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As you look ahead to the new year, why not consider a treat for yourself? Something to make you look younger and feel better about yourself.

Here are three ideas for facial procedures that can set back the clock on your appearance.

Laser Skin Resurfacing

As you grow older, your skin gradually loses its youthful resilience and glow. One of the reasons for this is a slowing of the process of natural skin renewal. The inner layer of the skin, the dermis, produces less collagen and elastin, two proteins that are necessary for young-looking skin. Another reason is that the outer layer of the skin is repeatedly exposed to the damaging effects of UV light from the sun and pollutants in the air. Both tend to roughen the skin over time and cause areas of uneven coloring.

Laser skin resurfacing uses pulses of intense, highly focused light to rejuvenate the skin. Different types of laser technology are used for different cosmetic improvements. Erbium Yag beams precisely remove damaged tissue in the skin’s outer layer, smoothing rough skin and correcting areas of discoloration. Fractionated Co2 beams penetrate to the dermal layer and stimulate the production of collagen for natural renewal from within. The result is a naturally healthy, rejuvenated, and smooth appearance in the skin. A complete facial treatment takes about 20 to 30 minutes.

Injectables

Injectable dermal fillers add volume to fill and smooth facial wrinkles and lines. They can also be used to add fullness to areas of the face where underlying fat has thinned with age — under the eyes, for example, or in the cheeks and lips. Treatments are fast, usually under an hour, depending on how many areas of the face are treated and how many injections are needed.

Botox® and Dysport® injections work in a different way to eliminate wrinkles. These neuromodulators relax expression muscles that, through repeated contractions, are causing wrinkles and lines to form and harden, especially around the eyes and mouth and in the forehead. With the muscles calmed and moving less intensely, the skin smooths into its resting position. Expression lines smooth out and gradually soften. The process of hardening into permanent creases is stopped.

Results from injections of dermal fillers and Botox last from 6 to 18 months, depending on the material used and your metabolism, and can be repeated. You can choose to make this a year-long or years-long self-refresh.

Facelift

If the skin on your face is beyond the early stages of sagging and stretching and you’ve found that injectables and other non-invasive treatments no longer give you the youthful look you’d like, you might decide that this is the year for a facelift.

A facelift is the gold standard in facial rejuvenation, with results that are subtle, natural-looking, and long-lasting. If your facial skin has moderate to severe laxity — with jowls, for example, or loose skin under your chin and on your neck — a facelift may be the ideal solution for a beautifully younger look. A facelift is a surgical procedure and requires some downtime for recovery. If you consider a facelift this year, take the time to choose the very best plastic surgeon.

Schedule Your Facial Rejuvenation Consultation at UCI Plastic Surgery Today

Contact us today to schedule a consultation. We will examine your face and neck to evaluate the laxity or resilience of your skin, ask you questions to understand your goals for treatment, and recommend an approach for achieving the desired results. We can help you make this the year you achieve a younger, fresher look. We have five Orange County area offices: in Orange, Costa Mesa, Tustin, Newport, and Yorba Linda, CA.