Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Articles

Ever heard of micro needling? That’s collagen induction therapy.

Basically, it stimulates the body’s own natural healing response, dramatically improving skin tone and texture. The result is firmer, more radiant skin.

Collagen induction therapy suits all skin types and colors. It’s most often used on the face to target:

• Wrinkles and fine lines
• Uneven skin tone
• Sun damage
• Acne scars and other types of scarring
• Enlarged pores

It can also be used on other parts of the body. One study found that it’s an effective treatment for stretch marks on the thighs and abdominal area when it’s combined with dermal fillers.

How does it work?

A sterile roller with hundreds of micro-needles makes tiny pinpricks when it passes over the skin—it sounds much more terrifying than it actually is—which causes the skin cells to go into healing mode and produce new collagen-rich tissue.

It’s normal for the skin to lose collagen through aging or injury. Microneedling helps replenish those stores.

A topical anesthetic is applied prior to the procedure to minimize discomfort, but the treatment is not painful. Most describe it as a prickling sensation.

After the rolling part, vitamins A and C are applied. Once they penetrate the tiny perforations on the surface and make their way to the deeper layers of the skin, they’ll help facilitate the collagen growth.

Microneedling, unlike other treatments, is safe enough to be used around the eyes, so it treats the entire face.

The procedure typically runs about two hours—the actual microneedling part takes about a half-hour—and there’s little, if any, downtime afterward.

Multiple treatments are recommended for the best results. How many, exactly, will depend on the condition of the skin and size of the area being treated, but most undergo at least four. (Because the procedure’s considered cosmetic, it’s not covered by insurance.)

What’s the recovery like?

Right after a treatment, some mild sensitivity and redness is to be expected. The tiny perforations in the skin will close up within a few minutes, and the sensitivity and redness is usually gone within a few hours. Most return to work the next day.

The skin works pretty quickly to create new tissue. Results are usually visible within a week or two of the treatment. And the skin will continue to improve over the next few months. The height of the results occurs six months after the treatment.

Most of us are super-tuned-in to the first signs of aging on our faces. (Isn’t that why the mirror was invented?!) All the while, the hands are more likely to betray our ages.

Just like the face, the soft tissue in our hands that gives them volume gradually diminishes as we age, which makes the veins, tendons, and bones much more prominent.

Our hands also see as much sun as our faces, sometimes even more. The face is the first place we’ll apply sunblock, in large part because we’re so sensitized now to the sun’s aging effects, but who thinks about protecting their hands? We really should, because all that exposure can lead to hyperpigmentation as we age.

Hindsight is 20/20. Fortunately, there’s a range of remedies that’ll undo the ravages of time and leave your hands looking as young as you feel.

Hyperpigmentation treatments

Topical skin care products for home use are the least aggressive track to help combat hyperpigmentation.  We know there’s no shortage of over-the-counter serums, peels, and creams that treat sunspots and pimple marks, but if you’re truly bothered by those dark spots, the best thing you can do is see a board-certified plastic surgeon because they’re all far more effective after a plastic surgeon’s been able to lift and lighten the brown with professional-strength chemical peels and calibrated lasers.

A plastic surgeon with lots of experience in treating hyperpigmentation will know to be very careful with their approach. Even a well-meaning laser can ignite pigment rather than extinguish it. The least aggressive tack by a plastic surgeon or medical aesthetician is usually a series of mild chemical peels. For dense spots, lasers are more effective, such as IPL – intense pulsed light.

Dermal filler

Restylane Lyft, a hyaluronic acid filler, made headlines last year when it became the first injectable of its kind to be approved by the FDA for use outside of the face.

An injection underneath the skin on the back of the hands but above the connective tissue that covers the tendons, bones, blood vessels, and nerves has been shown to improve age-related volume loss for up to six months.

There may be some mild swelling, tenderness, or itching afterward, but it’s typically short-lived.

Fat transfer

An autologous fat transplantation, or, simply, a fat transfer, is a cosmetic surgical procedure where your own processed fat is used to re-contour and smooth your hands.

Fat cells are removed by liposuction—usually from around the belly button or the thighs or buttocks—with a small needle attached to syringe. They’re then sterilized and processed and injected into the back of the hands.

Generally, the results from fat transfer is about 50% permanency, and you could possibly want a second treatment to reach your desired look.

A topical or local anesthesia is applied to the area where the fat cells are taken from and the backs of the hands. The procedure should only take an hour or so, about 10 to 15 minutes to remove the fat cells and then another five to 20 to inject them into each hand. The results can last up to several years.