Why Plastic Surgery and Injectables Could Be Aging You

More people are turning to plastic surgery and injectables to reverse the signs of aging. The goal of any cosmetic procedure or treatment is to make your face and skin look younger and better. But how much is too much? Issues can range from getting excess filler in the lips (duck lips anyone?), raising eyebrows too high to just too much Botox, which can create that frozen-face look. It's also possible to remove too much fat, especially in the face, which can create a hollowed-out look, making you look much older. Unfortunately, this is a common trend. Plastic surgery and injectables should enhance your look, not change it drastically. It should be a subtle difference and you should appear more refreshed and vibrant afterwards, but you shouldn't look done.

There's a trend in younger individuals to give in to the pressures of "looking perfect" portrayed by the media. In this quest for perfection, some people can overdo it and age themselves. Getting surgery as well as using injectables and fillers properly can enhance your appearance and make a big difference in how you age. Using safe and effective skincare products for skin maintenance is so important too. If you are going to get any cosmetic procedure done, make sure the right precautions are taken so that you don't end up looking like an altered, older-looking version of yourself.

How Procedures and Treatments Can Make You Look Older

Cosmetic procedures were designed to make you look better and refreshed, not completely different. Younger patients need minimal injectables and surgery only when absolutely necessary. When too much filler is used, facial balance is thrown off. To keep a natural, age appropriate look, you should allow for the appearance of some fine lines and wrinkles. The more young faces get fillers and they really don't need much if anything done, the more they look like they are trying to capture something that doesn't fit their face. For example, it's not natural to see a 32 year old woman with a frozen forehead, over elevated eyebrows, and too much fullness in her cheeks. This look is often associated with older women who have been over treated in an effort to disrupt the natural aging process. Younger patients who are over treated can end up looking like older or distorted versions of themselves.

Facial Problem Areas

Here are 6 main problem areas on the face:

Cheeks: Over suctioning cheeks can make you look older. Stiffness or "puffy cheeks" can also occur if there is unnecessary fat transfer or filler injections are overdone.

Brows: A really high brow can instantly age you. When the arch is lost, brows can age you, which makes your face look older.

Chin: The overall balance of your face can be thrown off if a chin implant is too large. Facial structure goes from more of a heart shape to a square shape. Also, the softness of your face gets lost.

Neck: Removing too much fat from the neck can result in an excessive deep and sharp angle that gives more of a harsh look.

Overall Face: While a facelift isn't common in younger individuals, some individuals get a facelift before it's needed. When it's unnecessary or not done properly, the underlying facial tissues give an unnatural fullness in the cheeks that makes the face look aged.

Eyes: Fat removal under the eyes is popular in younger patients. The problem is that removing too much fat can really make a patient look more hollow rather than refreshed.

Injectable Toxins: The Frozen Look

Botox, Dysport, and Xeomin are all effective in reducing lines by temporarily paralyzing facial muscles to stop movement. Problems arise when they are overdone. The face can look very severe and certain facial features can become exaggerated. For example, if you naturally have a long face and your brows are overly elevated, the pronounced height can make you look older and the length of your face becomes too drawn out. Brows that sit too high can make the face appear pulled. Thankfully, injectable toxins are not permanent and the result will fade away in time. It's best to let the product completely wear off before getting injectable toxins applied to the face again. It's always best to start off with much less because you can always work your way up to more.

Injectable Fillers: Too Much Volume

Volume enhancers add volume to fat deficient areas by plumping the area from the inside out. They are great for age-related volume loss to balance out features. However, volume is sometimes used in younger patients before any volume loss is visually apparent. Adding unnecessary volume to the face can make it look overly inflated. The lips and cheeks are often times the first facial features to be overdone in younger patients. Hyaluronic acid fillers are reversible, so if you don't like the result, a solution of hyaluronidase can correct it. With semipermanent, permanent, or non-FDA approved fillers, the effects can be long lasting and sometimes irreversible. These fillers can promote collagen and scar tissue in unwanted areas, so it's best to have them properly administered by a board-certified plastic surgeon, dermatologist, or licensed medical skin professional.

Even if you regularly get fillers, injectables, chemical peels, laser treatments, facials, or have had a face lift, maintaining these procedures and treatments with a safe and effective skincare regimen on a daily basis is still so important for your skin in the long run. I shake my head in disbelief when I see some individuals spend tons of money on expensive procedures and treatments yet maintain their skin with drugstore brand products or products that don't produce real results. It takes the right ingredients in the right formulations in the right order to make a difference when it comes to skincare products. Some brands may have the ingredients, but not in the right formulations and amount to really see results. If you keep your skin healthy with a good, consistent routine starting at a young age, your skin will age well. There are effective products and tools on the market today that can transform your skin over time. As the saying goes…"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of filler."