Individuals in their 50’s can still take advantage of preventative protocols to maintain the collagen, elastic tissue, and volume they currently have. Frequently, these protocols have to be combined with treatment to improve existing conditions while preventing further aging.
Skin Care
- A daily skin care regimen is more important now than it was in your 40’s. The focus in your 50’s is to increase collagen production and decrease skin thinning in addition to blending pigmentary changes in the skin. This is a worthwhile investment as collagen produced can last years.
- The skin begins to thin in this decade so efforts are made to increase the tone and turgor of the skin to minimize the crepey appearance of skin around the eyes, in the neck, and around the mouth by increasing collagen formation. This requires a combination of a daily skin care regimen and resurfacing with either a fractionated CO2 laser (gold standard), and / or radiofrequency microneedling.
- Begin alternating medical microneedling with your medical grade facials (Hydrafacial MD) every other month to maximize collagen production. Collagen production decreases as we age so Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is frequently used in combination with radiofrequency microneedling (Infini Genius) microneedling to double the amount of collagen stimulated.
- As in your 40’s, the daily skin care regimen should consist of an exfoliating cleanser (Gentle or Brightening Cleanser), antioxidant (CE Brightening Serum), medical sunblock (Visage SunGuard), and Retin-A (Exfolibright-C) at a minimum; however, a low dose retinoid eye cream (Dual Eye Restorative Care), an active neck and decollete cream (Neck Enhance Complex), hand cream (MoistureRiche), and a hydrating moisturizer (Hydrating serum or HylaCream) are common additions to this decade and highly recommended. Our skin gets drier as we age so hydrating moisturizers are more important during this decade and allow us to tolerate active ingredients such as Retin-A.
- Brown spots can be treated with topical brightening agents (Exfolibright C), Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatments, Visage MD pigment peels, or fractionated CO2 laser. A conversation with your plastic surgeon can help determine which one of these is the most beneficial to you.
Lines, Wrinkles, Folds, and Volume
- Botox or Dysport to treat the lines in the upper face and around the eyes in addition to lifting the brow is essential during this decade. In many cases, Botox or Dysport can be added to the neck or around the mouth to prevent lines in these areas as well.
- From a prevention standpoint, volume is of paramount importance at this stage because the skin is becoming lax and begins to sag. Support, in the form of volume, under the skin holds the facial tissues upwards and slows down sagging and stretching. This point cannot be emphasized enough. Volumizing fillers used during our MM Lift™, such as Restylane Lyft, Sculptra, Bellafill, Radiesse, among others, are used to lift and hold the cheek, jawline, brow, lower lid, and posterior face tissues up. Fat transfer and implants are also options for volume though fillers are more predictable. Fillers are also used in this decade to improve definition in the jawline, to add cheek contour, or chin definition. Going to a plastic surgeon who specializes in nonsurgical modalities and who trains other physicians can help you determine the best filler based on the characteristics needed for your face.
- Many times Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is combined with volumizing fillers to enhance longevity of the filler during this decade and improve collagen stimulation.
- Lip volume significantly decreases during this decade. Using filler or implants to provide your lips with an age appropriate appearance also helps with supporting the corners of the mouth, lip border definition, improvement in lipstick lines, marionette lines going forward.
- Ear lobes begin to stretch from heavy earring use and from volume loss. Adding filler to the earlobes can reduce the appearance of a stretched or large earlobe and can also help earrings point straight forward instead of downward.
- Chin fat significantly increases during this decade. Consider Coolsculpting or Kybella to maintain neckline. Sometimes, Ultherapy, a skin tightening device, may be needed to tighten loose neck skin in combination with chin fat treatment.
Skin Tightening
- During this decade, most individuals are seeking ways to tighten loose skin but also prevent further sagging as they age. There are 2 great ways of tightening the deeper layers of the skin: Ultherapy and facelifting.
- Ultherapy is a no downtime treatment performed in about an hour and is based on collagen production which in turn creates tightening and lifting over 3-5 months.
- Many individuals have both loss of volume and skin laxity so it’s important to determine if volume is needed in addition to Ultherapy to avoid an underwhelming Ultherapy result. Patients who are unhappy with their ultherapy results are usually disappointed because their volume loss was not treated adequately enough to provide visible change with their ultherapy treatment.
- Ultherapy is the closest modality we have to a surgical facelift but it is not a facelift. Ultherapy can provide a 30-50% improvement in lifting (assuming volume is addressed) whereas a facelift can provide a 90-95% improvement (again, assuming volume is addressed). Discussing your skin with your plastic surgeon can help determine the best option for you.
- In some cases, there isn’t enough skin elasticity to recommend ultherapy, and the best way to proceed is to tighten the skin by first performing a browlift, eyelid lift, necklift, or facelift and then using ultherapy as a maintenance therapy. Our Signature Natural surgical procedures provide a refreshed and natural finish. The idea is for someone to be able to sit right next to you and not know you had anything done.
Skin Resurfacing
- Because the skin begins to thin during this decade, efforts are made to increase the tone and turgor of the skin to prevent or minimize the crepey appearance of skin around the eyes, in the neck, and around the mouth by increasing collagen formation. Of course, a daily skin care regimen with active ingredients is essential; however, monthly medical grade superficial peels (Hydrafacial MD) alternating with medical microneedling is a proven way to increase collagen in the top layers of the skin, smooth irregularities, improve acne scars, but most importantly, tighten thin skin.
- Many times, despite daily skin care and regular medical grade superficial peels and microneedling, the skin is damaged from excessive sun exposure, radiation, tobacco use, tanning, or premature aging and treatment with resurfacing is more appropriate than prevention.
- Fractionated CO2 laser treats damaged skin, and though it has a week’s worth of downtime, it can tighten skin, remove precancerous lesions, improve brown spots, decrease pore size, improve visible scars, and smooth fine lines. Microneedling increases collagen in the skin as well and provides the same benefits as CO2 laser (except for improvement in brown spots and color) but has the added benefit of no downtime and no sun restrictions. The disadvantage to radiofrequency microneedling is that it has to be performed at least 2-3 times to get a similar result but again has no downtime. Also, pigmented skin (those who tan easily) usually are not candidates for resurfacing laser treatments so radiofrequency microneedling is helpful in this population.
Hair Treatment
- Frequently untreated, a thinning hairline, eyebrows or eyelashes can change the framing of the face making the face look older. Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injections for thinning of the anterior hairline are very popular to thicken the density of hair long the hairline and to make the hair darker and longer. PRP can also be used for eyebrow hair thinning as well.
- PRP can be combined with medical microneedling in the scalp region to stimulate recently lost follicles and areas of hair thinning.
- Latisse is commonly recommended during this decade to help the eyelashes become longer, thicker, and darker. Eyelashes improve the framing of the eye and enhance the appearance of eye procedures performed in this area. It also distracts from a low brow or a heavy upper lid.
Unsure where to start? Call us for a complimentary cosmetic consultation and we can create a customized prevention plan just for you!
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