A Beauty Place

Imagine waking up one morning and not seeing yourself in the reflection in the mirror. Instead you see an older woman who resembles you, lines wrinkles and crows feet have stolen your youth. You decide it’s time to get rid of wrinkles.

There are so many anti wrinkle treatments out there today, how do you know which one is right for you? Be honest with yourself about your wrinkles and the results you expect from a treatment. You also need to look at your budget and decide how far you are willing to go to recapture your youth.

Skin Resurfacing

This is a process in which a minor surgical procedure such as dermabrasion, chemical peel or laser is preformed on the skin to reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Wrinkles become less visible because the skins level is lowered to the level of the wrinkle, resulting in the wrinkle’s “shadow effect” to be less visible. (The shadow effect is due to the fact that a wrinkle is an area of skin that has sunk lower than the overall skin level. This causes the wrinkles to be more visible since light creates a shadow to form in the lowered area exposing the flaw.) These procedures can be painful and do require some recuperation time. You can expect some reddening and tenderness in the area in which the procedure was preformed, but this should heal quickly. Other side effects may include; scarring, acne, infection, irregular pigmentation and hypopigmentation. Skin resurfacing is not an anti aging miracle and is most effective on fine lines and acne scars. The costs of these anti wrinkle treatments vary depending on which method you choose, but as with any type of procedure these treatments are exspensive.

Collagen Injections

These types of procedures are designed to raise the wrinkles closer to the surrounding skins area; this is another way to lessen the “shadow effect”. To accomplish this a filler is injected directly into each individual wrinkle. The only pain occurs at the point of the injection just as it would with any type of needle in the skin. You can immediately go about your normal skin care routine, since there is no down time. There are a few options with injections. You can choose to use bovine collagen. Bovine collagen is derived from the skin tissue of cows. It is sterilized, purified and processed and then injected into the skin. Autologen collagen is from your own skin that was gathered during a previous procedure. Isolagen collagen comes from your own skin as well but it is then cloned in a laboratory before being processed into liquid collagen. Dermalogen is gathered from skin donated from a cadaver. It is sterilized, purified and processed before being used. Botox, Radiance, Restylane, and Hyalaform are all injectable materials that some people feel give better and longer lasting results. Collagen injections cost between $300.00 and $1,500.00 per session and usually take a few sessions to obtain desired effects. In addition future maintenance injections may be necessary.

Face Lifts

This anti aging treatment is the most drastic one. It is a surgical procedure in which the skin it actually pulled tighter by the surgeon. Incisions are made into the skin; their locations depend on the type of facelift you choose to undergo. Four types of face lift surgeries are available; lower facelift (standard), mid face lift, mini face lift (weekend face lift), and thread face lift. Each one tightens a different part of the face and has different recovery times and offer different results. Face lifts generally cost about $6,000.00 for the surgery alone. This does not include any of the other incidentals that are part of the face lift procedure.

Wrinkle Creams

Many people overlook this option. They think a mere cream can’t lessen their wrinkles. It is true that many of the face creams on the market do not have the capability to do much for your skin. Yet there are some options out there that can. The best wrinkle cream is made of natural ingredients. Plant oils, glycerin, plant extracts, vitamins, minerals, witch hazel and seaweed are all good ingredients. Choosing a cream that is not all natural can cause unwanted effects. Parabens, mineral oils and fillers (such as animal fat) can be used in some creams and some of these have been known to cancer, depressive disorders, and stress disorders. Choosing skincare products that have antioxidant ingredients can help reduce the damages caused by free radicals. The antioxidants join damaged cells and then go to work to prevent further damage and repair the damage that has already been done. Not only can these creams reverse signs of skin damage due to aging they can do so at a fraction of the cost of other methods and also without the pain and risks of the other options.

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