When we think of facelifts, we immediately think of older people, like our grandparents, turning back the clock on signs of aging. However, there is a growing trend where increasing numbers of younger patients are controlling the “pre-juvenation” process by actively slowing down their visible signs of aging.
The trend helps avoid reversing the apparent aging process later in life and helps candidates to be more competitive in the job and dating markets. Even career coaches on the LinkedIn professional website are encouraging the use of profile pictures that show a person as bright-eyed and “ageless.”
With younger people gravitating towards facelifts, it’s interesting learning about what might be driving the trend.
Maintain and Extend a Youthful Appearance
We live in an era known as the “Age of the Selfie.” With increasing attention being paid to people’s faces on social media, the millennial demographic is more focused on their facial structures and physical appearance than any other generation.
In particular, millennials seek to maintain and extend their youthful appearance to help them compete in the workplace or find that perfect next date. Better self-care, non-invasive cosmetic procedures, and even invasive surgeries are increasingly being considered by this demographic.
It’s Not About Reversing Aging
Being more aware of the need to always look their best, young people are increasingly taking care of their skin. The simple act of applying sunscreen with a high SPF every day and avoiding prolonged exposure to direct sunlight reduces UV damage and the development of fine lines, wrinkles, sagging skin, and age spots.
By limiting sun exposure, not smoking, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, young people know that this improves their chances of keeping their youthful looks for longer. Choosing to have a facelift, especially a mini facelift, can provide better results than waiting another 10 or 20 years.
Advances in Plastic Surgery
As cosmetic surgeons continue to advance their skills, knowledge, and use of continually evolving technology, facelifts are Improving. They have become less invasive, delivering natural, long-lasting results with less downtime for both surgery and recovery.
With facelift surgery becoming less of an obstacle for young people coping with busy and demanding careers, it’s becoming more popular to consider the procedure earlier in life rather than later.
Better-Now-Than-Later
There are several good reasons why this better-now-than-later attitude is becoming popular with younger candidates:
- Getting that facelift while the skin is still naturally elastic yields the best results.
- Family genetics can lead to droopy jowls and sagging cheeks, which can be more easily corrected while still young.
- A modern facelift can last a decade, and by getting the procedure done early, young people can enjoy the full benefits for a longer time.
- For younger people, there is a quicker recovery and less downtime.
The first signs of facial aging start to appear in our thirties. Before considering a facelift, non-surgical injectable options like medical-grade, topical retinoids, a Trichloroacetic Acid (TCA) Medical Grade Peel, Botox®, or other dermal fillers, might be the perfect first step to minimizing wrinkles and fine lines.
While these injections relax the muscles for only a few months with each treatment, by preventing the muscles from contracting, wrinkles are prevented from worsening, effectively slowing down the aging process.
Contact Us for Your Youth-Preserving Facelift
If you’re interested in discovering more about why facelifts are growing in popularity with young people, please contact board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr. Florence Mussat in Chicago, IL. Schedule a personal consultation with her online or call (312) 751-9000 today!
Now that we’re a few months into the COVID-19 pandemic, most of us are getting used to wearing face masks. For some of us, they’re a requirement at work; for others, they’re a protective measure when we’re out of our homes. And for many of us, they are causing problems with our skin.
When worn for long periods, face masks can cause chafing, rashes, peeling skin, itchiness, and acne flare-ups. Health care workers, who’ve had some of the most extensive experience with face masks, have dubbed these types of skin problems “maskne.”
How can you protect your skin when you wear a face mask? Here are some tips:
Wear a Well-Fitting, Comfortable Mask
Unless you need to wear a medical-grade face mask for your work, choose a tightly woven cotton mask that’s sewn in two or three layers. Cotton keeps the skin cooler than synthetic fabric does, so it is gentler on your face. Cotton also wicks moisture and oil from the skin’s surface and is less likely to trigger an acne breakout. Masks made of synthetic fabrics, such as nylon, polyester, and rayon, can irritate your skin by trapping heat, moisture, and facial oils.
