So, your daughter is getting married and you are getting ready for one of the most exciting days of your life! You are the mother of the bride! In addition to getting your daughter looking her best, don’t forget to think about yourself. To help you prepare for this day, here is a mother-of-the-bride checklist for looking your best.
One option, of course, is going for a traditional surgical intervention and getting a face-lift, eye lift, brow lift, or whatever lift is in style at the moment. However, for those who are hesitant to go under the knife, other options do exist.
Before exploring the plethora of methods currently available to help you look your best, you should know about the aging process of your skin. Just like any other vital organ, your skin needs care and attention. Due to its unique ability to recuperate, we often tend to forget about the damage our skin suffers. However, as time passes by, carrying the happiest moments of our lives, random smiles or teardrops, cherished memories or deepest sorrows, our skin endures tremendous changes. Thankfully, those transitions do not happen overnight, but if we pay close attention, we can see subtle changes that occur between our 20s, 30s, and 40s, as we gradually lose the astonishing qualities nature had granted our beautiful skin, such as its elasticity and texture. There are three major changes our skin endures in the natural process of aging.
Dynamic And Static Wrinkles
Lines and wrinkles form by repeated movements of the muscles of facial expression, including smiling, frowning, concentrating, raising our eyebrows, squinting and engaging in emotional discussions.
These movements are a normal daily part of our lives. We pay no attention to them—they are automatic. Over time, however, these movements cause the skin to crease. At first, these expression lines are present only when the muscles contract (dynamic wrinkles), but smooth out when the face is relaxed. As skin loses elasticity, these wrinkles become more visible. Eventually, the creases may be present even when the face is at rest (static wrinkles), resulting in perhaps an angry look, etched in lines across the forehead, neck bands, or the down turned angles of the mouth. A multistep approach is necessary to correct the dynamic and then static wrinkles; neuromodulators can be used by administering tiny injections that temporarily relax those frown lines between your brows, freshen your forehead, and erase the tiny wrinkles at the corners of your eyes. Examples of such injections would be Botox, Dysport or Xeomin.
Loss of Volume
In addition to the loss of elasticity, our skin loses tremendous volume; it literally deflates, and the beautiful triangle of a young face sags and inverts over time. The changes in bone cause further hollowing and sagging of our skin, leading to pronounced nasolabial folds and jowls. Instead of waiting until our 50s, 60s, and 70s, and going under the knife for a surgical face-lift, we now have a unique ability to turn back the clock and pump up the volume (in this case, we are referring to the lost volume and collagen in your face). To correct the volume loss, we can use traditional fillers (Restylane, Perlane, Juvederm Ultra/Ultra Plus/Voluma/Belotero) that belong to the hyaluronic acid gel family. Hyaluronic acid is a natural substance found in our bodies that holds our cells together and fills spaces. Alternatively, we can use collagen stimulating fillers—a novel class of molecules that wake up the collagen producing cells in our skin and can knock off five to 10 years in a matter of four to six months. This is a highly effective treatment that changes the structure of the skin so that a new collagen matrix is generated.
One example of the skin’s process of rebuilding itself is Sculptra Aesthetic. It is a unique, non-invasive collagen-stimulating filler that reverses the process of aging by stimulating the production of lost collagen in our skin. The main ingredient is a biocompatible, biodegradable synthetic material that has been used by physicians for decades. It helps to correct shallow to deep facial wrinkles and folds, giving you a more natural-looking appearance. Sculptra is injected below the surface of the skin in the area of volume loss, stimulating a lift of sagging areas and an improvement in skin tone and appearance. This process has been referred to as the liquid face-lift.
Although the lost volume can be replaced with the regular hyaluronic acids, there are two downsides to using hyaluronic acid gels as opposed to the collagen-stimulators. The longevity of hyaluronic acid gels is approximately one year versus Sculptra’s duration of 24 to 30 months, and while the longest acting hyaluronic acid gel, Juvederm Voluma, can last up to two years, these traditional fillers do not cause collagen production, as opposed to Sculptra.
Sculptra, made from micronized suture material, can also treat the aging chest and hands most effectively with long term results.
After only a few sessions, the effects of Sculptra are outstandingly visible. According to clinical studies, in most patients, rejuvenation lasts more than two years after the first treatment. Sculptra is not a miracle. It is a safe and effective medical treatment to restore your skin, and it begins with a visit to a doctor.
Damaged Texture
To correct the various problems our skin faces, we can use multiple laser and photofacial modalities. Photofacial and fractional lasers are used to treat red and brown pigmentation, acne scarring and other blemishes. For those afraid of more invasive procedures, one can use chemical peels and microdermabrasion in addition to retinoids and topical antioxidants. Always remember, an ounce of prevention will give you tremendous benefit. Use sunscreen. It’s the most important part of your skin care regimen.
If you choose to visit a dermatologist before your daughter’s wedding, you’re sure to look gorgeous in the wedding photos. For best results, be sure to plan your visit six months before your event. Best wishes and many years of health and happiness to you and your family.
Dr. Khrom has a practice in Brooklyn which is fully equipped with the latest technology and long lasting treatments.
