For ages, people never stopped looking for ways of looking younger - the search for the fountain of youth is centuries old. And although we still haven’t achieved the perfect elixir, there are many significant advances in anti-aging skin care that enable us to finally achieve a younger look.

Aging is the natural process by which the body loses its functionality due to the advancement in years. The skin is the first organ to show signs of aging. For example, even before you start developing gray hair or balding, there is a great probability that lines and wrinkles will have appeared on the skin. There are many skin care treatments available in the market to counter the aging effects. Some of these include:

Laser treatments

These kinds of treatments use devices that convert light energy into heat and use that energy to bring about skin rejuvenation by increasing collagen production, tightening the skin, killing acne bacteria, and other conditions affecting the tone and texture of the skin.

Use of laser treatment for a softer texture is a wide topic and can be even overwhelming. As such the best way forward is to schedule a consultation with your dermatologist to determine what works best for you. However, just to mention briefly, there are many types of lasers, and each is optimized for a particular condition.

For example, CO2 lasers are used to treat deeper skin flaws; fractional lasers are optimized to work on small fractions of the skin which reduces downtime while erbium lasers are optimized for darker skins and are effective in boosting collagen production.

Dermal fillers and volumizers

Injectable dermal fillers are solutions that are used to reduce lines and wrinkles on the face by promoting the production of collagen cells or improving the hydrating effect of the skin.

The skin develops lines and wrinkles when it loses its elasticity. Some of the common dermal fillers which can be used to bring about a softer texture are hyaluronic acid, collagen-based, and polyacrylamide gel.

Hyaluronic fillers are more compatible with the skin because they are made from naturally occurring components in the body. As such there are lower incidences of allergic reactions compared to the other methods.

Dermabrasion and microdermabrasion

As it’s evident from the spelling of these words, there are definitely some similarities. The two processes of skin resurfacing are ablative and require the removal of some layers on the skin.

With dermabrasion, several layers of the skin are removed while with microdermabrasion only a small section of the top layer of the skin is removed. Due to this, dermabrasion has a longer downtime compared to microdermabrasion.

Both procedures use handheld devices with dermabrasion devices mostly consisting of a rotating wheel and a wire brush. The wounds inflicted on the skin through dermabrasion are bigger, and it’s advisable to use the anesthetic product during the procedure. Skin rejuvenation happens as the skin heals from the inflicted wounds.

Botox

This a drug prepared from botulin. It inhibits the production of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, and this causes permanent paralysis of the tissues. This paralysis puts an immediate ending to the aging on specific body tissues.

However, as you already know, aging is a natural process, and nothing can stop it completely. Thus, Botox can be effective for a short while, but in the long run, it can have drastic impacts on the skin as it can intensely disfigure due to lack of proportionate aging.

Some interesting facts about Botox:

• With over 6 million Botox treatments administered each year, Botox is the most popular non-surgical cosmetic treatment.

• Botox is obtained from Clostridium botulinum, an organism in the natural environment where it’s mostly non-toxic and inactive.

• Botulinum toxin is utilized to decrease wrinkles and fine lines by paralyzing the muscles.

• Botox is also used to treat migraines, muscular disorders, excessive sweating, and some bowel and bladder disorders.

• An illness caused by botulinum toxin called botulism can induce respiratory failure and prove fatal.

• A single gram of botulinum toxin can kill over 1 million people. And two kilograms is enough to kill the whole human population on the planet.

PRP treatment with or without micro needling

The initial PRP stands for platelet rich plasma. The procedure uses the patient’s blood which is passed through a centrifuge machine to produce a blood solution with high concentrations of platelets.

The platelet-rich plasma solution helps in regenerating the body cells as well as promoting the natural healing process. This helps to smoothen the skin and improve its texture.

This treatment can be used together with micro needling to intensify the healing process. Micro-needling inflicts small wounds on the skin, and as the skin heals, it smoothens out.

How Effective are the Anti-Aging Skin Treatments

The anti-aging skin treatments we have discussed above are subjective. Each treatment is optimized for a particular condition since aging has a series of effects on the skin. For example, there might be acne or breakouts, creasing and wrinkling as well as other anti-aging effects. It’s advisable to consult with your doctor to know the best treatment for your specific condition.