Aging Face

As skin ages, it becomes thinner, loses its volume and is a road map of all of your harmful lifestyle choices, many of which accelerate the aging process. Preventive care will delay proof of another birthday passing, but after a while, there’s only so much that a cream can do. “Once signs of aging settle in, topicals and good future skin practices will only modestly improve the altered texture, deep lines and pigmentary concerns that are already evident,” says Dr. Julie Karen, a New York-based dermatologist. At the end of the day, there’s simply no fighting biology. “Facial changes really occur as a result of sagging muscles and the fat volume slipping downward with them and/or ‘melting’ to give a gaunt look,” says Dr. Jean-Louis Sebagh. Non-invasive treatments can address these issues. Fillers restore volume: A skin-plumping gel containing hyaluronic acid is injected into deeper layers of the skin. There’s also the “non-surgical facelift,” a procedure that tightens and tones skin through heat generated by radio frequency, which stimulates collagen growth and production. Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatments target and treat age-related skin conditions, including sun damage, rosacea and hormonal pigmentation. And, of course, there’s Botox, the famous muscle relaxant that smooths creases in the forehead, eye, chin and neck areas. When it was approved in 2002, it ushered in a new era of quick procedures that stop the clock without the dramatic results, and downtime, of a facelift.