At one time, wrinkles were accepted as an inevitable part of aging. Not anymore.
Today, women in the U.S. spend close to $2 billion a year on anti-aging skin products alone. In an ever-growing industry, medical-office-based facial treatments involving lasers, radio waves and chemicals are becoming popular, also.
While these three treatments are different, they all have one thing in common: They increase the production of collagen in the skin, which decreases as we get older.
Fraxel
“As you age, your body loses [collagen] and doesn’t replace it,” says Nancy McCullum M.D., who is board certified in family practice, but who has been practicing in cosmetic dermatology for 13 years.
McCullum, of the Center for Cosmetic Dermatology (centerforcosmeticdermatology.com) in York, uses several types of treatments. One is a laser treatment called Fraxel Repair.
“Basically, a laser is a single wavelength of light [that creates] microscopic injuries in the dermis. In a way, it fools the body into producing collagen to repair [the injuries]. It plumps up fine lines and helps with acne scarring,” says McCullum, and it also helps to remove pigment from sun damage because it destroys everything in its path.
With less invasive treatments, such as Fraxel Repair, there is a much briefer “recuperation” time, if any, than with a facelift surgery. That gives them an edge in popularity. However, injectable dermal fillers and Botox injections are even more popular because they give instant gratification and cost less, says McCullum.
With Fraxel Repair, a patient will be a little red and swollen for two to four days after a treatment, says McCullum. When McCullum had a Fraxel treatment, she says she “had it done with a strong setting and that evening I went to my daughter’s field hockey banquet.”
It is important to follow a good skin care regimen after having Fraxel treatments, says McCullum, including wearing sunscreen every day.
“Anytime skin is repairing itself, it is more easily pigmented,” says McCullum, meaning a patient could end up with unwanted brown areas if he or she isn’t careful.
Laser Genesis
Debra Yates, a licensed esthetician and medical skin care specialist at the James A. Yates M.D. Plastic Surgery Center Ltd. (yatesmd.com) in Camp Hill, uses Laser Genesis with her patients, but she readily admits that her favorite treatments are chemical peels.
Laser Genesis is very safe and stimulates collagen growth, she says, and a patient has no down time after treatments. It targets fine lines, wrinkles, large pores, uneven skin texture and scars, just as the peels do, Yates says. It can be used on all skin types and colors.
Yates gets most of her patients through word of mouth, she says, but she notes that when people call their office, they most often request laser treatments.
Some people are afraid of chemical peels, says Yates, but she stresses that Plastic Surgery Center uses proven, safe formulations. “They are very safe. I love doing chemical peels more than anything.” With chemical peels there is little down time (five to seven days) compared to surgery, says Yates. “We customize a home care program with products, as well,” she says.
Yates also educates patients to use sun protection and to stay out of tanning beds. “The sun can reverse everything you’ve done,” Yates says.
Pellevé
Michelle Phillips, a licensed medical esthetician with Family Eye Group (familyeyegroup.com) in Lancaster, uses a radio frequency device to stimulate collagen growth. The treatment is called Pellevé.
The treatment is relaxing to some people, who actually fall asleep, Phillips says. She recommends three treatments, a month apart.
“Clinical studies show that cellular changes continue after the treatments,” says Phillips, and people actually look better in the fourth to sixth month.
Pellevé is so gentle that patients don’t even have redness when they walk out of the office, she says, but there can be a little swelling for about 24 hours. In the first 30 days, a patient will not see much change, she says.
The results from Pellevé are more natural looking than a facelift.
“People don’t want a stretched look, the pain or the danger [of a facelift], and they don’t want to lose two weeks of vacation [in recovery time],” says Phillips. Even with a facelift, she says, the aging process continues.
Phillips says it is recommended to have a maintenance treatment with Pellevé 10 to 12 months after the initial treatment. Phillips also recommends that patients take 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C a day to help build collagen.
There are many different kinds of treatments to rejuvenate the skin, but the key is to stimulate the growth of collagen, which is a structural protein of the skin.
To protect the skin’s collagen and keep it younger looking longer, some of the steps professionals recommend are wearing sunscreen every day; not using tanning beds, which are more dangerous than the sun; not smoking; eating nutritious foods; and keeping well hydrated.
So, are those almost $2 billion in skin care products really necessary? Maybe not. If Americans followed the basic tips given by professionals, it would be easier on the skin and easier on the purse.
