May 19, 2010

Close-up of a young, beautiful, blue-eyed Caucasian woman isolated over white background.

For some strange reason, many people are scared about facelift surgery and facial rejuvenation.  As a facelift surgeon in San Francisco, I know that surgery is not for everyone, but a facelift is still the gold standard for facial rejuvenation.

For those of you who may want to avoid a facelift, but still have the most aesthetically appealing face possible, here’s a list of 9 things you can do to postpone your facelift for as long as possible.
–  Choose Your Parents
–  Protect Your Skin
–  Avoid Smoking
–  Avoid Diabetes
–  Maintain Your Weight–  Exercise Consistently

–  Better Skin Care
–  Earlier Intervention with Smaller Procedures–  Die Young

Choose Your Parents

Although easier said than done, your ethnicity and habits your learn from your parents help to determine your overall skin condition.  It’s better to have thicker dermis, so Africans tend to age well.  Hispanics and Asians also have good overall skin tone, resulting in a more youthful appearance for a longer period of time.  People from Southern Europe also have slightly thicker skin than Northern Europeans, so count yourself lucky if you have Italian, Greek, Spanish, or Portuguese ancestors.
Your parents should also have protected you from the sun as a child, and forced you to wear sunscreen on a routine basis.  You can definitely blame them if you see an early wrinkle.

Protect Your Skin

Sun protection is important for more youthful appearing skin.  However, another aspect of skin care that many people aren’t aware of is to use prescription grade skin care products, such as hydroquinone and retin-A, to have your skin stay healthier and younger.  Good skin care products will not just temporarily make your skin look better-  they will help exfoliate your skin, giving you skin a better overall skin tone, color, and fewer wrinkles.

Avoid Smoking

Smoking causes wrinkles, period.  Avoid it at all costs.

Avoid Diabetes

Diabetes is probably the most common medical illness that slows down wound healing.  Assuming your skin turns over every 5-8 years, if you can avoid diabetes or control it, you should have a theoretical improved chance of better overall health and skin tone.

Maintain Your Weight

If you gain and lose weight easily, this may stretch the skin in your face.  Although difficult, if you can maintain your overall body weight, you face should have less skin laxity.

Exercise Consistently

Exercise improves your overall circulation, and should theoretically improve the blood flow and number of blood vessels to your face.  Although more theoretical than proven, better blood flow to your facial skin should improve it’s overall appearance.

Better Skin Care

Better skin care implies skin care products that actually work, mainly prescription only skin care products.  Talk to your local plastic surgeon, but there are several skin care treatment plans that will actually reverse sun damage, wrinkles, and skin discoloration.  Although you may have some favorite over-the-counter skin care products, they are probably not as effective as prescription only products.

Earlier Intervention with Smaller Procedures (Botox, dermal fillers, laser, IPL, etc.)

There has been a definite trend in the past several years to reverse aging temporarily with Botox, dermal fillers, and lasers.  Botox will help weaken the muscles that cause deep wrinkles to form.  Fillers such as Juvederm XC will fill in the deep wrinkles as well.  Laser treatments will exfoliate your skin, causing alot of skin flaking, with new skin immediately regenerating after the treatment.  This skin regeneration will allow your new facial skin to have a more youthful appearance, typically more noticeable than just skin care alone.

Die YoungNo matter what you do, the Grim Reaper Mother Nature will always win.  Facial aging, including skin laxity around the jowls, cheeks, and neck will eventually require skin tightening, or a facelift and necklift.

Should you desire more information about my available services, or want to schedule an appointment, please contact my Patient Care Coordinator at info@drkim.com, or call our office at 415-362-1846.

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