Top 10 Ways to Avoid Aging
May 7th, 2009
Anti-aging treatments, like neuro-muscular blockers (Botox ®), fillers, laser treatments and facial rejuvenation surgery, are all the rage. What about methods of prevention? Many factors contribute to facial aging. In a recent study, facial aging was found to be accentuated by antidepressants, divorce and weight changes or fluctuations. Although genetics clearly play a role, several factors within our control contribute significantly to an aged appearance.
MY TOP TEN ways to reduce facial aging.
Avoid sun exposure. Ultraviolet light damages your skin. This show up as wrinkles, superficial growths and skin cancer. Wear a hat in the sun and use sunblock everyday.
Keep your skin clean and moisturized. The common denominators of all skin care programs are a cleansor and a moisturizer. Combined with sunblock, it is all you really need.
Don’t smoke. The pursing of the lips accentuates lip wrinkles while the chemicals in tobacco products damages your entire body, including your skin. The risks of all sorts of cancers also increases.
Avoid weight fluctuation. Dramatic weight changes are even worse. Skin can only be stretched so many times or so much before it starts to sag.
Wear sun glasses. Also, if you wear corrective lenses, wear your prescription correction as well. Both of these will reduce squinting which makes crows feet and lower eyelid bags more prominent. This will also reduce your risk for cataracts.
Drink plenty of water. Hydrated skin is health skin. The natural water content of skin will always make it look less wrinkles when constantly being replenished.
Eat healthy. This of course goes hand in hand with appropriate weight maintenance. A balanced diet will provide proper nutrition with a reduced risk of unhealthy weight gain or loss.
Choose your future spouse carefully. As noted above, the stress of divorce adds years to facial aging.
Cultivate a sunny disposition. Do your best to avoid depression. Certainly this is much easier said than done! Patients frequently come to my office saying they feel like they have aged several years after loosing a loved one. If depressed, only use antidepressants under the supervision of a physician. It is hard to say whether it is the depression or the antidepressant medications, but their use seems to contribute to aging.
Keep your teeth and a healthy smile. Tooth loss leads to bone loss in the upper and lower jaws. The central face becomes sunken and aged in appearance. Flossing, regular teeth cleaning and dental care will reduce periodontal gum disease, which is the leading cause of tooth loss.
Over Plumping
May 5th, 2009
Foster Farms vintage ad campaign for their chicken products uses a parody of over-plumping with artificial fillers. In their television commercial, chickens are seen in a plastic surgeon’s office receiving injections to make them plumper. It is quite obvious that they are way too plump.This situation is underscored by the distorted facial appearance of the surgeon’s nurse when she finally reveals her face to the camera. This crazy parody pokes fun at the sometimes over-zealous use of fillers in Hollywood.
I see over-plumping all the time, especially in the lips. The individuals, usually women, lose all of their natural lip shape. The over-injection usually masks all natural proportion. The television commercial effectively uses this phenomenon for optimum comedic effect. However, I agree with the tagline, “over-plumping” is never good.
A word of caution, the over-injection of any area of the body can lead to skin loss and terrible, uncorrectable scarring. The large volume of material simply reduces the blood flow to the treated area in such a way that the skin, muscle and fat die. Fortunately, this complication is very rare when only modest amounts of filler materials are used.
Finally, please avoid all silicone injections for cosmetic reasons. The risk of chronic long term inflammation which arises is not worth it. Fat Grafting is a natural technique used more commonly now for facial rejuvenation and avoids the use of artificial fillers. See more on fat grafting injections.
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