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class="left"> <div class="tab"></div> <div class="boxContent"> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.agemoreslowly.com/skin-hair-and-aging/skin-news-info.html">Skin News & Info</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.agemoreslowly.com/skin-hair-and-aging/skin-treatments.html">Skin Treatments</a></li> <li class="last"><a href="http://www.agemoreslowly.com/skin-hair-and-aging/effective-skin-products.html">Effective Skin Products </a></li> </ul> </div> <br /> <table width="230"> <tr><td><span class="smalltext"><a href="http://www.agemoreslowly.com/oms_track/click.php?link=84"><u><span class="redtext">Want To Use Retin-A?</span></u></a><br /> Fade Lines and Wrinkles<br /> No Prescription Required<br /> <a href="http://www.agemoreslowly.com/oms_track/click.php?link=84">Get Retin-A (Tretinoin) Now!</a></span> </td></tr></table> <table width="230"> <tr><td><span class="smalltext"><a href="http://www.agemoreslowly.com/oms_track/click.php?link=8"><u><span class="redtext">Kinerase Ultimate 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this Super Antioxidant Combo</a></span> </td></tr></table> <br><a href="http://agemoreslowly.com/oms_track/click.php?link=53" target="_blank" onmouseover="window.status='http://skincarerx.com';return true;" onmouseout="window.status=' ';return true;"> <img src="http://www.ftjcfx.com/image-2328162-10556102" width="120" height="90" alt="SkinCareRx.com" border="0"/></a> <br> <br><a href="http://www.agemoreslowly.com/oms_track/click.php?link=54"><IMG alt="DERMAdoctor.com, Inc." border="0" src="http://www.dermadoctoraffiliates.com/graphics/images/headquarters120x60c.gif"></a><IMG border="0" width="1" height="1" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=Z4xhZu*SuXo&bids=30329.10000046&type=4&subid=0"> </div>   <div class="right"> <div class="boxReview"> <h1>Skin Treatments - continued<br /> </h1> <img src="http://www.agemoreslowly.com/images/thumbs/woman-getting-skin-treatment.jpg" alt="woman getting a skin treatment" class="padRight" />  <h2><a name="radiofrequency-thermal"></a>Radiofrequency (thermal)</h2> <p>This is the basis of the Thermage system. Radiofrequency energy is targeted into lower layers of the skin, which results in heating in these layers of the skin. The surface of the skin is continually cooled so that it does not get hot. The heating of the deeper layers of the skin causes the collagen to denature and then contract. The result is a tightening of the skin and a lessening of lines and wrinkles. The effects take a while to develop. It is effective for all skin types.</p> <p>Due to local heating Thermage can be uncomfortable while the skin is being treated. However, the recovery time from Thermage is generally petty quick, hours to a few days at most. Usually there is just some swelling and redness. The effectiveness varies between people. Some people show dramatic improvements, for others the improvement is marginal. It tends to be most effective for those with early signs of aging.</p> <h2><a name="ultrasound"></a>Ultrasound</h2> <p>Ultrasound therapy is in the early stage of development. The FDA has approved the Ultherapy Ultrasound system for lifting brows. The theory is that the ultrasound causes scarring and collagen production which tightens the brow area, which lifts sagging brows. There recovery is time is short with redness and puffiness for a few hours after the treatment. It is likely that other areas of the face will soon be treated with this type of treatment. See the blog post about <a href="http://agemoreslowly.com/blog/skin/ultherapy-ultrasound-eyebrow-lift-for-sagging-eyelids/">Ultherapy and eyebrow lifts</a> for more information.</p> <h2><a name="intense-pulsed-light"></a>Intense Pulsed Light (IPL)</h2> <p>This involves high energy pulses of visible light. The light is targeted to deep within the skin and does not affect the surface of the skin, which is cooled. There are different IPL systems that target different problems, such spider veins, hyperpigmentation or unwanted hair. Since there is some heating associated with the intense light, often there is some tightening of the skin and reduced lines and wrinkles. This is one of the least painful treatments. There is generally some redness, like mild sunburn afterwards.</p> <h2><a name="lasers"></a>Lasers</h2> <p>There are a number of different lasers and laser techniques. There are ablative and non-ablative lasers. Ablation means eroding material from the surface of an object.</p> <p>By damaging skin, laser treatment encourages the formation of new collagen, as the skin heals.</p> <p>Ablative lasers takes off the top layer of the skin. They are quite aggressive and healing takes quite a while. Usually only one treatment is required. In a small percentage of patients there is some scarring and/or pigmentation. Hyperpigmentation is more likely to occur in those with darker skin types. Newer laser systems generally use fractional lasers, which do not treat the whole skin area, but just lots of small areas. Think of it like a pattern of dots on the skin. Since the ablated areas are surrounded by undamaged skin recovery is faster.