the appearance of wrinkles that result from our daily expressions such as crow's feet, frown lines and laugh lines. This is an effective means of reversing the visible signs of aging.
This treatment takes about 5 minutes and consists of a few small injections using a micro-sized needle. Within 1-2 days this procedure starts to create a noticeable improvement. In 14 days you will see the full effects from your treatment. The results of this procedure can last for up to 4 months for treatments on the face and up to 12 months for excessive sweating/hyperhidrosis. Results may vary.
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons®, botulinum toxin type A administrations were the number one minimally invasive cosmetic procedure administered in the United States and is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Botox® is not permanent and its administration is ideally repeated every 3-4 months to achieve the best outcome.
SUNSCREEN!
It is most important to protect the skin daily from the sun on exposed areas. All sunscreens should have an SPF of 30 and have two main ingredients: titanium dioxide and zinc.
Avoid Pollution
Avoid smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke or other pollutants.
Moisturizers
Aging skin feels and looks better when moisturizers are applied regularly. These improve the water-holding capacity of the skin. We have a wonderful line of skin care products that we can recommend for you.
Hygiene
Wash your face twice daily.
Anti-Aging Formulas
Use a face cream that includes anti-aging ingredients. These may include antioxidants and/or exfoliants.
Chemical Peels
The top layers of the epidermis are peeled off using chemical or mechanical means. Peels can often even out pigmentation and improve skin texture. They can improve fine lines and static furrows but have no effect on dynamic lines.
M22 IPL
Intense Pulsed Light is a gentle, non-ablative treatment that uses broad spectrum light to treat almost every part of the body including the full face, chest, neck and hands. IPL works by delivering a broad spectrum of light which is transmitted through a small, smooth, transparent handpiece which is gently placed over the skin. Cut-off filters in the hand piece change the wavelength range allowing it to be optimized for different applications and skin types. The light penetrates the tissue and is absorbed. The body's natural processes then remove the injured tissue giving the skin a more even and youthful appearance.
Facial Fillers - Juvederm / Restylane / Belotero / Radiesse / Voluma
Fillers add volume and smooth out wrinkles. Except for Radiesse, all of our fillers are biodegradable gel based on hyaluronic acid that do not require allergy testing and are fully reversible. Fillers maintains their shape using the body’s own moisture, and is used to shape facial contours, smooth wrinkles, and sculpt lips. The result is a long-lasting, healthy, more youthful, and fuller appearance. All of the products contain lidocaine which is very helpful to diminish any discomfort.