Restoring the "Glow" of Youth

Through the centuries, dating back beyond Cleopatra, it has been the goal of aesthetically sensitive individuals to restore a youthful appearance, while at the same time producing a "natural" look, not one that appears to be "manipulated". We call this the "glow" of youth.

We have come to recognize even after we have rejuvenated the texture and surface of the skin -- tasks at which we gave become very good -- there are still many people who, while they look much better, still do not look as young as they could. Over the years, it has become clear that many of the signs of facial aging are due to loss of deeper, supporting tissues: collagen, fat and bone. Even our teeth wear down and become shorter as we age, providing less support for the skin. With less support, the skin is stretched less tightly and becomes progressively more wrinkled.

Previously, it was thought that the signs of aging could be reversed by removing the wrinkled skin and re-draping the skin over the deeper structures. While this is still sometimes necessary, it clearly does not entirely solve the problem: too often it looks like less wrinkled skin over a face that still does not appear young.

If you look closely at the attractive young faces pictured below, you will see that there is a roundness of the cheeks, a fullness of the lips and the area below the lips, and an elevation of the eyebrows that is absent from older faces. The eyes are not hollow, as they frequently are after lower eyelid surgery.

The Beginning Signs of Aging

This photo of actress Catherine Keener, age 46, demonstrates the ravages of aging. One can see the hollows under her eyes, the deeper grooves produced by her smile. If she were not smiling, you would see that the fullness of her cheek has dropped, compared to the younger faces. She is getting hollows below the corners of her mouth and she has worn lines in her forehead from repeated movement. All these changes are either preventable or reversible.

Fortunately, we are now able to reverse many of these changes with the use of subdermal fillers. It is the skillful use of fillers to rejuvenate the skin support, combined with other techniques (as appropriate) that now allow us to make you truly look as young as you feel. For many if not most people, a combination approach is optimal.

The current fillers of choice for this purpose are the hyaluronic acid fillers (Restylane and Juvéderm). Radiesse, which is longer-lasting, can also be used for some of these indications. Sculptra is another excellent product.

At CSLC, we offer Cheek and Upper Face Lifts, Brow Lifts, Lower Face Restoration and Lip Enhancement, all done with fillers. Sometimes these may be done in combination. Generally the results last about 9 months, and most people plan on an annual touch-up.

The photos below give some indication of what can be accomplished with fillers alone:

Before	After
Before	After
Before	After
Before	After

If you are interested in restoring the glow of youth, we have the techniques and tools that can help. Call 209-956-4260 for more information, or you can request an appointment via our on-line appointment request form.