Save the Face (3)

When it comes to saving the face, just remember the following:

Your face is not you.

Your youthful look is only a part of you, and it is bound to change, no matter what. Learn how to delay, but also to accept, that inevitable change on your look.

Nobody’s face is perfect—let alone yours.

Do what you can, but do it!

Your over-concern for face image will level off at around fifties and sixties, when you would be more concerned with your health than with your youthfulness. This is the reality of life!

YOUNGER AND HEALTHIER FOR LONGER

Today, the mass media have bombarded us with tons of information about health and wellness, so much so that it may become even stressful and worrisome to some.

One of the objectives of this book is to present relevant information in a readable and easy-to-follow format. You need not read the entire book, though it is recommended that you do. This book is organized in such a way that you can scan the detailed content page with appropriate headings to find the information you need to deal with your own specific problems.

This book is comprehensive in that it covers virtually all aspects of a healthy mind and body—the requisites for becoming younger and healthier for longer. They may be different for men and women in their different stages of their lives.

Life is a myriad of complex problems, which are often inter-related. This book provides you with different choices of solutions. Instead of getting old gracefully, why not mature youthfully?

The ominous reminders of old age and mortality are your more frequent visits to doctors, the wrinkles on your face, and the change of shape and structure of your physique, among others. Overcoming these ravages of aging is what this book is all about.

Stephen Lau

Saving the Face (2)

 Fat injections

Fat injections are living grafts in which part of the fat from your own body, usually from the buttocks, stays and lives in a new environment.

Fat injections have the following advantages, compared to other non-surgical procedures:

More cost effective, compared to other non-surgical procedures.

The intervals between injections can be up to several months.They are

Fat injections may be the best option for deep smile folds, much more effective than collagen injections.

Restylane

Restylane is a clear gel injected into your skin to soften your facial contours, and to remove lines and wrinkles on your face. It is derived from a product as bio-compatible and bio-degradable as the natural hyaluronic acid, which is naturally found in your body. Hyaluronic acid, present mainly in your skin, is a substance that gives your body its structure and volume by attracting and holding on to the water in your skin. As such, it is most ideal for line and wrinkle filler.

Restylane has the following advantages over other similar products to remove wrinkles:

Restylane does not paralyze your facial muscles. It can be injected almost anywhere on your face.

Restylane eliminates any rejection risk by your body because it is naturally found in your own body.

Restylane lasts longer (up to a year) than collagen injections. It is, therefore, more cost effective in the long haul, although it costs 40 to 50 percent more than a collagen injection does.

According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, every year thousands of individuals opt for cosmetic procedures to save their faces, and of these individual in quest for a youthful look about 88 percent are women and 12 percent are men. However, cosmetic procedures only temporarily fix the problems of skin aging. Having a youthful look is more than just skin deep, and it never comes easy.

Stephen Lau     

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Saving the Face (1)

SAVING THE FACE

Unfortunately, the skin aging process cannot be reversed.

You can only fix your face through non-surgical procedures, such as Botox and Restylane, and other invasive surgical procedures, such as a face-lift.

Botox

Botox has been hailed as “the new fountain of youth” or the magic potion to aging.

Can Botox really save your face?

The pros of Botox are as follows:

Botox is a purified protein injected into your skin to make your muscles contract, and hence smoothing out your crows’-feet lines around your eyes.

Botox is minimally invasive, much better than invasive plastic surgery.

Botox is an instant fix: you can see the results almost immediately.

Botox gives a more natural look, except for the lines around the mouth. This is the reason why Botox is generally not applied on the smile folds because it weakens the muscle around the mouth, making your smile look “unnatural.”

Botox is a fairly safe and an ideal procedure because the botulimum (a toxic chemical) in Botox is extremely low, and there is little or no buildup of the toxin in your body (often eliminated within 24 to 48 hours—or at least according to Botox) to pose any major health risk.

Botox is relatively inexpensive, compared to other invasive procedures, such as a face-lift.

The cons of Botox are as follows:

Botox paralyzes your facial muscles, and therefore cannot fix your smile folds, making your smile seem “unnatural.”

Botox is still costly long term: the procedure has to be repeated every three to four months.

Botox is a drug with botulimum (a toxic chemical), and you may still have some concern about injecting it into your body.

Collagen injections

Besides Botox, there are other non-surgical procedures for consideration to save your face.

Collagen is a protein substance in the dermis layer of your skin, which is responsible for your skin’s elasticity. Collagen injections use bovine collagen, which is pure collagen obtainable from isolated cows, and which is clinically tested prior to injection.

Collagen injections have the following advantages:

Collagen injections make the lines on the face become less obvious and much smoother, but they do not make the lines disappear completely as Botox does.

Collagen injections are used mainly between the eyebrows and on smile folds, where Botox does not work effectively.



The disadvantages of collagen injections are as follows:

Collagen injections are not for everyone, especially if you are allergic to cows.

Collagen injections only soften your lines: they do not remove them completely.

More next time!

Stephen Lau     

Copyright© by Stephen Lau