A mask with an inside layer of silk can be even more comfortable and less irritating to your skin. And silk may be more effective than cotton in blocking aerosols.
If you need to wear an N95 mask for work, as many healthcare workers do, select a mask that fits well. Take the time to adjust it for a proper fit; it should be snug but comfortable — tight enough to create a seal around the edges but not so tight that it digs into your skin.
Wash Your Cloth Mask After Every Use
Don’t wear the same mask for a second day without washing it. The fabric may collect virus particles, which need to be washed out, and it will undoubtedly accumulate pore-clogging particles like dirt and oil. It’s best to keep extra masks on hand so that you always have a fresh one. No special measures are required for cleaning a cotton mask—just throw it in the washing machine after you’re done with it. You can also use fragrance-free laundry detergent and skip the fabric softener, especially if your mask causes skin irritation.
Wash Your Face Regularly
Wash your face with a gentle, pH-balanced cleanser before putting your mask on and after you take it off. Cleansing will minimize the amount of oil and dirt on the inside of your mask while you wear it.
Apply moisturizer every time you wash your face, too. Choose a product that’s right for your skin type: a moisturizing lotion for normal skin, a cream for dry skin, or a gel lotion for oily skin. Apply the moisturizer while your skin is still damp from washing, just after you’ve gently patted it dry.
Protect Your Skin from Mask Friction
Friction, where your mask or its straps rub against your skin, can cause chafing. You can protect your skin from moderate friction with a petrolatum ointment, such as Aquaphor or Vaseline. (Both are oil-based, so don’t use them on areas with acne, if that is a problem for you.) For more severe chafing — from the extended wearing of N95 masks, for example — you might try hydrocolloid bandages.
To help reddened skin heal when you aren’t wearing your mask, hydrocortisone 1% cream may also be a solution. But don’t apply this cream to broken skin. Instead, cover open wounds or cracks with a bandage.
If the skin behind your ears is irritated from a mask with elastic ear loops, switch to one that ties behind your head. Wearing masks with different tie arrangements on alternating days can give your skin a chance to recover.
Take a Break from Makeup
Makeup can clog pores and cause acne in the warm, humid conditions beneath your facemask. Products like foundation and concealer are the worst offenders. No one will see that part of your face anyway, so skip the makeup to protect your skin. It’s fine to use makeup on areas not covered by the mask, such as your eyes and eyebrows.
Choose a Chicago Plastic Surgeon You Can Trust
Dr. Florence Mussat is a board-certified plastic surgeon in downtown Chicago who has extensive experience in facial treatments and cosmetic surgery. Call our office at (312) 751-9000 or contact us online to schedule a personal consultation with Dr. Mussat and our team today.
As if frequent breakouts weren’t enough, the unflattering scars they leave behind are always unfortunate reminders of previous attempts to control acne breakouts. Fortunately, our Board-Certified Plastic and Reconstructive surgeon, Dr. Florence Mussat, can rescue your previously damaged skin with a professional set of treatments and at-home recommendations.
What Causes Your Acne Scars?
Before looking into the treatments, let’s consider the types of acne scars with which you might be dealing. These come in several shapes and sizes and are often accompanied by various signs of facial aging, including forehead and eye wrinkles and other signs of photodamage.
Atrophic or Depressed Scars:
Most prevalent on the face, these commonly seen scars create an indentation in the skin. The depth of the scars can vary depending on their shape. Where wide, U-shaped scars tend to be shallow, narrower V-shaped scars can extend deep below the skin’s surface.
Hypertrophic or Keloid Scars:
While more common on the chest and back for some people, these scars are especially visible, as they sit higher than the surrounding skin. Their prominence is caused by an excess of collagen developing in the area as the scar heals.
