No matter how well you prepare for it, facial aging is always startling when you see those lines and wrinkles in your own mirror. While a well-curated skincare regimen can certainly help your skin look its best as you age, years of sun exposure, stress, genetics, and even gravity eventually take their toll.
For years, the only way to “undo” those signs of aging was to have a surgical facelift to gently lift the skin and smooth out wrinkles. But at Sanctuary Cosmetic Center in McLean, Virginia, Soheila Rostami, MD, FAAO, FAACS, has a nonsurgical solution: the “liquid facelift.” Here’s how it works.
A liquid facelift isn’t really a facelift in the traditional sense. Instead of using surgery to help your face look younger, a liquid facelift uses injectables — typically a combination of neuromodulators (also called neuromuscular agents) and dermal fillers.
Neuromodulators include injectables like BOTOX® and Dysport® that temporarily block nerve signals between specific facial muscles and your brain. Blocking these signals prevents muscles from contracting and tugging on your skin, which means lines and wrinkles can’t form.
Neuromuscular agents are ideal for dynamic wrinkles — lines caused by facial movements. That includes crow’s feet, forehead and brow wrinkles, and lines around your chin and mouth.
Dermal fillers work differently. Instead of working on wrinkles associated with facial movements and expressions, dermal fillers “plump up” lines and restore volume lost to other causes of aging, like years of sun exposure, genetics, and gravity.
Fillers can add volume to your lips and cheeks or fill in hollowed-out areas under your eyes. They can smooth out facial wrinkles around your mouth, nose, and chin and gently lift sagging tissue in your lower face.
Fillers come in an array of formulations, and our team offers a variety of options to ensure the best results for your goals. Some fillers can even be used to smooth out the backs of your hands, one of the first areas to show aging.
A liquid facelift is performed right in our office without any need for anesthesia. Before some injections, we can apply a topical anesthetic to reduce potential discomfort.
During your initial evaluation, we map out the location of each injection for optimal results. We cleanse your face, apply a topical anesthetic as needed, and inject the neuromodulator or filler, a process that takes just a few moments per injection site.
Afterward, you may have some mild tenderness, redness, or minor swelling near the injection area, all effects that clear up soon afterward. You can apply ice packs as needed to reduce these effects, but you’ll need to avoid rubbing the area initially to prevent spreading the solution and diminishing its effect.
Although the results of a liquid facelift won’t be as dramatic as a surgical facelift, they offer a more natural, subtle improvement that can be completely customized based on your goals, facial anatomy, and other factors.
And because there’s no surgery, you won’t have to worry about incisions, sutures, scars, infections, or a long recovery time afterward. (Liquid facelifts are also friendlier for your budget.)
Liquid facelifts are completely customizable; better still, you can have “touch-up” injections to maintain your results over time. To learn more about the nonsurgical alternative to facelift surgery, book an appointment online or over the phone with the team at Sanctuary Cosmetic Center today.
