ALL WRINKLES ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL!

Botox...lasers...fillers...OH MY!

Do you want to get rid of your wrinkles, but aren't sure what the best treatment is for you? Are you feeling overwhelmed by the multitude of facial rejuvenation treatments out there? Let us break it down for you!

It starts by determining what type of wrinkle you would like to rid your face of! There are actually FOUR different kinds of wrinkles that can be found on the face! The next step is to determine which treatments will work for the specific wrinkle you want to kiss goodbye!

Wrinkles

1. Atrophic Wrinkles
These wrinkles are fine lines occurring on the face that appear to be almost parallel to each other. When you stretch the skin surrounding these wrinkles they tend to disappear. These wrinkles are caused by the loss of collagen in your skin which can be due to sun exposure as well as the normal aging process.

2. Permanent Elastic Wrinkles
Crease lines that may start out as Atrophic Wrinkles, but become permanent over time. They occur on the cheeks and upper lip most frequently. These wrinkles are also caused by sun exposure as well as by smoking.

3. Dynamic Wrinkles
Wrinkles caused by movement of facial muscles. These wrinkles are commonly referred to as frown lines, smile lines, crows feet or "11's" (the lines in-between your eyebrows). They are not caused by sun or smoking (however ALL wrinkles are exacerbated by both of these things), but rather from the repetitive movement of skin as your muscles of your face move in expression.

4. Gravitational Wrinkles
These lines are caused by the effect of gravity as we age. They are also due to the redistribution of fat as we age. These include things like nasolabial folds (the lines framing your mouth) and jowls.

Treatments



1. Botox & Dysport
Botox (onobotulinumtoxinA) and Dysport (abobotulinumtoxinA), are both neurotoxins that treat Dynamic Wrinkles. Botox and Dysport work by stopping the nerve from firing, which stops your muscle from contracting, which stops your skin from moving! Once your skin is not constantly moving all day it allows the skin to smooth out and viola, NO wrinkles! Botox and Dysport are temporary treatments and need to be done every 3-4mo. If your wrinkles are deep and do not go away when you are not moving your muscles it make take more than one treatment of Botox or Dysport to completely correct these wrinkles. Some wrinkles may be too deep to ever achieve 100% correction, but can be softened by multiple treatments.

2. Fillers
There are many different fillers out there on the market. The most common are Juvederm and Restylane, which are made of Hyaluronic Acid, a naturally occurring sugar molecule found in your skin. These fillers last anywhere from 6-18 months! These are best used to treat gravitational wrinkles where you have actual loss of volume. They can be used to fill the nasolabial folds & marionette lines (vertical lines going down from each corner of the mouth) as well as to plump up the upper cheek and lips!

3. Lasers Treatments
Laser resurfacing or Fractionated Laser Therapy can be used to help with the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Both of these treatments can help with the overall appearance of your skin including correction of tone and texture. Lines around the mouth and underneath the eyes as well as atrophic and permanent elastic Wrinkles on the cheeks benefit greatly from a Laser resurfacing treatment. These treatments do require more downtime than treatments with Fillers or Neurotoxins as the skin needs anywhere from 2-10 days to recover depending on how aggressive the treatment was.

Of course Botox, Fillers & Lasers have contraindications, risks and potential side effects associated with them just as any cosmetic procedures do. These treatments should only be performed by a trained and licensed medical professional! Make sure you do your homework and know who is treating you!

If you are interested in learning more about any of these treatments or are interested in receiving any of these treatments, please book a consultation at our office with Dr. Glen Brooks, Leah Kenney, PA-C or Julia Boucher, PA-C. Call 413-565-4400 to book now!