RAPID CITY, S.D. — Some signs of aging are easy to spot — crow’s feet, skin discoloration, brown spots, and drooping skin near the cheek and jawline. It may be easy to think that these things can be avoided with a good skin-care routine, but when it comes to preventing and treating the signs of ageing, beauty is not just skin deep.
Proper skin protection plays a huge role in preventing skin discoloration and minimizing wrinkles, producing healthier skin and a more youthful appearance.
However, even the most diligent of sunscreen users may not be able to avoid the hands of time. As a person ages, it is common for the skin’s facial glands to produce less oil, leading to drier skin. Collagen and elastin levels also decrease with age, opening the door to dynamic wrinkles like laugh lines and crow’s feet.
“The hardest thing to treat is skin elasticity,” said Nic Yost, CNP, FNP-BC, owner of BeautyMed in Rapid City. “We’re beginning to see a lot of things in the media, that are trying to tighten skin.”
An important factor in the health and appearance of skin is hormone changes. As a person ages their hormones will fluctuate, which can lead to a loss of lipids, or fats, that help protect the skin and retain moisture. While many over the counter treatments aim to heal the skin and restore a more youthful appearance, there are some problems that cannot be fixed with a simple cream.
When it comes to maintaining a youthful face, many people focus on the health of the skin without considering the other factors that affect the face’s appearance. The face is an incredibly complex part of the body with multiple parts that maintain a youthful appearance.
Beneath the skin are a number of fat pads that help keep the face full and vibrant. “The most important aging factor in men and women is the fat pad that we lose just under our eyes,” says Yost. “When we lose those, they create all kinds of different aging factors in the face.”
These factors include hollows beneath the eyes, a deepening of lines around the nose and mouth, and a sagging jawline. The fat layers can even accumulate to create a “double chin” between the chin and neck.
To help correct the loss of the face’s fat pads, Yost will help replace the volume in the cheeks with a filler, which will give the face a youthful lift and correct several aging concerns.
Beneath the face’s fat pads is a complex network of muscles, which constantly work with and against each other. A natural part of aging is a loss of muscle tone, and facial muscles are no different. A key treatment to help regain muscle tone is Botox, which is injected to treat specific areas of the muscle tissue.
“The very important part of Botox, and what a lot of people don’t understand about Botox, is that there are 43 muscles in the face,” Yost says. “And so when you’re treating with Botox it is crucial that you understand the anatomy of those muscles and how to treat them.”
Yost says that while there are a variety of treatments for aging repair and prevention, the most important thing people can do to reduce the effects of aging simply comes down to overall lifestyle. Reducing sun exposure and minimizing stress will do much more for your skin and appearance than any topical cream. By having a conversation about lifestyle and diet, Yost is able to help her patients see long-lasting benefits against aging.