The Rise in Minimally Invasive Treatments: Five Techniques to Address Facial Aging

In light of the recent cultural trend toward prioritizing internal health and body positivity over looks, it may seem surprising that people are continually searching for new methods to turn back the clock when it comes to taking years off of their facial appearance. With “preventative aesthetic treatments” on the rise, there’s no doubt that the BOTOX^®-choosing demographic is getting younger with each passing year. Men and women from a wide range of backgrounds, age groups, and industries are choosing to freeze time with plastic surgery, as the workplace becomes more prone toward younger candidates and Instagram culture continues to spread.

In Michigan, the plastic surgery-focused and board certified Dr. Brad Bengtson and Dr. David Alfonso have also noted this trend. Patients increasingly not only want to have signs of aging addressed, but also to learn about why they are happening.

The main causes of facial aging are a mixture of internal biological factors, lifestyle choices, and external influences. The skin is the most visible organ, and there’s no doubt that it can often provide warning signs about the condition of internal organs and systems.

Since the skin is a window to overall health, a poor complexion is often reflective of nutritional deficiencies or excesses. However, much of the wear and tear skin experiences is somewhat outside of the realm of control: Getting older means having skin that becomes progressively more fragile, thinner, and duller, especially if measures aren’t taken at an early stage to protect it.

The era of minimally invasive procedures is here. Patients who want a rejuvenated look, but who are not quite ready yet to opt for surgery, have several options to choose from: 

Botulinum Toxin Type A Injectables 

More than two decades after an unsuspecting Canadian husband-and-wife doctor team noticed a particular injectable’s ability to make wrinkles disappear, a range of FDA-cleared Botulinum toxin type A treatments (including BOTOX^®, Dysport^®, and Xeomin^®) reign supreme in the anti-aging market. To that end, the so-called “fountain of youth” is a mainstay of the beauty industry, topping the American Society of Plastic Surgeons’ (ASPS) list of popular cosmetic trends in 2018. BOTOX^® relaxes the facial contractions that create dynamic wrinkles (lines that result from repetitive facial expressions, such as frown lines and glabellar lines), allowing for a more youthful-looking, smooth face that lasts for months.

Soft Tissue Fillers/Dermal Fillers

Hyaluronic-acid based treatments like Juvederm^® are popular anti-aging injectables that provide some of the beneficial effects of a more dramatic facelift surgery, though with results that do not last as long.

Many patients complain of a loss of harmonious facial balance along with the onset of pinched-in cheeks caused by facial aging. Juvederm^® is an ideal solution for those who are hoping to fill in depressions, address scars, and smooth out fine lines that are sometimes caused by the loss of moisture and proteins in aging skin. Hyaluronic acid, the active ingredient in Juvederm^®, serves as a humectant, regulating the moisture retention processes in the skin and replenishing its volume. 

Laser Skin Resurfacing

From sun damage, wrinkles, and blemishes to non-responsive skin and shallow acne scars, laser skin resurfacing (also known as a laser peel) is often a preferred tool for correcting irregularities, enhancing texture, and making the complexion look more even. Focused light energy can remove dull outer layers of dead skin cells, as well as heat the lower layers of the dermis, kick-starting collagen production.  

Ultrasound Therapy

Ultherapy^® functions as a skin-tightening treatment by essentially causing micro injuries to the skin and sparking the gradual process of collagen creation in foundational cells. It directs ultrasound energy to a targeted site, where tissues absorb the soundwaves and convert them to heat. The change encourages new collagen, which is key for tightening away sagging. Patients with some degree of facial skin laxity may benefit from the lifting and plumping effects. 

Radiofrequency Energy

There are many ways to stimulate renewed production of vital skin elements. One of the most effective is radiofrequency energy. Introducing RF energy, as with the Profound^® device by Candela, into the skin can improve elasticity by boosting levels of collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid. This can reduce the look of facial wrinkles that have developed due to aging (as well as the appearance of cellulite elsewhere on the body).

Want to find out more about minimally invasive treatments that can precede or enhance plastic surgery procedures? Contact the team at the Bengtson Center for Aesthetics & Plastic Surgery by calling 616.588.8880 or fill out an online form.