Beauty regimes have become more all-encompassing than ever before, with an unprecedented number of Australian women and men undergoing non-surgical aesthetic procedures.
So what’s the reason behind so many everyday people having anti-wrinkle injections, fillers and chemical peels? A major reason is that patients can now expect greater results with relatively little social or work downtime, which means they can return to everyday life very soon after the procedure.
Aesthetic procedures have certainly also become socially acceptable and financially accessible, and many people who undergo these procedures are now open about what they have had done.
Some of the most popular non-surgical options include:
Botulinum toxin
Botulinum toxin temporarily paralyses muscles to prevent dynamic wrinkles forming. Dynamic wrinkles are caused by facial movement, for example frowning, and occur when the skin’s collagen fibres break on account of regular skin creasing. Botulinum toxin is typically used in the upper face – crow’s feet, frown lines and horizontal forehead lines but can also be used to treat excessive sweating in the underarms, hands and feet.
Results typically last anywhere between three to six months.
Fillers
Dermal fillers can be used to add volume, fill deep folds and smooth fine lines and wrinkles. Dermal fillers can also be used to create fuller lips and pad out hollow cheeks and temples. There are a number of different fillers on the market, and each vary in longevity, composition and viscosity. Generally lasting around four to 12 months, dermal fillers can be used in conjunction with Botulinum toxin injections for a cumulative result.
Facial rejuvenation
Skin needling: A form of collagen induction therapy, skin needling uses microneedles to penetrate the skin and cause mild injury to the dermis. This triggers the body’s natural healing response and promotes the production of new collagen, naturally rejuvenating the skin from within.
Chemical peel
A chemical peel involves topically applying a chemical solution to the skin. This exfoliates the top layer of skin, removing the damaged outer layer. The treatment can help reduce the appearance of fine lines, discolouration, small scars and sun-damaged skin. Chemical skin peels can be grouped into one of three categories: light, medium and deep peels. Typically, light peels use alphahydroxy acids, or beta-hydroxy acids; a medium peel uses trichloracetic acid; and a deep peel uses phenol. The type of peel you undergo should be chosen by the practitioner and will depend on a number of factors.
Microdermabrasion
Microdermabrasion works to exfoliate dead skin cells from the skin’s surface and enhance skin cell turnover. By using specially refined crystals to mildly ablate the skin’s surface, the outer layer of damaged or dead skin cells is removed. Fine particles of either zinc oxide or aluminium oxide crystals are often used, and these particles are vacuumed up along with the dead skin cells.
