Saving Your Face
Unfortunately, the skin aging process cannot be reversed.
You can only fix your face through non-surgical
procedures, such as BotoxÒ and RestylaneÒ, and
other invasive surgical procedures, such as a face-lift.
BotoxÒ
BotoxÒ has been hailed as “the new
fountain of youth” or the magic potion to aging.
Can BotoxÒ really save your face?
The pros of BotoxÒ are as follows:
BotoxÒ is a purified protein injected into
your skin to make your muscles contract, and hence smoothing out your crows’-feet
lines around your eyes.
BotoxÒ is minimally invasive, much better
than invasive plastic surgery.
BotoxÒ is an instant fix: you can see the
results almost immediately.
BotoxÒ gives a more natural look, except
for the lines around the mouth. This is the reason why BotoxÒ is
generally not applied on the smile folds because it weakens the muscle
around the mouth, making your smile look “unnatural.”
BotoxÒ is a fairly safe and an ideal
procedure because the botulimum (a toxic chemical) in BotoxÒ is extremely
low, and there is little or no buildup of the toxin in your body (often
eliminated within 24 to 48 hours—or at least according to BotoxÒ) to
pose any major health risk.
BotoxÒ is relatively inexpensive, compared
to other invasive procedures, such as a face-lift.
The cons of BotoxÒ are as follows:
BotoxÒ paralyzes your facial muscles, and
therefore cannot fix your smile folds, making your smile seem “unnatural.”
BotoxÒ is still costly long term: the
procedure has to be repeated every three to four months.
BotoxÒ is a drug with botulimum (a toxic
chemical), and you may still have some concern about injecting it into your
body.
Collagen injections
Besides BotoxÒ, there are other non-surgical
procedures for consideration to save your face.
Collagen is a protein substance in the dermis layer of your
skin, which is responsible for your skin’s elasticity. Collagen injections use
bovine collagen, which is pure collagen obtainable from isolated cows, and
which is clinically tested prior to injection.
Collagen injections have the following advantages:
Collagen injections make the lines
on the face become less obvious and much smoother, but they do not make the
lines disappear completely as BotoxÒ does.
Collagen injections are used mainly
between the eyebrows and on smile folds, where BotoxÒ does
not work effectively.
The disadvantages of collagen injections are as follows:
Collagen injections are not for
everyone, especially if you are allergic to cows.
Collagen injections only soften your
lines: they do not remove them completely.
Fat injections
Fat injections are living grafts in which part of the fat
from your own body, usually from the buttocks, stays and lives in a new
environment.
Fat injections have the following advantages, compared to
other non-surgical procedures:
They are more cost effective,
compared to other non-surgical procedures.
The intervals between injections can
be up to several months.
Fat injections may be the best option for deep smile folds,
much more effective than collagen injections.
RestylaneÒ
RestylaneÒ is a clear gel injected into your
skin to soften your facial contours, and to remove lines and wrinkles on your
face. It is derived from a product as bio-compatible and bio-degradable as the
natural hyaluronic acid, which is naturally found in your body. Hyaluronic
acid, present mainly in your skin, is a substance that gives your body its
structure and volume by attracting and holding on to the water in your skin. As
such, it is most ideal for line and wrinkle filler.
RestylaneÒ has the following advantages over
other similar products to remove wrinkles:
RestylaneÒ does
not paralyze your facial muscles. It can be injected almost anywhere on your
face.
RestylaneÒ
eliminates any rejection risk by your body because it is naturally found in
your own body.
RestylaneÒ lasts
longer (up to a year) than collagen injections. It is, therefore, more cost
effective in the long haul, although it costs 40 to 50 percent more than a
collagen injection does.
According to the American
Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, every year thousands of individuals opt
for cosmetic procedures to save their faces, and of these individual in quest
for a youthful look about 88 percent are women and 12 percent are men. However,
cosmetic procedures only temporarily fix the problems of skin aging. Having a
youthful look is more than just skin deep, and it never comes easy.
Your face is not you.
Your youthful look is only a part of
you, and it is bound to change, no matter what. Learn how to delay,
but also to accept, that inevitable change on your look.
Nobody’s face is perfect—let alone
yours.
Do what you can, but do it!
Your over-concern for face image
will level off at around fifties and sixties, when you would be more concerned
with your health than with your youthfulness. This is the reality of life!
Make yourself look younger and healthier for longer.
Nora Wise
Copyright© by Nora Wise
