You are busy fulfilling your many roles as a provider, parent, spouse, adult child, you name it. And then one day someone tells you that you look tired. The first time, you ignore it. After hearing the same remark several times, you look in the mirror and realize that you don’t look quite as well as you used to; whether you’re actually tired, or not.
In our culture, looking good, feeling well, being competitive at all times, and in all areas is a must, so you hesitantly start weighing your options. Is it a time for a plastic surgery? And that’s when you begin agonizing. A surgery has many risks. There is the prospect of a huge expense; general anesthesia; recovery which you’ll have to suffer through and hide. There is the feeling of excitement mixed with apprehension: will you emerge afterwards as a younger version of you, or will you stare at a stranger in the mirror for the rest of your life? There is the prospect of extended absence from work and the prospect of others scrutinizing the results. Will they know you’ve had plastic surgery, or will they politely pretend that they believe you’ve been on vacation? You know that you’ve arrived at a point when you have to do something, but the thought of plastic surgery is intimidating with many risks to consider and not just to your health.
Don’t despair; there are options that address each of your concerns in a much gentler way. Aging is referred to as a process; rejuvenation can be a process as well. Let’s explore cosmetic injectables versus plastic surgery. Both can effectively address signs of aging. What specific issues can be remedied with cosmetic injectables? Well, for starters wrinkles, crow’s feet, undesirable skin depressions, laugh lines, the infamous nasolabial folds, and more.
Botox is a great solution for fine lines and wrinkles, particularly frown lines, crow’s feet and forehead lines. It works by temporarily blocking “communication” between the nerves and muscles in the treated area. This prevents the muscle from contracting and therefore relaxes the skin which stops wrinkling. For continuing wrinkle management, Botox treatments need to be repeated every 3 to 6 months. Unlike Botox which is derived from a deadly toxin (Botulinum), collagen and Hyaluronic acid injectables are biocompatible which means that they are accepted by the human body as its own substances. (Treatments with Hyaluronic acid and collagen injectables need to be repeated because the patient’s body gradually absorbs these seminatural substances.)
Collagen injectables provide another option for controlling wrinkles; they are also used for lip and cheek augmentation. (Collagen injectables are made of either human or bovine collagen. Both are tolerated by the patient’s body.) Collagen injectables are effective at filling up minor depressions in the skin.) The duration of positive effects achieved with collagen injectables varies from patient to patient; the results may last from three months to one year depending on the individual’s reaction. To maintain the results repeated treatments are recommended.
Hyaluronic acid injectables are made of a synthetic version of Hyaluronic acid, a substance naturally occurring in our bodies: in skin tissue, cartilage, joint and eye fluid. With age the natural levels of Hyaluronic acid in a human body become depleted causing – among other things – dry, thin skin and the formation of wrinkles. Such well known brands as Restylane® and Juvederm® are some of the Hyaluronic acid based cosmetic fillers. (Juvederm® is commonly used to fill in the “parentheses” which run from the corners of the nose to the corners of the mouth.)
Injecting Hyaluronic acid filler into facial wrinkles helps to minimize them. Another important effect Hyaluronic acid injectables create is the increase in skin’s volume which contributes to a younger appearance. The duration of results achieved with Hyaluronic acid dermal fillers varies from person to person; the average duration is set at 3 to 6 months, but in some individuals can be as short as one month. With that said many sources credit Hyaluronic acid injectables with stimulating the skin’s production of natural collagen which enhances and extends the cosmetic results.
Once the aging process has led to the formation of deep laugh lines, furrows or skin folds, the facial injectables mentioned above may not be sufficient. Other – also injectable – fillers were developed specifically for a soft tissue augmentation and can help correct these issues. Such soft tissue fillers as ArteFill and Radiesse™ can fill in and augment larger skin depressions.
It has to be mentioned that not every one is a good candidate for cosmetic injectables, it is recommended that you discuss your health issues and the medications you’re taking with your doctor before having the procedure.
The benefits of cosmetic injectables are many. All of them are considered non-invasive and are performed under a local – as opposed to general – anesthesia. In most cases, the time required for the procedure is from 15 minutes to one hour at a doctor’s office which makes it possible to drop by for a treatment during the lunch hour. The recovery is swift and won’t be noticed by your friends and co-workers. The outcome won’t surprise you, either: it will still be you but looking younger and well-rested. The cost is much lower than that of plastic surgery. True, to sustain the results regularly repeated treatments are needed, but all things considered, cosmetic injectables produce a great return on investment.
Are cosmetic injectables a substitute for plastic surgery? No, there are some outcomes that only plastic surgery can produce, take for instance rhinoplasty (a nose job) or a breast augmentation (breast implants). Cosmetic injectables are however an excellent, non-invasive alternative to plastic surgery that produces impressive anti-aging and cosmetic improvements without many of the problems inherent to plastic surgery at a much lower risk and cost to the patient.
Cosmetic Injectables versus Plastic Surgery? More and more consumers are discovering that Botox, Collagen and Hyaluronic acid injectables are an effective, safe and more affordable approach to aging. It comes as no surprise that in spite of the current state of economy the popularity of cosmetic injectables is skyrocketing while the number of plastic surgeries performed continues to decline.