</p> <p>Non-ablative lasers penetrate into the skin and do not damage the surface. These lasers are also, now, usually fractional. These lasers are often termed Fraxel, the name of the first approved fractional laser, like a copy machine is often called a Xerox. Since the surface of the skin is not removed this type of laser does not result in any raw areas. The recovery period is shorter with the skin often looking like it has bad sunburn. Usually more treatments are required than for an ablative laser. Though less likely than with an ablative laser, there is still the possibility of increased pigmentation.</p> <p>For both ablative and non-ablative treatments there are different types of lasers. Depending on the reason for treatment, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, large pores etc., some types of lasers may be more appropriate than others.</p> <h2><a name="botulinum-toxin"></a>Botulinum toxin (Botox)</h2> <p>Botulinum toxin is a nerve poison. When injected in the surface layer of the body, the muscles controlled by the poisoned nerves are no longer able to contract. Muscle paralysis leads to a relaxation of lines on the face, such as frown lines and the lines between the eyebrows (glabellar).</p> <p>The effects generally last three to six months. In addition to Botox, Dysport (Reloxin) which has been in use in Europe for a number of years has recently been approved by the FDA for use in the US.</p> <h2><a name="fillers"></a>Fillers</h2> <p>Fillers are an increasingly popular treatment. They are injected into an area to fill it out and push out wrinkles and folds. A popular area is the nasolabial folds that run from either side of the nose to the mouth.</p> <p>The first type of filler that became widely available is collagen which lasts a few months. Recently there have been advances in collagen technology and there are now longer lasting collagen products. Examples of collagen-based products include Cosmoderm, Cosmoplast, Evolence, Fasican, Zyderm and Zyplast. Artefill is has beads made of polymethylmethacrylate suspended in collagen.</p> <p>Another type of filler is hyaluronic acid. Examples of hyaluronic acid-based products are Captique, Hylaform, Juvederm, Perlane and Restylane.</p> <p>Two other commonly used fillers are microspheres of calcium and phosphate, Radiesse, and a suspension of poly-L-lactic acid, Sculptra.</p> <p>Fat grafting is the taking of fat from another part of the body and use to fill the area. This does have the advantage that the fat is not “foreign” so there is not the possibility of an allergic or other reaction.</p> <p>The length of time that fillers are effective depend on the filler, the site of injection, the amount of the injection and personal variation.</p> <h2>In conclusion</h2> <p>There have been big advances in anti-aging treatments both for home use and in the dermatologists office. There are now many more options available for home use. The trend at dermatologists is for treatments that are non-ablative, leaving the surface of the skin intact. This has several advantages including less pain, less downtime (if any), and a much lower risk of hyperpigmentation or scarring.</p> <p>None of these treatments offer instant results. They require time for healing and/or multiple treatments.</p> <p>How well these techniques work depend on many things such as age, condition of the skin, which technique is used and individual variation. However, it is clear that for the majority of people there will be noticeable improvement in skin appearance.</p> <p> </p> <p> <a href="http://www.agemoreslowly.com/skin-hair-and-aging/skin-treatments.html">Previous</a> <a href="http://www.agemoreslowly.com/skin-hair-and-aging/skin-treatments.html">[1]</a> [2] </div> </div>   <div class="divider"></div> </div> </div>    <div id="footer"> <div class="footerHolder"> <div class="copy">Copyright © 2009 Age More Slowly </div> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.agemoreslowly.com/">Home</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.agemoreslowly.com/skin-hair-and-aging/">Skin</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.agemoreslowly.com/body-health-and-aging/">Health</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.agemoreslowly.com/diet-nutrition/">Diet</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.agemoreslowly.com/brain-mind-and-aging/">Mind</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.agemoreslowly.com/blog/">Blog</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.agemoreslowly.com/contact.html">Contact</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.agemoreslowly.com/privacy.html">Privacy Policy</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.agemoreslowly.com/disclaimer.html">Disclaimer</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.agemoreslowly.com/disclosure.html">Disclosure</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.agemoreslowly.com/about.html">About</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.agemoreslowly.com/sitemap.html">Sitemap</a></li> </ul> <div class="divider"></div> </div> </div>  <script src="http://static.getclicky.com/103062.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <noscript><p><img alt="Clicky" width="1" height="1" src="http://static.getclicky.com/103062-db12.gif" /></p></noscript> </body> </html>