BY ANNETTE BROOKS
Nonsurgical aesthetic services are accessible to nearly everyone these days, and their popularity continues to climb as technologies and results improve. Below are some of the most sought-after procedures that deliver noticeable results with little to no downtime when performed by a highly trained and experienced provider with the proper licenses and certifications.
Pout Perfection
Injectable fillers, including Restylane Kysse and Silk, Revanesse Lips, and Juvéderm Ultra Plus, are the go-to method for lip plumping. But for those who want more subtly shaped lips, the lip flip is trending. The procedure involves injecting around four to six units of Botox into your upper lip at the center of the cupid’s bow to relax the muscles and turn your lip upward. The result is a better-defined cupid’s bow and a natural-looking lip shape. A lip flip may also help smooth vertical lip lines.
Chin-Slimming
Are you tired of your double chin? Now you can choose from a few solutions that don’t require surgery.
Kybella (deoxycholic acid) injections reduce fat in the facial region below the chin by destroying fat cells. Maximum results are typically seen after six months and are long-lasting. CoolSculpting’s CoolMini device targets smaller areas like a double chin by freezing and destroying fat cells in the treated area. CoolSculpting may also tighten the skin, improving results. Radiofrequency (RF) emitting devices melt fat to eliminate or minimize a double chin. Low-level (cold) laser therapy like Emerald Laser shrinks fat cells to reduce fat under the chin.
Nonsurgical Facial Rejuvenation
If you’ve tried dermal fillers with good results, you might want to consider a liquid facelift. This highly customizable treatment involves multiple filler injections in facial areas to reduce wrinkles and mild sagging, giving the face a smoother, lifted, more youthful appearance.
Ultherapy, a popular noninvasive treatment, uses micro-focused ultrasound waves to lift the neck, chin, and brow and improve lines and wrinkles. Generating a thermal effect under the skin jump-starts collagen production to improve skin strength and elasticity.
Morpheus8, a minimally invasive RF microneedling treatment, reduces signs of aging and improves skin texture and tone. It delivers RF energy into dermal layers via micro-channels to remodel collagen and adipose tissue (fatty tissue).
Light Power
Laser skin resurfacing helps reduce wrinkles, age spots, and acne scars, tightens skin, balances tone, and boosts clarity. Results can be dramatic. Various types of lasers are used to rejuvenate the skin, including ablative and non-ablative, and there are several manufacturers and brands. Talk with your licensed provider about the differences and what laser treatment may be right for you.
IPL (intense pulsed light), unlike a laser, uses broad-spectrum visible light to do everything from reducing unwanted hair growth and erasing age spots and sun damage to treating rosacea and broken capillaries.
Next-Generation Injectables
Hyaluronic acid-based dermal fillers are used to replace facial volume lost with age and restore volume to in other areas, such as the back of the hands or to fill in recessed scars to soften their appearance. A host of next-generation fillers have been introduced by well-known brands like Restylane, Juvéderm, and Radiesse to address certain areas of the face. Fillers like Revanesse Versa may take longer to break down, and products like Belotero and RHA are formulated to address deeper wrinkles such as pronounced nasal-labial folds.
On the neurotoxin front, did you know there are four different FDA-approved products? They are Botox, Dysport, Jeuveau, and Xeomin. Ask your provider to compare them and recommend which ones may work best for you. Newcomer DAXI, which promises to be longer-lasting, is in clinical FDA trials.
