Aging affects everyone regardless of background, complexion, or even social status. Nobody likes to see their skin wrinkle and sag, but not everyone is able to bite the bullet and get a facelift. For those looking for more manageable remedies, there are a plethora of non-surgical options that work just as well as cosmetic surgery.
What Are the Best Non-Surgical Treatments Available?
Chemical Peels
A chemical peel is a skin-resurfacing treatment that uses skin-safe acids and chemicals that not only smoothen the surface of the skin but prevent finer lines. Most chemical peels have a gel-like consistency and are used on the face, though they can also be applied to the neck and hands. After the serum sits for the proper amount of time, the skin blisters and peels. This treatment, amazingly, can also help reduce acne and acne scarring.
Dermal Fillers and Botox Injections
Dermal fillers are great ways to smoothen the skin and restore facial volume. Hyaluronic acid, for example, is a sugar molecule that is naturally produced in the body, specifically in the joints and the eyes. This particular compound is great at retaining water (up to 1000 times its own weight), which makes it an exceedingly good moisturizer. In 2003, hyaluronic acid was approved by the FDA for use on wrinkles, and since then, it has been added to creams, serums, and injectables.
Botox is another option. A stable of dermal fillers, it was approved for use by the FDA in 1989, and since then, it has become a household name for those interested in non-surgically correcting sagging and aging skin.
Microdermabrasion
Microdermabrasion refreshes the skin by exfoliating and clearing away dead skin cells. The treatment does not take long to perform, is not uncomfortable, and is done with a specialized wand that has very small diamonds on the tip. This treatment best targets fine lines, crow’s feet, acne scarring, and age spots. To achieve the best results, patients should expect to undergo 8-10 sessions.
Laser Resurfacing
While it may sound scary, laser resurfacing is completely safe; in fact, it is one of the most common cosmetic treatments. A non-surgical, minimally invasive procedure that boasts extreme accuracy and precision, lasers treat wrinkles, skin discoloration, sun damage, scarring, and the most severe of acnes.
Resurfacing can be done with many types of lasers, but the one most often used is the fractional CO2 laser, which targets aging skin and scars. This laser removes layers of skin tissue, which encourages the skin to heal itself and ultimately appear smoother. There is also a treatment called Clear + Brilliant, or “Baby Fraxel,” which can treat skin discoloration, sunspots, age spots, wrinkles, lines, creases, acne, and other blemishes.
Non-Surgical Facelift
The non-surgical facelift, or “liquid facelift,” is becoming an increasingly common method of treating skin. While a normal facelift, or “rhytidectomy”, requires a surgeon to cut the skin and lift the underlying muscles, the liquid facelift injects dermal fillers—like Botox, Dysport, or Juvéderm—into desired areas to even out wrinkles and enhance facial symmetry. Commonly targeted areas include crow’s feet, jowls, and brow and forehead lines.
The liquid facelift can be performed in just 30 minutes, whereas the traditional facelift can take two to three hours to complete. Moreover, because the liquid procedure is minimally invasive, it has a recovery time of about two weeks, and there is no scarring.
For those interested in the best non-surgical facelift results, consider J Spa, a Long Island medical spa run by top New York facial plastic surgeon, Dr. Andrew Jacono, who has helped thousands of patients look younger and feel more confident.
