What Treatments Are There For Wrinkles?

Waking up to find a face full of wrinkles may seem like a cause for alarm, but don’t start scheduling an emergency facelift quite yet. There are numerous methods to treat wrinkles, ranging from obvious cosmetic surgery to creams and serums that you can apply discreetly. Be sure to research all of your options before making a decision, since scheduling an unnecessary surgical procedure can be costly.s of all the marketing-speak and find the best stretch mark cream for your specific skin-care issue?

Medical Treatments

Many women upon discovering wrinkles, immediately call a dermatologist or plastic surgeon. Medical intervention to treat wrinkles has been on the rise as of late, and for good reason.  Improvements in medical technology have increased what doctors can offer their patients to make them look younger. Gone are the days of a long recovery at the ‘spa’ after a facelift; now patients can get professional results from injectable fillers or Botox and go home the same day. Let’s look at some of the options that doctors have to offer:

The facelift is the surgical procedure that started it all, and the name is certainly descriptive. A cosmetic surgeon removes excess skin and tightens the muscles underneath, firming skin and eliminating facial lines. A quality facelift can keep you looking younger for up to 10 years; however, the healing time after the procedure can be long, too. Since a facelift is a surgical procedure, patients can expect bruising, swelling, and discomfort for several weeks after.

Botox has gone from a simple medical treatment to a household name. Simply stated, your doctor will inject a small amount of botulism to relax the muscles that cause facial lines. Botox treatments are quick and relatively painless. Results will be visible within a week. Unfortunately, the improvements are short-lived unless you continue receiving Botox injections every four to six months.

Chemical peels use a moderate strength acid solution to induce peeling on the surface layer of skin , stimulating cellular regeneration and revealing a layer of smooth skin. Although this procedure may sound painful, it is relatively minor when compared to a facelift. That being said, medium and deep peels are intended to cause blistering and may require bandages for the first few days of recovery. Multiple chemical peels are necessary to achieve lasting results, although the number and frequency varies from person to person.

Dermabrasion uses a specialized tool to resurface your skin. As the name implies, your doctor abrades the surface of the skin, contouring it and stimulating cellular regeneration. Skin may feel burnt or sore following this procedure. Recovery takes about a week, although it may take between six and eight weeks for the new skin to become less pink and results to become visible. You will need to avoid both direct and indirect sunlight for months following this procedure, and lifelong sunscreen usage is required to maintain results.

There are two types of laser treatments used to treat wrinkles: laser skin resurfacing and non-ablative laser treatment. Laser skin resurfacing uses a laser to burn off damaged skin and stimulate collagen production. Treatment can take between half an hour and two hours, depending on the quantity of wrinkles. Recovery can take between 10 and 21 days, depending on the severity of treatment, although it will takes several months for the redness to fade. Non-ablative laser treatment is similar to laser resurfacing, except that it does not remove the outer layer of skin. Since non-ablative lasers merely stimulate collagen production, the results are not nearly as drastic. Sunscreen use is a must after a laser treatment, as your skin will be more prone to sun damage.

Your doctor can also administer injectable fillers to treat deep wrinkles. There are many different types of dermal fillers, but the most common varieties are hyaluronic acid and collagen. Collagen fillers have been around since the 1980s, and they are used to plump up skin. Since collagen is naturally broken down by the body, you will need to receive collagen injections several times a year. Hyaluronic acid injections also help to plump up skin. By replenishing the hyaluronic acid lost as a result of aging, these injections strengthen skin’s framework to smooth out wrinkles. The results from hyaluronic acid injections are longer-lasting than those from collagen, but you still need to receive annual treatments.

Unfortunately, medical treatments like these come with a hefty price tag that most insurance companies can’t cover. There can also be serious side effects associated with these procedures, so consult with your doctor about all the available treatment options.

Retinoid Treatments

There is another way to treat wrinkles that your doctor might suggest: a retinol cream. Retinoids stimulate collagen production within the skin to smooth out wrinkles and fine lines. This non-invasive treatment takes longer to show results than the rest of the medical treatments, but it is also less costly and painful.

Tretinoin, frequently sold under the brand name Retin-A, is only available by prescription. You can expect to see some improvement after three to six months of regular use, although it can take up to a year for full results. Like the other medical procedures, tretinoin does have some side effects to contend with. Retinoid treatments make skin more sensitive to ultraviolet radiation, so sunscreen is a must.

Cosmetic Procedures

For some women, the appearance of wrinkles sends them running to the spa or the beauty counter. Cosmetic wrinkle treatments like microdermabrasion, wrinkle creams, and makeup are more affordable than medical treatments and require no healing time. Here are some options to consider:

Microdermabrasion contours skin in much the same way as dermabrasion does, but to a lesser degree. While dermabrasion employs powerful tools to abrade the skin, microdermabrasion relies on tiny crystals and vacuum suction to strip away the skin’s outer layer. More powerful machines require trained technicians to operate them, but the majority of machines can be used in the comfort of your own home. There are also microdermabrasion creams that can be used either with the machine or on their own.  Microdermabrasion works best on fine lines and may require regular treatment to maintain results.

Topical fillers are a popular way to treat wrinkles. These products settle into facial lines to fill in wrinkles and pull the surrounding skin tight. By themselves, filler creams can be somewhat obvious but they disappear under makeup. The only problem with this treatment is that the results disappear once you wash your face.

For many women, makeup is the first line of defense against aging. A little foundation, some well-placed concealer, and a contour brush can help to subtly deflect attention from facial lines. Some makeup lines also include special light reflecting pigments to soften lines and redirect attention.

In recent years, the market has been flooded with anti-aging makeup that promises to actively treat wrinkles. Many of these products contain similar active ingredients to wrinkle creams, such as retinol or hyaluronic acid; however, the levels of active ingredients in these “age-defying” cosmetics are not enough to replace a wrinkle cream. Many makeup artists recommend using these products in conjunction with another wrinkle treatment.

Wrinkle Creams and Serums

Wrinkle creams are by far the most popular way to treat wrinkles. In recent years, the thick goopy creams of our grandparents’ time have been replaced by lightweight creams and serums. While each product has a unique formula and a wide list of benefits, wrinkle creams generally work by increasing the production of collagen and elastin, stimulating cellular regeneration, protecting against environmental damage, and moisturizing.

The most popular ingredients found in wrinkle creams are hyaluronic acid, peptides, and retinol. Some, like phytoceramides, don’t have the scientific backing to prove their effectiveness.

Hyaluronic acid both strengthens connective tissue and moisturizes to immediately reduce the appearance of wrinkles. This ingredient is frequently used as an injectable filler (as mentioned previously), but it is just as powerful when applied to the surface of the skin.

Retinol is another ingredient that can be found in both medical treatments and wrinkle creams. Retinol works to both stimulate collagen production and neutralize the free radicals that cause wrinkles in the first place. Many manufacturers refer to the retinol in their products as Vitamin A, to distinguish it from prescription-strength tretinoin.

There are numerous different peptides that are used in wrinkle creams and serums, but, for the most part, they all do the same thing. Peptides work to stimulate collagen and elastin production, firming and tightening skin. Some notable examples are acetyl hexapeptide-3 (Argireline), palmitoyl pentapeptide, and palmitoyl oligopeptide.

With all the information about wrinkle creams out there, it’s impossible to condense it all into one short article. If you want to find out more about these products, please visit our review section.