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When Does Your Face Start Aging?

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Few things in life are more certain than the inevitability of aging. Time marches on and often it marches all over your face. How long can you expect to enjoy your skin’s youthful elasticity and dewy, youthful glow? Just when does your face start aging?

The skin on your face is subject to environmental barrages of weather, pollution, and sun damage. Then we put it through the wringer of our emotions and anxieties. The expressiveness of your face will show forever. The lines on your face all have their own names and identities. Laugh lines, worry lines, frown lines, crow’s feet. We give them names because they are badges of honor, of a life well-lived.

Unfortunately skin begins to age sooner than many of us would like. While many of us become conscious of aging and buying anti-aging products after we turn 30, the signs of aging may start to appear as early as our mid-twenties. That is when we may first start to notice fine lines around the eyes and spots from sun damage.

Your mid-twenties may seem painfully, brutally, unjustly young to begin the aging process but those first creases are merely harbingers of what is to come. The lines that would fade after a good night’s sleep will become more and more persistent as the years go by until they become permanent fixtures of your visage.

As we age, the skin loses collagen and elastin, which are proteins that make up most of the dermis, or layer of skin tissue beneath the epidermis. As your body produces less of these two proteins, the skin becomes less plump. You’ll notice the structures beneath your skin more: blood vessels will become more pronounced, tendons pop out, and joints become more defined. Skin will start to thin out and you’ll notice a ‘crepey’ texture similar to party streamers. While you’ll see it on your face initially, other aging areas of concern are the backs of your hands, neck, and décolletage.

Aging is a natural process but all hope is not lost! There is no magic wand to erase lines and spots permanently, but Dallas plastic surgeon Dr. Stephanie Teotia can help with a few non-invasive methods. These dermatological procedures can help rewind the clock.

Chemical Peel: Your skin cells naturally shed constantly. As we age, that process slows and skin cells can build up and make your complexion look dull. Exfoliation removes some of the built-up outer layer of skin cells and reveals the younger cells beneath. A chemical peel applies chemicals to the skin which eventually peels off the dull outer layer of skin. This treatment lasts for several weeks and can help minimize the appearance of scars, sun and age spots, and fine lines.

Botox: Injected into the muscles where lines occur, Botox is an effective way to reduce fine lines and wrinkles. It can flatten areas where repeated facial expressions have left their mark in places like crow’s feet, worry lines between the eyebrows, or the parentheses around the mouth. It can also be used to smooth the lines across the neck. Botox is a temporary treatment and can last from 3-6 months. You may notice a reduction in the recurrence of the wrinkles after several treatments.

Filler Injections: Soft tissue filler injections are used to fill in places on the face where wrinkles have become deeper set. Fillers can do so much more than plump up lips! They can be used on lines across the forehead and to fill in hollow temples. Sunken cheeks can once again be filled out as they were in youth. Fillers can help to smooth fine lines around the lips from too much pursing or smoking. They can also help with the lines that run from your nose to the corners of your mouth, and from your mouth to the outer edges of your chin. Filler injections can plump the tear troughs under eyes and improve the look of dark circles. These fillers are a temporary solution and can last anywhere from six months to two years.

These non-surgical treatments are all excellent options if you are looking for a way to combat the early signs of aging, which happen much sooner than we all would prefer. With the experience of Dr.Teotia and her talented medical staff, your skin can regain much of its youthful luster without invasive procedures.