If you are physically healthy, don’t smoke, have realistic skin-care goals and are committed to protecting yourself from further sun damage than skin rejuvenation and resurfacing may be worth considering.
From laser and light treatment to chemical peels and injectables, the genetic and environmental aging of your skin can get a helping hand.
Skin damage ranges from fine lines and wrinkles to such pigmentation changes as freckles, sunspots or visible blood vessels to acne scars and other skin conditions. Maybe your skin doesn’t feel firm and you don’t have the healthy glow you once did.
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons advises that most skin treatments require a series of treatments and approaches. Here are some examples of rejuvenation and resurfacing treatment methods:
- Laser and intense pulse light are used to remove discoloration and/or tighten sagging skin.
- Chemical peels remove damaged outer skin layers.
- Ablative laser treatments remove outer layers of skin to smooth lines and wrinkles.
- Mechanical ablation (dermabrasion, dermaplaning) is a surgical scraping method to soften skin surface irregularities.
- Non-ablative treatments (microdermabrasion, microneedling, light acid peels) are minimally invasive sanding methods to treat light scarring and discolorations.
- Dermal fillers are injectable compounds to improve skin contouring.
- Botulinum toxin type A treatments block nerve contraction to relax wrinkles.
- Spider vein treatment comes through the use of injections to collapse unsightly surface veins.
Before any treatment, have an in-depth conversation with your plastic surgeon about her or his credentials and experience in the particular treatments that seem best for you. Find out what is expected of you to get the best results and what kind of recovery period you can expect. What kind of help will you need during you recovery, if any? How are complications handled?
The most essential step, though, in the long run is sun protection. It’s an absolute requirement for
the first year after any of these treatments to prevent irregular pigmentation, and diligent sun protection throughout your life will help maintain your smoother skin.
