Holiday Wrinkles? Here's an Intro to Injectables

For when the scariest holiday lines aren't the ones at the mall...

From the LifeMinute Team

December 4, 2014

You know what we're talking about, Superwoman. Your masterful task-juggling skills are put to the ultimate test during the holidays each year, so it's only a matter of time before you see the toll that time -- and all of life's other stresses -- is beginning to take on your beautiful skin.

Dermatologist Dr. Dendy Engelman understands, and has her own theory about why we're prone to getting hyper sensitive about everything from fine lines to deep wrinkles when the holidays roll around. "Obviously when we look better, we kind of feel better. And going into the holiday season, we haven't seen a lot of family and friends for months and maybe not since last year," explains Dr. Engelman, "In addition to that, there's going to be lots of cameras around and people posting pictures so we want to look our holiday best. And patients come to me frequently, and they want to know how to do that."

What follows is a consultation, during which Dr. Engelman assesses her patient's face and how they're aging and picks the appropriate treatment for them. "Most commonly what bothers patients is the crow's feet region starts to wrinkle, or the frown lines in between the eyebrows," says Dr. Engelman, "And so the only FDA-approved treatment for this is Botox Cosmetic, which is great and easy to inject in this area and relax those muscles so that those wrinkles aren't so apparent." The best time for Botox? The doc says about a week before your big event, holiday party or other special occasion because it takes about that long for everything to be activated.

Uh-oh, is it already too late for you? No worries. There's a treatment option for when you need a quick fix, too. "Now, if we don't have that much time before the big holiday gathering, we can do filler," says Dr. Engelman. She tells us that what happens as we age is our face morphs from a very youthful appearing triangle, where we have high cheekbones and fullness through the apples of the cheeks, to more of an upside-down triangle. Why? Gravity, natch. As it sets in, we lose the fat pad (that face-plumping pad that helps us keep our adorable triangle in tact), and so we look more aged. "So, in order to restore that," the doctor continues, "I'll inject a mid-face volumizer called Voluma, which is excellent in making patients look younger within instants, and it lasts for up to two years." Even better? It's virtually painless, non-invasive, doesn't require anesthesia, and can be done in minutes in a doctor's office. Adds Dr. Engelman, "It's really great for making patients looks younger before they're going to the holiday or family gathering."

If all of that new info puts a big hopeful smile on your face, well, eventually that could bother you, too. But there's another solution, as Dr. Engelman explains, "Sometimes patients come in and they're worried about the smile lines at the areas around their face that have just been from facial expressions, and some volume loss, so we can inject a different filler called Juvderm, and that works beautifully in this area to soften those lines and make them look younger. So we have a lot of different options that we can do that are non-invasive but take years off someone's appearance. And they're long-lasting, so it's really nice to have all of these options at our fingertips." But just because the options are at your fingertips, doesn't mean you should ever take matters into your own hands. Dr. Engelman encourages scheduling an appointment for an assessment by a licensed and trained professional to see what treatment option is best for you.

But maybe you're still on the fence. That's okay, you're not alone. In these cases, Dr. Engelman's approach involves the art of, quite simply, good listening. Says the doc, "I frequently will sit with my patients and give them a mirror and say, 'What bothers you? Where does your eye go first if you're being critical with your face?' And so, we start there and just do baby steps. And frequently, Botox will be the first thing that we do, because it's a very easy injection that doesn't really change the face that much, but it makes them look more relaxed, and it's a very natural aesthetic. And once they get comfortable with that, then we can step into more advanced injections. But that's an easy way to start." AND it's not the only way to start. "If people just want to enhance the way they look," says Dr. Engelman, "We can also just talk about a good easy skin care regimen that incorporates retinols or prescription retinoids in order to make their skin look better, and then they're still going to have enhanced appearance benefits."

Still want more info? Well, of course you do, this is your lovely face we're talking about! So check out BotoxCosmetic.com or Juvederm.com where you'll get a lot of your questions answered, and then consult with your health care provider to decide what's right for you.

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