Photodamage and Anti-aging techniques
Photodamage, which is caused by overexposure to the sun or ultraviolet light, may accelerate the process of skin aging. Wrinkles occur at a younger age and are more pronounced. Typical signs of photodamage are brown age spots and irregular pigmentation of the skin, especially in fair-skinned people. In addition, growths may appear on the surface of the skin, which may become rough and in the worst case, actinic keratoses (pre-cancerous lesions) may also appear.
Anti-aging techniques & prevention methods
Today several therapeutic solutions exist which can help reduce or prevent skin senescence.
Dry skin is treated with moisturizing agents.
Wrinkle fillers reduce the signs of aging skin. If wrinkles are secondary to muscle contraction they are treated with botulinum toxin.
Contour and volume changes can be corrected with wrinkle fillers or fat transplants.
Skin is toned using specific lights or lasers, chemical peels, dermabrasion or photodynamic therapy.
Unwanted hair is removed with laser therapy. Hair transplantation corrects receding hair.
Visible blood vessels are treated by laser, electrocautery or microsclerotherapy (injecting a product into the vessels to clog them).
Photodamage can be prevented by taking simple measures such as wearing clothes which protect from the sun, staying in the shade and applying sunblock.
Pigmentary changes are treated with depigmenting agents or chemical peels.
Actinic keratoses are treated with cryotherapy, topical agents or photodynamic therapy.
Understanding your skin
We will all experience skin quality changes due to ultra violet radiation (UVR) from the sun as well as changes caused by the passing of time.
Understanding your skin can be of great help when planning to enhance your appearance; especially when considering the use of so-called anti-aging products such as wrinkle fillers. The skin is the largest human organ and has a number of important functions. The skin not only gives us our appearance and shape, it also serves other important functions such as protecting the body from the environment, preventing excessive water loss from the body and protecting the body from infection.
Reduce skin aging
As skin ages its qualities change. Collagen and elastic fibers are degraded and the quality of the body’s own hyaluronic acid is reduced. This results in decreased skin elasticity, increased roughness and dryness of the skin. This is partly due to intrinsic factors that are difficult to change, such as our individual genetic code and the biological clock. There are, however, extrinsic or lifestyle factors which we all can control to a certain degree to reduce skin aging.
UVR damage to the skin
Smoking and drinking, excessive sun exposure and stress can all speed-up the biological clock. However, of all these aging factors sun damage by UVR poses the greatest threat. In fact, UVR is thought to be responsible for the major part of skin aging. Without sun damage, we would probably not develop wrinkles until we were in our 80’s. Aesthetic & Corrective dermatology solutions cannot turn back the passage of time. However, they can restore skin hydrobalance and improve the skin structure and elasticity, as well as fill out wrinkles and folds and restore facial volume.