Professional Acne Scarring Treatment
Whether you’re a skincare novice or religiously follow the latest cosmetic dermatology news, any new skincare regimen should start with a visit to a trusted expert such as Dr. Mussat. She typically will start by prescribing medical-grade, topical retinoids to treat your acne conditions.
Depending on the condition, depth, and appearance of your current acne scars, Dr. Mussat may also recommend either additional in-office or at-home treatments.
Prevention of Future Acne Scars
To prevent new acne breakouts, continue following your prescribed course of topical retinoids and do the following.
- Wash your face regularly at least twice a day and after exercise to remove dirt and sweat to that pores don’t clog
- Stay out of the sun. Overexposure to the sun can darken scars and make them look more prominent
- Avoid overwashing or scrubbing scarred areas, which can further reduce skin elasticity and heighten the scar’s appearance.
- Avoid picking at scars. Bacteria from unwashed fingers and nails increase the risk of new cysts forming, leading to the development of a larger scar.
- Use sunscreen of at least 30 SPF, which blocks 97% of the sun’s UV rays. Blocking harmful UV rays isn’t only critical for preventing skin cancer; it can also diminish the appearance of acne scars. As scars heal, the newly developing skin can darken faster than the surrounding tissue.
With the help of Dr. Florence Mussat, you can enjoy clear, smooth skin with minimal reminders of past acne outbreaks. To begin your journey towards achieving the look you’ve always wanted, call Dr. Florence Mussat at (312) 751-9000 or schedule a personal consultation with her online today!
Summer is a wonderful time of year – a chance to enjoy relaxing outdoors in the warmth of the sun. But your skin can pay a price for the extra sun exposure. Now that summer is over, you’re probably noticing how the sun has dried your skin. New lines and wrinkles may have formed, and you may see new areas of uneven pigmentation. Fall is the perfect time to soothe and repair your skin. Here are four valuable skin treatments that can help restore your sun-damaged skin to health.
Chemical Peel
A chemical peel removes dead and roughened cells from the skin’s outer layer and stimulates the production of smoother young cells to replace them. In addition to replacing thickened and damaged skin with fresh, youthful cells, a chemical peel can eliminate skin discoloration and uneven pigmentation, reduce wrinkles, and tighten loose skin.
Fall is the perfect time for a chemical peel. The treatment requires time out of the sun while the new skin replaces the old, and at this time of year, it’s natural to spend more time indoors. Your doctor may recommend a series of mild chemical peels, one every few weeks, or a single moderate-strength or deep peel for optimal results.
Microdermabrasion
Microdermabrasion is another technique for removing the sun-damaged outer layer of skin and stimulating its replacement. In microdermabrasion, fine crystals are rubbed across the skin using a medically-calibrated wand, loosening and removing the skin’s rough outer layer. After treatment, moisturizer is applied to the area to protect and nurture the new skin.
Microdermabrasion can eliminate dull, unevenly colored and textured skin and give you a brighter, smoother, more uniform complexion. This, too, is an excellent option for fall skin treatment. It speeds the skin’s natural process of sloughing off damaged skin and gives you a fresher, younger, and healthier glow for the new season.
Laser Skin Rejuvenation
Laser skin rejuvenation, also known as laser skin resurfacing or a laser peel, uses another technology — a concentrated beam of light — to gently exfoliate the skin’s sun-damaged outer layer. The treatment also heats the underlying skin, accelerating its growth as it replaces the damaged tissue with fresh-looking, smooth new skin. It does this by stimulating the production of collagen in the new skin.
In addition to healing and restoring sun-damaged skin, laser skin rejuvenation can reduce fine lines and wrinkles, tighten sagging skin, and eliminate uneven pigmentation. It can also be used to erase scarring from acne, chickenpox, or an injury or surgery. Because of its versatility, laser treatment is an excellent option if you have more than one concern about your skin that you’d like to address.
