5 Most Effective Anti-Aging Skin Procedures That Will Help You Look Younger

Topical skincare products are great, but sometimes a little extra help is required. There are numerous anti-aging skin procedures out there, but which ones are actually worth your time and money?

Whether you’re looking for a brighter and blemish-free complexion, or to smooth away those fine lines and wrinkles, these are the five most effective anti-aging skin procedures to consider if you want to look younger.

Microneedling

Microneedling is a non-invasive treatment that involves a dermaroller (a device with numerous micro-fine needles) creating microscopic punctures in the skin. This sounds more painful than it actually is – the wounds feel like tiny pin pricks, with the needles only entering the skin at surface level.

The anti-aging effects of microneedling are both immediate and long-term. The micro-punctures stimulate a slight inflammatory process in the skin, which gives the skin a plumper and more radiant look for a few weeks after the procedure.

As your skin repairs itself, its healing process involves the production of collagen and elastin. These are the two main proteins that give the skin its smoothness, fullness and tightness, meaning that the more of these proteins you have, the younger your skin will look.

Studies show that monthly microneedling treatments carried out for a four month period result in a 400% increase in collagen and elastin production, bringing noticeable improvements to the skin.

Laser Treatments 

Laser treatments are available for a number of different purposes, including the treatment of acne scars, sagging skin and deep wrinkles.

If you are plagued with acne scars and blemishes from your earlier years, then laser acne scar removal treatments could truly transform your complexion. Technology has come a long way, meaning that there are now treatments for every type of scarring, with minimal downtime.

Laser treatments work by sending specific levels of heat and light into the skin, causing a controlled amount of damage to the targeted area. This then triggers the skin’s natural healing process, meaning the production of extra collagen and elastin.

Long term results include faded scars, fewer and less severe wrinkles, and tighter skin. The procedures are virtually painless, and the way in which today’s lasers are designed to be as gentle as possible means that you can get back to your normal routine pretty much immediately after your treatment.

Injectables

There are a variety of skin injectables out there, each one designed to boost and enhance the skin in its own way, giving the skin a more youthful finish.

Some injectable treatments are pretty famous, having been brought into the limelight by different celebrities, while others are lesser-known, but just as worthwhile.

Three of the most effective cosmetic injectables are:

• Botox: great for treating fine lines and wrinkles, Botox works by blocking the signals that nerves send to certain muscles, therefore causing those muscles to relax. This then smooths away the lines and wrinkles that were caused by those facial expressions, such as frown lines, furrow lines around the mouth, and crow’s feet around the eyes.
• Juvederm: this cosmetic filler consists of a gel-like solution that works best on fine lines and wrinkles around the nose and the mouth. It contains hyaluronic acid, which, when injected, plumps up the skin, adding volume and fullness.
• Restylane: this filler also contains skin-plumping hyaluronic acid, and is another one that works especially well on severe wrinkles around the mouth.

One of the biggest advantages to injectables is that results can be seen almost immediately, and they are relatively easy to maintain.

 

Chemical Peels

Your skin cells are constantly dying, being replaced by fresh new ones. While your skin naturally sheds these dead cells at a rapid rate in its youth, this slows down with age, leading to a build-up of those older and duller cells on the surface of the skin.

Exfoliation helps with this to an extent, but a chemical peel takes things one step further. This procedure makes use of a chemical solution to remove that rougher, older layer of skin, triggering an increase in your skin’s production of collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid.

Peeling away that layer of skin also means that any topical products you use will have so much more of an effect. All of those active ingredients will now be able to penetrate directly into the skin cells that actually need them, rather than being blocked by your skin’s old outer layer.

Dermaplaning

Dermaplaning is a form of exfoliation, but, rather than using a scrub or an acid, it makes use of a special exfoliating blade. This runs slowly across the skin at a specific angle, enabling it to remove dead skin cells, acne scar tissue, sun damage and more.

After a dermaplaning treatment, your skin will immediately look fresher, brighter and rejuvenated, with your skin tone also being more even. Results will continue to improve over the next few days, but, just like regular exfoliation, they aren’t permanent. As your new skin cells start to age and die off, they will once again build up on the surface of your skin, making monthly treatments important for maintenance.

Although a blade is involved in this procedure, it is completely non-invasive, and doesn’t hurt either. All you will feel is a slight tingling sensation, and this is taken care of after the procedure with a soothing topical solution.

topical skincare products you’ve been using aren’t quite cutting it for you any more, then it may be time to give one of these anti-aging skin procedures a try. With noticeable results and a minimal downtime, younger-looking skin could be much easier to achieve than you thought.

 

Today’s post was contributed by Dr. Ammar Mahmoud, an expert in the field of minimally invasive, non-surgical cosmetic skin care and acne scar treatment. He is also the founder of Alinea Medical Spa Acne Scar & Laser Skin Care in NYC