How to Treat Wrinkles in Each Area of the Face
We often meet patients who tell us, simply, “Botox me!” While the answer is usually an enthusiastic “You got it!,” Botox® is best for certain dynamic wrinkles, and there are actually a number of highly effective wrinkle treatments that we can use to give you a personalized, optimal result. As a nurse injector in Atlanta, I always customize a plan based on each type of wrinkle you want to treat! Here’s everything in our arsenal, plus your treatment options by the area.
Medical-grade wrinkle treatments
Wrinkle reduction can involve a range of treatments, and not every wrinkle requires an injectable. From facial treatments that improve skin quality to skincare you use at home, we believe in a complementary anti-aging approach using tools like:
- Laser treatments, peels, and facials like chemical peels, microneedling, Hydrafacial®, and laser peels are effective anti-aging options for combating fine lines and improving overall skin quality. Each year, I receive a HALO Laser Treatment to boost collagen deep in the dermis, which is literally what prevents wrinkles.
- Botox-type injectable neurotoxins like Botox® and Dysport® treat dynamic wrinkles, especially in the upper face. I use Botox to preserve youthfulness or to slow the signs of aging, or even if you want to smooth or soften existing lines! I take a unique approach to treatment plans for each individual, because no two faces are the same. With consistent treatments, neurotoxin patients will be so happy with the investment they make in their skin—after treatment AND long term!
- Dermal fillers like Juvéderm® and Restylane® treat dynamic and static wrinkles, especially naso-labial folds and marionette lines below the corners of the mouth. Filler is an AMAZING tool to soften lines and restore volume. By using a hyaluronic acid based dermal filler, the boost and glow your skin will achieve is absolutely stunning!
- Medical-grade skincare is a critical part of our arsenal for supporting your in-office treatments with an effective, wrinkle-fighting skincare regimen at home. Skin care is the security for your investment: In-office treatments are amazing, but if you don’t have a daily regimen at home, then you are not fighting wrinkles at max capacity! 70% of your anti-aging routine is at home with a curated medical grade routine, and then 30% stems from in-office procedures.
Dynamic vs. static wrinkles
The first thing to know about wrinkles before I select a treatment is that they can be either dynamic or static. Dynamic lines appear when you’re smiling, frowning, squinting, or making other facial expressions. Static wrinkles are etched into the skin, even when your face is at rest, and tend to form in your thirties or later as your body’s production of collagen and elastin (the building blocks of plump, elastic skin) begins to diminish.
Each type of wrinkle, depending on its location in the face or neck, calls for a different anti-aging approach. Most dynamic wrinkles respond best to Botox-type injectables, although some (namely the nasolabial folds) can be treated with filler. However, once wrinkles become static, they usually require filler, laser treatments, and/or a surgical lifting procedure to reverse. Both dynamic and static wrinkles, in any area of the face or neck, can also benefit from skin resurfacing facials and a medical grade skin care routine.
I always customize a plan based on each type of wrinkle you want to treat!
Wrinkle formation and treatment, by the area
Here’s how wrinkles form in the key areas of the face, and my go-tos for smoothing them out:
Forehead
Horizontal forehead wrinkles are caused by movement of the frontalis muscle, especially when raising the brows; these lines can deepen with sun damage. Treat forehead lines with neuromodulators like Botox or Dysport. For best results, relax these muscles early to slow wrinkles’ formation!
Frown lines (between the eyebrows)
The “11”-shaped lines that form between the eyebrows are the original territory of our faithful friend Botox. Injected into the muscles below the inner eyebrows that pull your brow down into a frown, neurotoxin stops those lines from frowning, allowing the skin to smooth itself out.
Crow’s feet (eyes)
These lines emanate from the edges of your eyes when smiling or squinting, and may be made worse by sun exposure—so always wear a good pair of sunglasses, in addition to sunscreen and a hat! Botox is highly effective for crow’s feet, and it’s a good idea to pair it with a topical medical-grade eye cream to reduce the appearance of these fine lines.
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Nasolabial folds
These folds that extend from the nose to the outside corners of the mouth, framing your smile, are often caused by movement when smiling. Some people are genetically predisposed to have deep nasolabial folds because of their inherited anatomy. The best way to treat nasolabial folds is with dermal fillers like Restylane Lyft, which can be injected deeply in the dermis and also in the more shallow epidermis layer to “fill” the wrinkles and soften their appearance.
Lips
Wrinkles in and around the lips form due to drinking through straws, smoking, general volume loss over time, and even movement as you talk. To treat wrinkles here, we typically use lip fillers to replace lost volume and smooth perioral lines (a.k.a. smoker’s lines). We can also use a small amount of Botox above the upper lip to soften the muscle and allow the upper lip to curl outward with a technique commonly called the “lip flip.”
Neck
In the neck, you may see horizontal lines that form from looking down at your phone or computer (tech neck), as well as vertical platysmal band lines that become distinct due to thinning skin. To improve the texture of thin, delicate neck skin, RF microneedling and laser skin resurfacing are effective options. To address the vertical bands, Botox can be injected to soften the muscles that cause them. And when sagging tissues in the lower face and neck have progressed beyond the power of non-surgical treatments, a facelift and/or neck lift with one of our Atlanta plastic surgeons is the ultimate neck rejuvenation procedure.
Prevent wrinkles with good choices, skincare, and Botox-type injectables
There are a handful of proven ways to stop wrinkles from worsening: Botox or Dysport can be injected preventatively to stop dynamic wrinkles from forming in the first place. Protect skin from sun exposure with sunscreen, hats, seeking shade, and wearing sunglasses! You can counter the very real effects of air pollution on skin aging by applying antioxidants, such as Vitamin C, in your skincare routine. And products like retinol (tretinoin) are highly effective when used as directed. Most importantly, make good choices: eat a nutrient-dense diet, and get regular exercise and quality sleep!
Schedule your appointment with our expert nurse injector Christian Marcum, NP-C at The Swan Center for Plastic Surgery. Nurse Injector Christian and our team of Expert Injectors, our aestheticians, and our Atlanta plastic surgeons are here to make treating your wrinkles as effective and efficient as possible, with a full range of injectables, skin treatments, and plastic surgery offerings—including minimally invasive alternatives! Call us at 770-667-0904 or contact us online to begin.
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