The Anti-Aging Advisor

The Next Step

Consider the following as the next step up from simple topical treatments for aging skin. From peels to stimulation to soft-tissue augmentation, non-surgical treatments for aging skin can turn back the clock with minimal recovery time.

Chemical Peel

This treatment, also referred to as chemexfoliation or dermapeeling, does exactly what it says—peels away a layer of skin allowing new skin to form. The new growth is usually smoother and less wrinkled than the peeled layer. There are different solution concentrations used, depending on the degree of damage. Chemical peels can also be used in combination with other treatments to maximize the effect. A chemical solution is applied to the skin causing it to blister and peel off over a period of days.

The impact of a mild peel is similar to a sunburn lasting up to five days. Medium-depth to deep peel side effects can take up to two weeks to heal. The procedure can be performed in the dermatologist’s office or as an out-patient in a surgical center. The treatment is indicated for surface skin damage.

Laser Skin Resurfacing

The theory of laser resurfacing is similar to chemical peels—remove damaged skin layers and allow new, healthier skin to form. A CO2 laser or Erbium laser is used to treat deeper wrinkles; the healing period can take up to 10 days. Because open wounds—the result of the treatment—tend to heal by contracting and shrinking, the new skin layers are tightened.

While the results can be excellent, the risks for unwanted outcomes have scaled back full facial resurfacing in favor of less destructive types of rejuvenation that require multiple treatments. Side effects include a whitening of the skin occurring months after treatment as well as a pink skin coloring that can last up to three months. Dark-skinned people need to be cautious and make sure their doctor has experience with good results on dark complexions. The treatment can both increase and decrease pigmentation.

Fractional Laser Resurfacing

This treatment incorporates lasers and other energy sources to treat skin layers at varying depths. The laser is passed over the entire skin surface but only 20- to 30-percent of the skin is treated. The laser creates tiny holes in the skin while the normal skin between the lasered skin helps the treated area grow in. The result is less downtime due to redness and swelling and less risk of scarring while still reducing fine lines and wrinkles.

Dermabrasion

Sometimes called surgical skin planing, dermabrasion removes the skin surface allowing a new layer to grow in and replace the removed layer. Like laser treatments, the after-effect is a skin appearance similar to a severe sunburn and about a 10-day healing process. Pigment may be permanently lightened in the area and those prone to form keloids after skin injury run a risk for scarring.

Intense Pulsed Light (IPL)

IPL is used to treat skin discoloration and wrinkling associated by sun exposure. A hand piece is placed on the area to be treated and a broad spectrum of light is transmitted to the skin. The light penetrates the skin and is absorbed by melanin or blood vessels. The surface layers of the skin are left intact and the deeper layers treated. Heat from the light sources improves skin tone and texture and reduces melanin pigment. A big plus for IPL is that there is usually no downtime although some redness and swelling may occur. Several treatments may be required to see maximum results.

Radiofrequency or Electrosurgical Rejuvenation

High-tech treatments like radiofrequency, or electrosurgical rejuvenation, can be used on most skin types and colors without loss of pigmentation. The treatment stimulates the body’s natural healing response by delivering heat or light to the skin’s layers, using the energy to heat the skin’s deeper layers. The goal is collagen development to give the skin a firmer look and to produce some contraction of the skin.

Plasma Skin Rejuvenation

PSR uses plasma energy deep in the skin layers, leaving the surface intact for several days following treatment. The newly formed skin layer emerges as the old layers shed off. In essence, PSR creates a wound-healing response without a wound. Generally, four to eight treatments at three to six week intervals are required for best results.

Copper Peptides

Copper Peptides have been used and approved by the FDA for wound healing. Though not universally accepted, it has been suggested that the peptides can be used to augment forms of dermabrasion or laser surgery to improve the new layers of skin that replace those removed by the original treatment. Peptides are small fragments of protein, the key building blocks of most living tissue. Certain kinds of peptides have an affinity for copper to which they bind. The compound consisting of a peptide and copper atom is known as a copper peptide. Copper peptides promote the degradation of abnormally large cross-linked collagen like those found in scars and to a lesser degree in wrinkles. They also stimulate the production of the collagen found in normal skin.

Soft-Tissue Augmentation

Substances are injected under the skin to plump out wrinkles, pits and scars. Common substances are collagen and the patient’s own body fat. The injected fat or collagen replaces the patient’s fat lost from under the skin. The treatment is used to improve creases around the nose, mouth and chin and the sunken look created by loss of fat pads in the cheeks.