There are two different mechanisms in accelerating or causing the aging process of skin. It is called extrinsic and intrinsic factors or external and internal factors.
Sun and smoking are two contributory external factors. The population of baby boomers now reaching their 60th and 50th of their life and facing with the sun burn damage as a consequence of too much extensive sun exposure in early 1980 and 1990.
This population has started seeking treatment for their aging skin from a cosmetic procedure to the removal of sun damaged skin.
The classification of the skin damage starts from no wrinkles to obvious static wrinkles in early 50th and 60th of the life.
Treatment options
- Topical therapy like anti-wrinkle creams may improve skin texture.
- Sunscreens may prevent sun-related skin damage and solar aging if the product used has a high sun protection factor (SPF) and blocks UVA.
- Moisturizers: Dry skin has been confused with aging skin. Dry skin can occur at any age, but worsens with age. The constant use of moisturizers will help keep the skin tone and healthy.
- a-Hydroxy acids: The a-hydroxy acids (AHAs) have been the hottest products in the cosmetic industry for the last decade.
- Topical tretinoin Originally used in the treatment of acne.
- Soft tissue augmentation: Soft tissue augmentation is a technique in which a substance is injected under the skin. It is used to correct wrinkles, depression, and acne scarring like different type of HA fillers in the market of cosmetic dermatology.
- Chemical peeling has become popular as a way to remove wrinkles of the face, hands, and chest, along with other changes of photo aging. The choice of chemical peel is based on the extension of photo-damaging as well as the person's choice and considering the down time of the procedure. Chemical peels are used to improve the skin's appearance as well as to remove precancerous lesions. A dermatological consultation prior to usage of the chemical peel is essential to exclude cancer of skin as these peels are not the treatment of choice for Melanoma or any other cancers of skin.Results from chemical peels are consistent if the procedure is done properly. The best results are seen in younger patients with early changes of photo aging. There different types of chemical peels as the following:
Glycolic acid: 40%, 50%, 70%
TCA: 25%, 35%, 50%
Combinations Glycolic acid and TCA Jessner's
TCA Salicylic acid 50%
- Combinations Laser: CO2 or Er:YAG Dermabrasion Pheno/Baker-Gordon
- The other treatment for the photo-aging damaged skin is Dermabrasion and microdermabrasion.Dermabrasion, or surgical skin planning, is a procedure in which the dermatologic surgeon abrades the skin with a rotary instrument under local anaesthetics and spraying with a cooling agent on the patient's skin.
- Lasers for resurfacing is the most advanced approaches in the thightening of skin in a photo-damaged skin.
- The following are the advanced form of ttreating the photo-damaged skin:
- Blepharoplasty with or without (laser assistant)
- Facelift surgical or non-surgical
- Brow lift surgical or non-surgical
- Neck and facial liposuction