Wrinkles, sagging, and thinning skin—these may seem inescapable. We know that the health of our skin starts to deteriorate as we age, but we don’t have to accept this as fact. Not when we can use this knowledge to help keep our skin strong and elastic.
So, what’s actually causing our skin to suffer as we age? At The Longevity Lab, we dug into the research to figure out exactly what causes loose, worn, and wrinkled skin. We curated our selection of injectables in Denver to specifically address these problems.
Our practice is centered around the belief that to create lasting results, you need to address the problem at its source. Second only to this is our commitment to giving you the information you need to maximize your health and longevity.
Let’s start by taking a look at the research.
Understanding the Enemies of Skin Health
External Factors
When research is done on skin, one of the first environmental risks to consider comes from UV rays. Sun exposure is virtually unavoidable. Even on cloudy days, your skin is at risk for UV damage. The main way sun exposure affects your skin is by damaging dermal fibroblasts.
Dermal fibroblasts are the main cells in our skin. These cells are responsible for creating the proteins that help our skin stay strong, elastic, and healthy. With enough exposure, dermal fibroblasts can be degraded to the point where they can no longer produce proteins like collagen, elastin, and fibronectin, the necessary materials that keep our skin strong and healthy.
There’s more at work against our skin than just the sun. Other factors, such as air pollution, extreme temperatures, and even gravity, have a lasting impact on our skin’s health and longevity.
Internal Factors
As we age, there are also changes going on inside our bodies that affect our skin health. With age, our cells start to lose the capacity to regenerate. For our dermal fibroblasts, this means a decrease in collagen production. Collagen helps our skin retain its volume and strength. Without it, our skin can become thin, crepey, and weak.
How We Can Help
The good news is that there are several aesthetic treatments that can improve the health and appearance of our skin. Our injectables in Denver help to repair, replace, stimulate, and/or protect dermal fibroblasts, giving your skin the power to bounce back from defeat.
At The Longevity Lab, we use Botox, dermal fillers, and biostimulators to help you maintain long-lasting, healthy skin.
Botox
There’s a reason Botox has been used for nearly 50 years in cosmetic treatments and reconstructive surgery alike—it works.
But how exactly does it work?
Botox is a toxin called botulinum. Injected at the right points and in small doses, Botox is able to stop muscles from contracting by blocking certain nerves. Botox is used to relax age lines and wrinkles, giving the face a smoother and more youthful appearance. Botox is fast-acting. You will begin to see the results of your Botox treatment as soon as 1 to 3 days after your injection.
Botox is temporary, and results usually peak after 3 to 4 months. With follow-up treatments, you can extend the results of Botox.
Dermal Fillers
Dermal fillers are another one of our injectables in Denver. Like Botox, dermal fillers are also often used to treat damaged or aging skin. However, dermal fillers work a bit differently. Rather than targeting the muscles involved in the creation of lines and wrinkles, dermal fillers fill in loose or sagging skin.
Whether from age or sustained damage, if your skin is losing its volume, it’s likely because you don’t have enough collagen. Collagen is what gives our skin support and structure. There are several different kinds of dermal fillers, made of synthetic or biosynthetic materials. Dermal fillers can help to hydrate your skin and give it volume, and some are designed to help your body naturally produce more collagen.
With most dermal fillers, you will see results right away. The results from dermal fillers last for several months, with some lasting up to 2 years.
Choosing the Right Treatment
If you are wondering whether Botox or dermal fillers would work best for you, consider exactly what changes you want to see in your skin. Are you bothered by the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles? If you are looking to smooth out your skin, Botox would be the best treatment.
On the other hand, you might notice the texture of your skin could be more accurately described as loose, crepey, or thin. If you find that your skin could benefit from having more strength and volume, dermal fillers are the way to go.
If you resonate with both of these descriptions, it is perfectly fine to combine Botox and dermal filler treatments.
Biostimulators
The difference between a dermal filler and a biostimulator is slight, but impactful. While a dermal filler adds volume to the skin by filling in affected areas with rejuvenating materials, a biostimulator fills in these areas and boosts collagen production. The results from a dermal filler can last for several months. Depending on the kind of biostimulator you use, results can last between 1 and 5 years.
Sometimes, all your skin needs is a helping hand. It’s all in the name, biostimulators naturally encourage the dermal fibroblasts in your skin to produce more collagen. When we inject a biostimulator into the skin, the body recognizes it as a foreign substance. The ingredients in a biostimulator aren’t actually harmful to your body, but your immune system will react to them as if they are.
Once your body recognizes the injection of a biostimulator, it will respond with inflammation. Unlike the inflammation you might experience from an injury, the inflammatory response to a biostimulator is controlled. You won’t experience pain or inordinate swelling from a biostimulator—only the good stuff.
And by “good stuff,” we mean collagen production. In an effort to respond to the biostimulator, your dermal fibroblasts will stimulate collagen production and the production of other healing and strengthening components, such as elastin to increase your skin’s flexibility, and fibronectin to help repair tissue. The increase in these proteins strengthens the structure of your skin, helps you form new blood vessels, and gives your skin the materials it needs to heal itself.
We offer 3 different types of biostimulator injectables in Denver: Radiesse, Sculptra, and Bellafill.
Radiesse
Radiesse, also known by its scientific name “calcium hydroxylapatite,” is a biosynthetically produced biostimulator. Because this filler is calcium-based, it not only provides immediate filling results, but also encourages natural collagen production as soon as it is injected. The initial filler in Radiesse improves skin volume for up to 12 months. After this period, the filler is naturally metabolized by the body.
However, the calcium structure of the filler, the one that prompted the collagen production at the time of injection, can continue to stimulate collagen production for up to 6 more months. This gives the results of Radiesse an overall lifetime of up to 18 months.
Sculptra
Sculptra, also known as “polylactic acid,” is a semi-permanent biostimulator. Sculptra is a synthetic treatment. You have to come in for a couple more treatments than you would for more temporary injectables, but the lasting results make it worth the extra time.
Sculptra fully absorbs into your skin a couple days after injection. From there, it encourages an increase in the natural production of collagen. Such stimulation of collagen production continually adds volume to your skin, even as your body’s processes continue regular maintenance.
With occasional maintenance appointments, the full effects from Sculptra can last up to 2 years.
Bellafill
Bellafill is our strongest biostimulator with the longest-lasting results among available injectables in Denver. Bellafill, known scientifically as polymethyl-methacrylate microspheres (PMMA), is innovative in its use of uniform microspheres. These reduce unnecessary inflammation. The microscopic polymethyl-methacrylate particles are suspended in bovine collagen gel and a small amount of lidocaine.
The bovine collagen gives immediate volume to the face, engendering results soon after the time of injection. Then the PMMA microspheres get right to work. These particles build up collagen in your face over time by continuously stimulating your dermal fibroblasts. Bellafill is a semi-permanent treatment. With occasional maintenance appointments, Bellafill can give you consistent results for up to 5 years.
Step Up Your Skin Health
When you book an appointment at The Longevity Lab, you are already doing your part to help your skin achieve optimal health and longevity. We’ll take it from there. With our comprehensive wellness plans, every aspect of your health is taken into consideration.
Our practitioners thoughtfully plan a custom wellness plan for each of our clients. We take the time to fully understand your story and your unique wellness goals, so we can give you the best results.
Treat your skin to the care it deserves. Start by requesting your complimentary consultation.
You can take our facial aesthetics quiz ahead of your appointment, and we will tell you what you need to improve your skin.
