Article by Dr Ravi Jain
It’s tough to fight off the effects of your chronological age – no matter how fit and healthy you are over fifty, your skin’s natural elasticity and plumpness lessens. The results show as fine lines around the eyes and mouth, deeper folds between nose and chin, eyelids that droop and bags under the eyes, a sagging jawline (those horrid jowls) and sometimes, an over-developed jaw giving a ‘square’ look to the face.
The good news
You don’t just have to grin and bear it – there is a wide range of treatments from Botox to surgery that can make a real difference to how youthful you look. For now let’s just explore a few of your options so you know what’s possible – and maybe blow some of the myths away!
Botox is a trade name for Botulinum Toxin – but is not the only treatment of this kind, with Dysport, Azzalure and Xeomin being good alternatives.
Repeated movements of the face muscles eventually causes lines to develops . These treatments relax the muscles to reduce the movement so that the lines don’t form and deepen.
In the hands of an expert Botox does not ‘freeze’ your face into immobility, but stops the muscles from tensing to create those annoying crow’s feet lines around the eyes and reduces your frowning response so that the lines on your forehead and between your brows are smoothed out. The result is a softer and more open look, with a smoother skin that creates that more youthful appearance.
However, the dangers are that inexperienced practitioners can give treatments that result in problems such as droopy eyelids and that hard, frozen look. Rajiv Grover, secretary of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons says that “that whichever product you have, make sure that the practitioner is experienced, preferably a member of the British Association of Cosmetic Doctors, and steer clear of having the treatments at beauty salons and health clubs.”
Botox has other applications besides simply smoothing out your facial muscles. It can treat tension headaches, excessive perspiration so that you don’t have those horrible wet patches on your clothes under the arms, and can be used to relax the jaw area where the masseter muscles may have become highly developed from clenching or grinding teeth, taking the ‘square jaw’ look away.
Regaining your youthful looks over fifty
Whilst Botox can smooth out the lines, it doesn’t replace that youthful glow; but there is a way to achieve that: dermal fillers.
These treatments work beneath the surface level of your skin to stimulate your own natural collagen production. There are several different possibilities – and your cosmetic physician will discuss your particular skin type and what you want to achieve and advise on the best approach for you.
Dermal fillers include products such as Radiesse, Juvéderm ULTRA, and Restylane offer a real alternative to the radical intervention of surgery. Dermal fillers take minutes rather than hours, and you can go right back to your normal life – with nobody the wiser, except you’ll just look sensational! The added plus is that you can use these on your hands, as well as your face, to restore that smooth appearance.
They’ll smooth out deeper creases and lines that have become pronounced all over your face and will plump out your face to give a smooth and youthful fullness around the cheeks and jaw. If you suffer from those irritating little lines around your lips, where your lipstick ‘leaks’ – and you don’t have to be a smoker to develop these – dermal fillers will smooth these away.
Dermal fillers complement Botox beautifully, working together to take years off your face!
There is, of course, the option to undergo surgery and have a face lift or other surgical procedure to enhance your face – however, you’ll find that you can achieve the same results, without the pain, inconvenience and downtime.
So if you want to look and feel absolutely fabulous over fifty – and be confident that you don’t look anything like your chronological age, talk to a good cosmetic physician about the best treatments for you.
Related posts:
- Less is More in the Future of Cosmetic Medicine
- Defying Time-What can you achieve without surgery
- Moving From Cream to Needles
- How Safe are Dermal Fillers?
- Have you felt pressured to look younger in order to get a job?
