Look younger in a flash

Your friends are saying that you look better, more relaxed. Maybe you were away, maybe you got a haircut, maybe it’s something else? In a subtle way that they can’t pinpoint, your appearance has improved. Nothing drastic, just better, fresher, more relaxed.

What’s your secret? Only you and your dermatologist know.

These days, with today’s busy lifestyles, many people prefer to maintain or enhance their appearance with gradual, subtle, more discreet methods than in the past. Technology has kept pace with this demand, and has allowed the concept of “no down time” to become a realistic approach to cosmetic improvements.

What procedures fit into this category? “No down time” procedures include microdermabrasion, Botox and Dysport, mild chemical peels, filler injections such as Restylane, Thermage and many of the newest lasers and light sources. Some procedures do double duty by treating sun-related precancerous growths while at the same time improving your appearance.

The skin has several layers. Treatments targeted at the top layer can improve brown spots, surface roughness, fine wrinkling and the overall tone and texture of the skin. Deeper treatments are used to improve deeper wrinkles, some pigmentation problems and acne scars. Treating the deeper layers can tighten the skin and result in a “non-surgical facelift,” and can also recontour the cheeks, jowl area and loose skin under the chin. Other treatments help relax the muscles that cause the frown lines between the eyes, crow’s feet at the sides of the eyes, and the horizontal forehead lines.

It is also possible, with some of the newer fillers, to improve the hollow appearance that some people develop under the eyes.

Nowadays, there’s no need to put off improving your appearance just because you can’t take time to heal. Skip lunch, zip into your dermatologist’s office, and leave already looking better. This is the 21st century.