This photo was borrowed from Vogue.com and a story that they ran awhile back entitled, “How To Look Young and Not Done” by Grace Gold.
How young is too young?
Dr. Angela Sturm is back with us to answer a question that I posed to her recently from our readers…..many continue to ask how young should they begin preventative procedures that are non-invasive in nature but can assure many young adult women that in the long run their skin will endure and remain ageless much longer?!
The following is her point-of-view…..
The American Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery and American Society for Plastic Surgery both note trends in younger people seeking noninvasive treatments and plastic surgery, particularly in those that can be preventative. Some treatments can be used for prevention in the right people at the right time. However, some are not as effective and can even have the opposite effect if not done judiciously.
Botox is an example of a treatment that works well to smooth the lines that are present on the forehead and around the eyes as well as keep the lines from forming or becoming etched into the skin. The ideal person to consider preventative Botox is someone who is expressive with strong facial muscles and thin skin. These are people more likely to develop lines that persist when you are not moving. Therefore, if you have thicker skin or weaker muscles, you may not benefit as much from preventative treatment. Optimal timing for preventative measures is when you are just starting to see some changes in the skin, which we usually don’t see until at least the late 20s. For example, this is when your crowsfeet wrinkles are deeper than they used to be, but not yet leaving lines that persist after you are no longer smiling. The idea is to keep the skin smooth and avoid resurfacing peels or lasers in the future. However, each person’s facial expressions, genetic and environmental aging, skin thickness and muscle strength is different. Some people may never make certain facial expressions that create etched lines. Daily use of sunscreen with SPF 30 combined with sunblock is also critical in avoiding etched lines.
Some people feel that soft tissue fillers help keep lines, for example around the mouth from becoming deep. Fillers keep the low areas filled in, which can prevent etching from folding of the skin and can keep the person looking soft and full. However, filler does not stop the gravitational descent, facial movement or sun damage that creates the lines. Also, long term use can cause more visible and numerous vessels in the area and possible granulomas or firm areas. Furthermore, over-filling a young person can call attention to the fact that they have had a procedure creating an aging effect. Therefore, I prefer to use fillers for lines and folds that are static, meaning you can see them at rest, that are already present, not necessarily for prevention.
However, skin tightening treatments can be preventative for gravitational descent and are increasingly popular and appropriate in people in their 30-40s and even 50s in some people for prevention. These treatments are great for people who are just starting to see deepening in their nasolabial folds (parentheses around the mouth), cheeks that aren’t as high or laxity in the neck. These include Ultherapy, Titan, Thermitight or Thermage. These use different modalities to stimulate collagen over a period of 3-6 months and most last about 18-24 months. Most people desire skin tightening to avoid a facelift or browlift in the future. The results vary between the treatments, as well as between people, but can be very nice, particularly in the younger patient.
People will sometimes ask how young is too young for surgery? Young people frequently seek surgery for their noses (rhinoplasty) and ears (otoplasty), but for obvious reasons not for aging prevention. The minimum age for rhinoplasty is debated within our community, but the most widely accepted philosophy is to wait until the face has stopped growing. A way to determine this is to wait one year after a young woman has her first period and one year after a young man’s shoe size is stable. Otoplasty can be performed earlier since the ear reaches very close to the adult size by about age 5. Therefore, otoplasty is often done at age 5 or 6 before the child starts school and might be subjected to teasing. An evaluation by Facial Plastic Surgeon or Plastic Surgeon is required to determine if surgery will be beneficial or appropriate.