#AskID : Am I too old for Botox and fillers?
We asked Prof Niki Ralph:
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“Anti-wrinkle injections to the face work by relaxing the muscles, most commonly used on the upper face to target frown lines, horizontal lines of the forehead and crows feet around the eyes. Our muscle activity is very pronounced when we are young and diminishes with age, however it never fully disappears. Also as we get older our facial muscles become less powerful, yet there is still some muscle activity present. Therefore, if people find that certain expressions (wrinkles) bother them, then they certainly can start anti-wrinkle injections at a later age.
It is important to discuss medical conditions with your doctors and medications/herbal remedies etc to ensure there are no-contraindications to receiving anti-wrinkle injections. However, most people are suitable for anti-wrinkle injections.
Anti-wrinkle injections work by relaxing the muscles of the face to prevent the appearance of the deep lines/wrinkles and their effect lasts approx 3-4 months. It is also really important not to forget that 80-90% of our wrinkles are as a result of UV damage. Therefore some people are more bothered by the fine lines rather than the lines of expression.
If you have had extensive UV exposure over a lifetime there may be lots of fine lines down the sides of the face/cheeks, irregular pigmentation, broken red blood vessels and crepey skin below the eyes.
These skin related changes are managed with other treatment modalities such as IPL (intense pulse light) for irregular skin pigmentation and broken blood vessels.
PRP (Platelet rich plasma) targets the crepey skin under the eyes and also overall facial rejuvenation as it works by kick-starting the skin’s own regenerative capabilities. Growth factors in the plasma increase collagen and elastin production, stem cell proliferation and vascular formation. Therefore for those who have never had aesthetic treatments in the past or may be afraid of considering filler this is the ideal procedure as it creates a plumping and tightening effect on the treated areas.
.
“Anti-wrinkle injections to the face work by relaxing the muscles, most commonly used on the upper face to target frown lines, horizontal lines of the forehead and crows feet around the eyes. Our muscle activity is very pronounced when we are young and diminishes with age, however it never fully disappears. Also as we get older our facial muscles become less powerful, yet there is still some muscle activity present. Therefore, if people find that certain expressions (wrinkles) bother them, then they certainly can start anti-wrinkle injections at a later age.
It is important to discuss medical conditions with your doctors and medications/herbal remedies etc to ensure there are no-contraindications to receiving anti-wrinkle injections. However, most people are suitable for anti-wrinkle injections.
Anti-wrinkle injections work by relaxing the muscles of the face to prevent the appearance of the deep lines/wrinkles and their effect lasts approx 3-4 months. It is also really important not to forget that 80-90% of our wrinkles are as a result of UV damage. Therefore some people are more bothered by the fine lines rather than the lines of expression.
If you have had extensive UV exposure over a lifetime there may be lots of fine lines down the sides of the face/cheeks, irregular pigmentation, broken red blood vessels and crepey skin below the eyes.
These skin related changes are managed with other treatment modalities such as IPL (intense pulse light) for irregular skin pigmentation and broken blood vessels.
PRP (Platelet rich plasma) targets the crepey skin under the eyes and also overall facial rejuvenation as it works by kick-starting the skin’s own regenerative capabilities. Growth factors in the plasma increase collagen and elastin production, stem cell proliferation and vascular formation. Therefore for those who have never had aesthetic treatments in the past or may be afraid of considering filler this is the ideal procedure as it creates a plumping and tightening effect on the treated areas.
The skin is rejuvenated and rehydrated and the fine lines and wrinkles are reduced resulting in a healthy, regenerated glowing complexion that looks smoother and more youthful.
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As we age we also lose volume, which is a combination of both fat loss and some bone loss/bone resorption. Also there is a shift in our fat in a downward direction leading to hollowing under the eyes and jowl formation on the lower face. Unlike a face lift which pulls the skin tight on the face which may eliminate wrinkles, fillers work by filling spaces to reestablish the shape of a younger face. Fillers put back the volume that has been lost rather than pulling the skin tight across what is left. Therefore when filler is placed in the right areas, such as lifting of the cheeks, filling in of the hollows of the temples that become more obvious as we age, improvement of the jowling of the lower face as our face begins to sag, this can have a dramatic impact on one’s overall appearance without needing any intervention with a scalpel.
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However, no two people are the same, therefore some patients certainly do benefit from a face lift if they have very saggy skin, very large jowls and deep/coarse wrinkles, but this is often combined with filler in certain locations to give the best possible outcome for facial rejuvenation.”
.
As we age we also lose volume, which is a combination of both fat loss and some bone loss/bone resorption. Also there is a shift in our fat in a downward direction leading to hollowing under the eyes and jowl formation on the lower face. Unlike a face lift which pulls the skin tight on the face which may eliminate wrinkles, fillers work by filling spaces to reestablish the shape of a younger face. Fillers put back the volume that has been lost rather than pulling the skin tight across what is left. Therefore when filler is placed in the right areas, such as lifting of the cheeks, filling in of the hollows of the temples that become more obvious as we age, improvement of the jowling of the lower face as our face begins to sag, this can have a dramatic impact on one’s overall appearance without needing any intervention with a scalpel.
.
However, no two people are the same, therefore some patients certainly do benefit from a face lift if they have very saggy skin, very large jowls and deep/coarse wrinkles, but this is often combined with filler in certain locations to give the best possible outcome for facial rejuvenation.”