Not Your Mother’s Facelift: How Early Cosmetic Dermatology Treatments Can Keep You Looking Your Best for Decades to Come  

Cosmetic Intervention: How Small Skin Treatments Go a Long Way

by Jessica Kaylor, PA-C.

I believe the world of aesthetic medicine is evolving and it is our job as cosmetic dermatology providers to inform our patients of ways to keep them looking their best. Aging is a continually progressing phenomenon, of course, and little touches early in this process are not only effective but also help achieve a more natural look.

Preventive action consistently achieves a superior result to correction of a more advanced problem. The days of “duck lips” and radical cosmetic surgery are not only falling out of style, thank goodness, but I believe our generation will see the value of visiting their cosmetic provider for smaller, tasteful tweaks and touches at an earlier age rather than waiting to need more involved intervention at later stages. Changes in what we offer cosmetically can now fall into the category of good grooming rather than the taboo “take the plunge” attitude that was historically left for bigger procedures in the later decades of life.

Patients often ask me if they “need” Botox. While we all know that cosmetic dermatology treatments are not a medical necessity or a basic “need,” Botox (or, other neurotoxins like Dysport and Xeomin) is appropriate to consider when lines are present at rest, formed by repetitive, pronounced facial muscle movements. Remember when your mother said, “don’t make that face – it will stay that way!” Well, it’s actually quite true. Treating these muscles so that they cannot crease the skin as deeply with every expression softens the effects of time, so we can all be let down a little more easily by Mother Nature. Whether you’re 26 or 46, recommendations are based on individual’s natural facial structure and their personal experience with the aging process.

Dermal fillers to correct volume loss in the face are another essential tool to achieving these cosmetic goals. As we age, we lose the fullness in our cheeks, which often gives us that “baby face” look when we’re younger. A transition to a more mature, sophisticated cheekbone can often quickly progress to unwanted changes such as smile lines around the mouth or even hollow under eyes that leave us looking older and constantly tired.

I never want my patients to look “done” and strive to achieve results that keep them looking like the best version of themselves as they weather the effects of time. My goal is to achieve enhancement that improves what bothers the patient or distracts the eye while never advertising that you’ve been to the dermatologist’s office. We simply work together to uphold a refreshed and youthful, yet natural look. Your mother may never know.