Anti-Aging Treatments Using Natural and Conventional Aesthetics

Anti-aging medicine is the fastest growing area of medicine today. Aesthetics is only one aspect of anti-aging medicine. It is important when we consider the concept of aging that we begin at the foundation of health.

Beauty begins on the inside with a balanced lifestyle of exercise, nutrition, skin care and spirituality. With good healthy habits in place we can slow the aging process to a snail’s pace. Unfortunately we cannot stop aging, but we can grow older gracefully.

Understanding the Aging Face

We age in two noticeable ways, by volume loss in the face and lines that form from habits of expression. Rhytides, better known as wrinkles form later in life, can reveal our age but also gives us our character.

Volume in the mid-face begins to move downward in our later 20’s, this volume is the natural adipose or fat in our cheeks. As these fat pads move we develop marionette lines (lines at the corner of the lips) and smile lines. Volume loss in our cheeks gives a flatter, less rounded curvature to the face.

In today’s practice of anti-aging medicine, we can slow the aging process with many different non-invasive techniques. Softening these lines and replacing volume used in combination with collagen induction therapies can give dramatic results.

Natural Aesthetic Treatments

Caring for your skin should start in childhood with good healthy food habits and protection from the sun’s harmful rays. The fact is most of the sun damage we see in our later years started in our younger years.

There is help for correcting these skin deficits we see as we grow older. Sun damage, acne scarring, stretch marks and fine lines as well as damage from hormonal imbalances can be treated with a procedure called micro-needling or collagen induction therapy.

The concept of this treatment begins with how our skin ages. As we age, we lose collagen in our skin. Collagen is important for the overall tone and elasticity of skin. When we lose collagen and volume, the skin begins to sag and the cheeks and eyes begin to show their age.

How Does It Work?

Collagen-induction therapy uses a micro-needling medical instrument that uses five tiny needles to penetrate the upper layer of skin on the face and neck. This process causes tiny injuries to the skin where the body then creates collagen and elastin molecules for repair. After three-four treatments, the results are a dramatic improvement of tone and texture. Dark circles under the eyes improve, and signs of sun damage such as blotchiness of the skin begin to fade. This treatment is non-invasive and safe.

For an even more dramatic effect, PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) can be added, which is a substance from your own blood. All of the growth factors from your blood are concentrated and applied to the face during the procedure.

Each treatment takes about 30-45 minutes per visit. Micro-needling can be done on the face and neck to correct aging related collagen loss and sun damage. In addition, patients take home a personalized compounded cream made from their own PRP for home care following treatment.

Conventional Aesthetic Treatments

Conventional methods of aesthetics are also available using dermal fillers, Juvederm® and Restylane®, to replace volume loss and correcting the effects of aging. Dermal fillers are made from hyaluronic acid (HA), a substance that is already present in the body. When placed under the skin of the cheeks, HA is very hydrating, which makes it an ideal substance for dermal fillers.

Softening these lines can give us a more youthful appearance and help restore the youthful look we had in our 20’s and 30’s. Call to schedule an appointment with Dr. McConnell, our naturopathic doctor at Live Well, to find out more about these treatments. Look as young on the outside as you feel on the inside.

Our contributing provider to this article on IV Therapy is Dr. Michelle McConnell. Dr. McConnell received her Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology in 2000 from Arizona State University and Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in 2014. Dr. McConnnell approaches patient care with value placed on education and treatment through proactive tools that avoid or lessen health risks immediately and in the future.

Dr. McConnell joined Warner Family Practice in 2016.

Learn More About Dr. McConnell