A Facelift Without the Surgery
A Look at New Technologies in Noninvasive Cosmetic Procedures
Jun 13, 2009
It’s becoming easier and easier these days to reach that mythical fountain of youth without going under the knife. Years ago, the only options for people searching for a more youthful appearance involved surgery and a lengthy healing period. With the help of new technologies, noninvasive surgeries have become the ultimate combatant in the battle against age. In 2008, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery released its statistics on cosmetic surgery, which found that since 1997, nonsurgical procedures have increased by 233 percent and that number only continues to grow.
A variety of these procedures—from laser and heat based treatments to prescription skin-care lines—are available today, and they boast minimal recovery time. In addition to this convenience, other factors, such as their ease and affordability, are attracting people to noninvasive cosmetic procedures.
Laser Treatments
One of the noninvasive procedures that doctors specialize in is a laser treatment known as fractional resurfacing, meaning that the laser treats only a “fraction” of the skin and targets the skin cells that need to be altered, regenerating their collagen and elasticity. This ensures a speedy recovery time because the body only needs to focus on re-growing small areas of skin as opposed to large portions. Different types of lasers are used depending on what the patient is looking to achieve. Some lasers improve mild to severe skin damage, including fine lines and wrinkles, while other lasers are for more severe skin issues because they target deeper tissue in the skin and tackle deep wrinkles, tighten skin and even treat severe acne scars. Depending on the intensity of the laser used, recovery time for patients can last anywhere between 24 hours and one week.
Patients going through any type of procedure need to be mentally prepared for the outcome and expect realistic results. Although the health risks and side effects are minimal in most cases, the possibility of swelling, redness or blistering with any type of laser procedure always exists. You can ask your doctor to show you before and after pictures to get an idea of what to expect. For a patient, the key question to ask is, “What do I want to achieve?”
Heat-Based Treatments
In a March 2009 interview conducted with Dr. Ruth Hillelson, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon at American Self in Richmond, Va., she notes the possibilities of noninvasive cosmetic surgery. “People are looking for more natural-looking results,” she says. “I think that people understand that as technologies for noninvasive procedures grow, the results get better and better.”
Hillelson specializes in another noninvasive procedure, known as Thermage, that is a heat-based treatment that works by stimulating the collagen and creates natural and subtle results. It uses a deep-heating radiofrequency technology to tighten the existing collagen and form new collagen for tighter, smoother skin in one treatment. Thermage was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2002.
As for how long the results last, it varies depending on how old the patient is and what condition he or she is in. In general, Hillelson says, a single Thermage treatment on the face will usually last about a year and a half to two years.
As the popularity for these procedures grows, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery predicts that in 2009, new techniques and products will advance the science of noninvasive and minimally invasive procedures to produce even more impressive results and shorten downtime.
