Slowing down Father Time with a magic needle
Wrinkles, along with white hair, are usually the first signs of aging most of us notice, usually somewhere in our early or mid 30s. But when it comes to wrinkles, you have a wider choice of products and procedures than with any other cosmetic process. The skin does not lose its youthfulness overnight but has many enemies that wear it down over the course of time. By knowing what causes wrinkles you can take steps to delay or even reverse some of these effects. With age, skin loses its elasticity, begins to thin, and the underlying vascular composition and tissue structures become more visible on the surface.
The output of the sweat and oil glands slowly declines, which contributes to moisture loss. This in turn increases the possibility of Wrinkles, along with white hair, are usually the firstsigns of aging most of us notice, usually somewhere inour early or mid 30s. But when it comes to wrinkles, youhave a wider choice of products and procedures thanwith any other cosmetic process.The skin does not lose its youthfulness overnight buthas many enemies that wear it down over the courseof time. By knowing what causes wrinkles you can takesteps to delay or even reverse some of these effects.With age, skin loses its elasticity, begins to thin, and theunderlying vascular composition and tissue structuresbecome more visible on the surface. The output of thesweat and oil glands slowly declines, which contributesto moisture loss. This in turn increases the possibility of irritation, and the skin also becomes more vulnerable to injury. Healing times are also increased.
The most common causes of wrinkles include smoking, excessive sun exposure, heredity, alcohol, and diet. There are many things you can do to delay the aging process, many of them quite simple and relatively cheap, and they can even be quite beneficial to your overall health. A change of diet, especially including foods rich in vitamins A, B, C and E, will help slow the aging process. Quenching your thirst with plain water instead of caffeine-based drinks such as coffee, tea, and soft drinks will keep your skin and body hydrated and skin moisture balanced. Rest and exercise are also very important in keeping skin looking taut and healthy. Wearing protective clothing, including a hat and suntan lotion and sunblock, can work wonders. Keeping alcohol consumption to a minimum and not smoking go a long way towards keeping those unwanted lines at bay.
If these steps aren’t enough to slow down the aging process and you’d like to get rid of or smooth out some wrinkles around your eyes and forehead, there are quite a number of options available. Creams, lotions, and potions aside, there is a whole array of different types of procedures to help smooth out those fine lines. Here is a shortlist of some of the more popular ones:
• Botox – Injections are a short-term treatment for fine lines and wrinkles on the face. Botox is most commonly used to treat frown lines, laugh lines, crow’s feet, and forehead wrinkles – it works by relaxing the muscles and thus making the lines disappear. It lasts from 3 to 6 months and can be repeated. Botox is a protein toxin produced by a bacterium. Because it is injected in extremely small amounts, its effects remain localized. It has very few side effects.
• Collagen – This natural protein keeps skin moisturized and elastic. Injectable bovine collagen has been in use for over a quarter of a century. It is mainly used to soften lines around the mouth and sometimes also to increase the size of the lips. Another popular use is to erase acne scars. This is also a temporary treatment, lasting from 3 to 4 months. Some people are allergic to bovine collagen and thus skin tests must be carried out before it is injected.
• Fat – Definitely for the not-so-queasy, in this procedure your own fat is removed, via tumescent liposuction, usually from the thighs, stomach, or the buttocks, and is then used as a wrinkle filler. As with most treatments it is not permanent, because facial subcutaneous fat loss is a natural part of the aging process. With this process there are no threats of allergic reactions.
• Hyaluronic acid – Often referred to as Restylane, this is a basic and naturally occurring substance in the human skin. It is also injected and is ideal in treating larger folds of skin around the mouth and the cheeks. Its effects last from 6 to 9 months and allergic reactions are rare, though it is not recommended to be used by people who have taken any type of blood medication in the previous 5 years. So the next time you look in the mirror and you begin to notice a few unwanted lines creeping in, rest assured, a quick, relatively painless, and cheap solution is right around the corner waiting for you, at the many Prague cosmetics shops and skin clinics