Wrinkles

As we age, our skin collagen density and quality deteriorates, and elastin fibres weaken. The skin becomes loose, sags and wrinkles. Previous sun-exposure, cigarette smoke and genetic factors all contribute to the process.

Wrinkles can be classified to two types:
 - Dynamic wrinkles (expression lines)
 - Static wrinkles (wrinkles that are present at rest)

　

Treatment Approach:

1. Stop Further Damage
It is never too late to start using sun-protection. Apply a sunscreen daily, as the damaging effect of UV light is cumulative and every little bit adds up. You don't need to get sunburnt to experience sun-damaged. Choose a sunscreen with SPF 15 or above and with good UVA protection. If you smoke, stop or try to cut-back.

2. Restructuring the Skin
The aim of this is to encourage skin to produce new and healthier collagen, elastin fibres and cells by stimulating its repair mechanisms. The skin will be smoother and firmer and more resilient to the aging process. This can be done by using restorative skincare products.
Topical antioxidants, retinols, glycolic acid and pentapeptides have been shown to be effective at reversing skin aging to a certain degree. The more effective strengths are usually only available as prescriptive skincare products.

3. Select further treatments

Apart from keeping yourself from having new wrinkles, you should also receive further treatment to reduce the wrinkles on your face. The most common treatments are:

Intense Pulsed Light & Laser Facials	AHA (Glycolic Acid) Peels	THERMAGE®	FRAXEL®
These non-ablative gentle treatments can boost collagen production in the skin, thus improving fine lines. They also help to improve discolouration.	This is a simple, no down-time treatment that will gradually improve sun-damaged skin.	THERMAGE® increases collagen deep within the skin. THERMAGE® has been shown to not only improve wrinkles, but also tighten loose skin.	FRAXEL® renews the skin structure by removing old, worn-out skin and replacing it with new, healthier, smoother and less wrinkled skin.

　 　

BOTOX® (for dynamic wrinkles)	Dermal Fillers (for deeper wrinkles)
Examples of dynamic wrinkles (expression lines) are frown lines between the eyebrows, crow’s feet and forehead lines. These form due to repeated muscle action. BOTOX®, by relaxing the specific muscles, is the most effective treatment for these. BOTOX® does not help static wrinkles, but can prevent static wrinkles setting in where the dynamic wrinkles are.	Dermal fillers, such as Restylane, can be injected inside the skin to "lift" it up to decrease the depth of the wrinkle. This is particularly suitable for the deeper lines around the lip, mouth and forehead. It can also be combined with BOTOX® to achieve the maximum improvement for more advanced frown lines.