CosBeauty Magazine #81

E nhancement
Problem
wrinkles & fine
lines
Solution
anti-wrinkle
injections
Dynamic (as opposed to static) wrinkles
are caused by facial muscle movement,
not intrinsic skin ageing. As the muscles
move, the skin contracts and the
collagen fibres in the dermis break. The
ability of the body to restore these fibres
and generate new collagen depletes with
age, and the wrinkles stay in place, even
when the muscles are relaxed. Antiwrinkle
injections are used to freeze this
muscle movement, and prevent dynamic
wrinkles from arising or worsening.
‘Anti-wrinkle injections work by
relaxing wrinkle causing muscles,
allowing the wrinkles to relax away
and leaving facial expressions free of
lines or at least significantly reduced,’
Dr Flynn explains.
This quick, in-office procedure is
commonly used to treat the crow’s
feet around the eyes, the central frown
lines between the eyebrows (glabellar
lines) and the worry lines across the
forehead. The marionette lines, from
the corner of the mouth to the chin,
are also effectively treated with antiwrinkle
injections.
Typically anti-wrinkle injections will
continue to prevent and reduce facial
lines and wrinkles for around three to
four months, but sometimes up to six
months or longer.
With anti-wrinkle injectables
being such an effective and popular
treatment for cosmetic rejuvenation,
it is imperative patients consider the
procedure with caution. Certainly, when
administered effectively, injectables
can reap significant and long-lasting
results; but in the wrong hands or with
an inferior product, complications
can result. Before going ahead with
treatment, always take the time to
ask questions to ensure the product
is registered and that the practitioner
has the required skills, training and
accreditation to perform the procedure.
Problem
sagging skin
Solution
facelift or
thread lift
There’s no escaping the fact
that the face is not immune to
gravity. With age, comes a gradual
descent of facial tissues, muscles
and fat that can make a person
look much older than they feel
on the inside. Dr Flynn’s preferred
methods for lifting sagging tissues
and skin are thread lifts and
facelifts, depending on the extent
of ageing.
A thread lift is a minimally
invasive method of facial
rejuvenation that allows lifting
and repositioning of facial tissues
to help restore youthful contours.
Dr Flynn has pioneered the use
of thread lifts in Australia and
internationally and also teaches
surgeons how to use the threads.
Thread lifts are particularly
indicated for brows, cheeks,
jowls and sometimes the neck. A
thread lift uses absorbable surgical
threads designed with directional
cogs or barbs, which anchor
themselves within the tissues and
allow for lifting and repositioning.
‘Well placed and anchored
threads provide a great alternative
to a facelift and can last between
three and five years,’ says Dr
Flynn. ‘There is no surgery, no
scars and the procedure is less
expensive than a full facelift, as
there is no general anaesthetic
and no hospital stay.’
The procedure is relatively
quick and can be performed under
local anaesthetic, with some
temporary bruising and swelling
to be expected afterwards. The
results of the thread lift improve
over time (three to six months)
as collagen is stimulated and
produced and contracts around
each filament, causing even
further lifting. Downtime is
usually a few days.
For more significant lifting
results, Dr Flynn recommends
a surgical facelift over a thread
lift. ‘Sometimes a proper surgical
lift is the better approach, in
terms of offering longer lasting,
more robust results,’ he says. A
surgical facelift will commonly be
performed in conjunction with
non-surgical procedures for the
most natural looking results.
The modern facelift is
customised to each individual
patient, to provide tailored results
so the patient still retains their
unique look - but appears like a
younger version of themselves.
‘The incision usually begins
in the hair near the temple and
continues in front of the ear,
around the ear lobe, behind the
ear and into the hair,’ says Dr
Flynn. ‘This placement allows
the scar to be very inconspicuous.
The facial muscles and sagging
tissue are tightened, excess skin is
removed and the remaining skin
is repositioned to create a more
youthful look.’
Today’s facelift is very different
from previous times; it relies far
less on extensive surgery and
more on judicious alterations
combining laser resurfacing,
dermal fillers and other minimally
invasive techniques - so that
what is essentially known as a
‘facelift’ is no longer a purely
surgical experience.
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