Retinol Creams
Made from vitamin A, retinol is a potent ingredient in many restorative skin-care products. It works by boosting the production of collagen in your skin and speeding up the natural process of renewal. With higher levels of collagen, the skin retains more moisture and becomes plumper, filling in and softening fine lines and wrinkles.
Fall is a good time to use retinol, not just because your skin needs restoration after the summer, but because the treatment makes your skin more vulnerable to additional sun damage. It is important to follow instructions to moisturize the skin during use and keep out of the sun while the new skin is growing. Be careful, too, not to overdo the treatment, as too much retinol can result in dry, irritated skin.
Dr. Florence Mussat is a board-certified plastic surgeon in downtown Chicago. Call our office at (312) 751-900 today or contact us online to schedule a personal consultation and find out which treatments will best meet your skin-restoration needs.
Getting everything (including yourself) ready for your big day can feel like a Herculean task. As is the case with any big project, however, starting early—and developing a realistic schedule—can work wonders to reduce stress and create stunning results. If you’re not sure where to begin, the timeline below will give you an idea of when to book different cosmetic bridal treatments.
One year before your wedding, you should start adjusting your lifestyle and improving your skincare regimen. Make sleep a priority and get into a routine; resist the temptation to stay up late planning your wedding. You should also optimize your diet: Even if you’re not trying to lose weight in time for your wedding, eating a diet rich in nutritious whole foods (and low in processed foods) will reduce breakouts and give you a natural “glow.” If you are trying to lose weight, Dr. Mussat offers a some medically supervised weight loss programs to help her patients slim down in a safe, healthy way.
Regarding skincare, you should start applying a medical-grade serum containing topical retinoids about one year before your wedding. These highly specialized compounds reduce acne symptoms while also slowly fading sun spots, freckles, fine lines, and other blemishes. Retinoids do have a few potential side-effects to be aware of, though, so they should only be used under the guidance of a board-certified plastic surgeon or dermatologist. Your skin care provider will help you work out a plan to avoid excess sun exposure and other irritants that can compromise the effectiveness of retinoid creams.
Six Months Before Your Wedding
Six months before your wedding, you should step up your skincare game: Consider trying injectable treatments, like Botox and dermal fillers, to smooth out distracting creases and amplify your best features. Even young brides sometimes find that Botox and fillers make them look better in photos as these compounds can correct genetic abnormalities (like naturally deep nasolabial folds or forehead creases) that are unrelated to the aging process.
Trying an injectable treatment six months before your big day will allow you to experiment: Because fillers and Botox wear off within three to six months, if you try a treatment and don’t like it, you can just let it dissolve naturally before you wedding. If you do like the results of your treatment, you can repeat it closer to your wedding date.
This is also a great time to book any surgical procedures you’re interested in having. Though most plastic surgery procedures only require a week or two of downtime, some procedures take a while to fully settle. Breast implants, for example, take about six months to “drop and fluff” (i.e., settle into a natural position and reach their final size). Having surgery well ahead of time ensures that you’ll look your absolute best when you walk down the aisle. It will also give you ample time to recover before you become very busy with wedding preparations.
Three Months Before Your Wedding
In the months leading up your wedding, you should start getting regular manicures and pedicures. You should also settle on a hair color and style that works with the gown you’ve chosen.
One Month Before Your Wedding
During the month before your celebration, you should schedule “top up” injections of Botox or fillers, if you want to freshen up the results of a previous treatment. If you’re having gel or acrylic nails applied, we recommend having them placed at least a couple of weeks before your wedding. Doing this will give you time to get used to how they feel before your wedding. Finally, make sure to have your teeth whitened during the month leading up to your big day.
As your wedding date nears, have any last minute waxing done (two to three days in advance) and have your nails touched up, if needed. You should also try to avoid stress and over-indulgence: Consider meditation to ease any pre-wedding jitters, limit alcohol, stay hydrated, and get enough sleep. By caring for your body—inside and out—you’ll guarantee that you look and feel fabulous when you say “I do.”
