Plastic surgery is not the only option maintain a more youthful and fresher look. But non-surgical methods are only temporary, which is why you need to weigh the pros and cons carefully before embarking on that route, says Dr. Thomas Liszka of Ballantyne Plastic Surgery, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
It is definitely possible to look younger using a variety of non-surgical skin care methods. The benefits are that there is no downtime, but the disadvantage is that regular repeat treatments will be required to keep up the look.
What non-surgical means is anything that involves BOTOX or one of the many the different fillers for the face or hyaluronic acid fillers. Of course, those can be used in combination with a specific skin care line where a patient uses at home products, such as Obagi products, which are specially formulated for different types of skin and different skin problems. We offer a variety of other products only found in a doctor’s office as well, such as IS Clinical, TNS-SkinMedica, La Roche Posay, and NIA24 product lines.
Non-surgical skin care methods can also include treatment with different types of lasers. For example, at our office we have an IPL, or Intense Pulsed Light, lasers to treat brown spots and veins. It can also be used for laser skin resurfacing.
Non-Invasive and Invasive
At Ballantyne Plastic Surgery, we do non-invasive procedures as well as surgery. All these non-invasive methods are used by our patients as a way to maintain or improve your appearance without any downtime. They are popular today, and becoming even more popular, because people do not want to have significant downtime waiting to recover from treatment. They want to immediately get up and go.
However, people who choose non-invasive methods should realize that the non-surgical ones usually require more repetitive treatments to keep up the look. BOTOX, for example, smoothes the deep, persistent lines between your brows, crow’s feet around your eyes, and wrinkles in your forehead that develop over time. It is fast, simple and has a minimal recovery period. The downside is that it only lasts about three months.
Dermal Fillers
Our dermal fillers are also a way to keep your skin looking younger and fresher, and are a natural and safe alternative to cosmetic facial surgery. Dermal fillers restore volume and fullness to the skin to correct moderate to severe facial lines, folds, and wrinkles, such as the nasolabial folds or smile lines.
Dermal fillers are also used to add enhance the lip line and add volume to the lips. We offer fillers such as Restylane, Perlane and Juvederm, but they need to be topped up over time, usually within a six-month period, while Radiesse can last up to a year.
As long as people maintain their appearance through repeated procedures they will get good results. But you will have to come back again and again, whereas a facelift will last you eight to ten years before the effect wears off.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
