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How to defy the signs of aging

By DR. GRACE CAROLE BELTRAN, The Philippine STAR Published May 23, 2023 5:00 am

Age doesn’t define you. So, when your birthday comes, be thankful for the year that has passed and anticipate with a happy heart what the future has in store.

John Byrne says getting old is fine. There is nothing you can do to stop it, so you might as well stay on the bus. But as the saying goes: “Age is a case of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”

But do not despair because “you can’t help getting older, but you don’t have to look old,” especially with all the new discoveries and technology that help defy aging.

Signs of aging 

The four major structural components of our face are skin, fat, muscle, and bone. As we age, volume loss in these structures contributes to many of the visible signs of aging.

Over time, age-related bone loss in the face can lead to retraction of the jawline, descent of the nose, and loss of high cheekbones.

The facial muscles also decrease in volume and elasticity, and deflation and movement of facial fat further accentuates the signs of aging. Finally, the skin stretches and loses elasticity—compounded by the loss of scaffolding provided by fat, muscle and bone, this leads to wrinkles, sagging skin, and other familiar signs of aging.

Getting older is inevitable, but you don’t have to look old, especially with all the new discoveries and technology that help defy aging.

There’s a lot of information on filler injections, neuromodulator or toxins, and stem cells or exosomes. Anti-aging treatments have revolved around these three for years.

If you have sagging skin due to huge amounts of bone and muscle loss, surgery is a viable option. 

The good news? There’s a treatment that combines three anti-aging procedures in one—without leaking—and is almost painless. 

In the past, manual injection could cause a lot of leakage, wasting 1/3 of the injectable material. 

Using this technology gives us a precise injection, thus preventing intravascular injection (injecting substances intravenously) and the dreaded complications of filler injections.

This machine knows the exact amount of the combination substances needed by the skin, so wastage is prevented.

Several needles are used to inject three substances altogether so the procedure is delivered faster! 

This procedure is ideal for not-so-young individuals and the not-so-old either, and it maximizes results in one sitting.

Injecting botulinum toxin, fillers, and exosomes at the same time is something that the beauty industry should be thankful for. It makes the work of the dermatologist easier, more accurate—and without too much downtime (two to three days).

Exosome Therapy 

Exosome therapy is an exciting new field in regenerative medicine that holds the promise of influencing and reprogramming a variety of body cells to regenerate, heal and repair.

As we age, our skin loses the ability to maintain collagen synthesis and repair damaged cells. Exosomes use ASCE+ Derma Signal Complexes, which are likened to messengers that quickly deliver helpful information to skin cells. It also facilitates intracellular communication by merging with old skin and hair cells and releasing information to them, allowing them to regenerate, rejuvenate and improve.

Exosome therapy can help manage degenerative conditions, tissue repair, anti-inflammation and anti-aging because it targets aging, injured, or diseased cells, instructing them to regenerate and repair.

The exosomes, numbering in the billions, attach to target cells in the skin. Once they attach to the cells, they transfer their payload into the cells, providing raw materials (proteins) and instructions (mRNA, miRNA, signaling cytokines) that prompt and empower them to regenerate and repair.

Exosomes also enhance cell-to-cell communications, leading to a swift improvement in health and vitality. Its effects are as follows: reduces inflammation, supports metabolic function, improves brain health, reduces chronic pain, enhances tissue regeneration, and boosts immune health.

Fillers

Facial fillers are substances injected into the skin to smooth wrinkles and make them less noticeable. As one ages, the body starts to lose collagen. Collagen is an important substance that exists all over your body, including in your skin, muscles, bones and connective tissues. Decreased amounts of collagen in your skin will cause skin laxity (loose skin) and loss of volume. Skin becomes thinner, loses its elasticity and starts to sag.

Facial fillers are substances injected into the skin to smooth wrinkles and make them less noticeable.

You may choose to get dermal fillers to:

  • Add volume to sagging skin.
  • Make your facial features more symmetrical.
  • Plump up lips and cheeks.
  • Smoothen wrinkles and creases in the face.

Some medications prescribed to treat medical conditions such as HIV and AIDS can cause thinness in your face. Some people choose to get dermal fillers to restore volume to their face after taking these medications.

Dermal fillers are very common. Every year in the United States, more than three million people choose to get dermal fillers. Patients see the results of dermal fillers right away. The injections usually take less than an hour, and you can get them right in your healthcare provider’s office. Because it’s a non-surgical treatment, recovery time is minimal.

Depending on the type of filler, results can last months or even years. Some fillers work for more than two years. Dermal fillers are also typically less expensive than elective surgical procedures.

Neutoxins 

Botulinum toxin is a drug doctors have been using for years to treat wrinkles and facial creases. Botox is a brand name of a toxin made from the bacterium clostridium botulinum. There are other brands, such as Dysport and Xinmin. Botox is the term you hear most often because it was the first injectable botulinum toxin.

How is Botox used? The most common reason doctors use Botox is to reduce the appearance of face wrinkles. But getting a Botox shot can help treat other conditions, such as:

  • Severe underarm sweating (hyperhidrosis)
  • Cervical dystonia, a neurological disorder that causes severe neck and shoulder muscle spasms
  • Blinking that you can’t control (blepharospasm)
  • Eyes that point in different directions (strabismus)
  • Chronic migraine
  • Overactive bladder

How does Botox work? Botox blocks signals from the nerves to the muscles. The injected muscle cannot contract. That makes wrinkles relax and soften.

Botox is most often used on forehead lines, crow’s feet (lines around the eye), and frown lines. Botox will not help with wrinkles caused by sun damage or gravity.

Youthfulness is the gift of nature, but age is a work of art and aesthetic procedures are undeniably an art!