By: Dr. Craig Crippen
Aging Process – the 3Ds
Deterioration – Fine lines, wrinkles, skin texture change
Descent – Droopiness or skin sagging
Deflation – Loss of facial volume
It is now possible to treat these three dimensions of the aging process with non-surgical methods that leaves patients skin rejuvenated and maintains an all-natural look. I tell patients to think of this as turning back the clock on your skin a number of years gently and without the need for going “under the knife”. Laser skin therapy combined with no-downtime injectable treatments are now the most common treatments requested by patients. This trend of non-invasive and nonsurgical skin treatments is only growing and has already overtaken those older surgical methods by a large margin. Discuss your treatment options with an experienced and knowledgeable physician skin expert like Dr. Crippen to stop or even reverse the aging process.
What Aging Process causes droopiness and deflation of the cheeks?
Toronto droopy cheek patients are experiencing a common area of facial aging process, specifically, facial aging influences resulting from a loss the fullness of youth and subcutaneous fat (under the skin fat) that is present in a youthful cheek and midface. With a loss of fat of the cheek there is a loosening and drop of the facial soft tissues. Loss of support in ligaments and loss of dermal elasticity or skin elasticity contributes and assists in the descent of the cheek and cheek fat pad. With a descent and droopiness of the cheek there is a hollowing out of the lower eyelid region, a loss of cheek volume and projection. There can be multiple grooves across the cheek in addition of the smile lines, with a down going descent at the corner of the mouth and more evident jowl, with loss of the jaw line. All these features and signs of droopiness and descent of the cheek can be addressed with different procedures.
Can I treat my droopy and deflated cheeks? And if so, how are they treated?
Droopy cheek patients can have a variety of treatments to restore a natural and compelling cheek appearance and rejuvenation. One of the easiest, minimally invasive, common and non surgical treatments for droopiness and deflation of the cheek includes restoration of the volume of the cheek through use of a safe, long lasting, reversible injectable soft tissue filler. This procedure’s called the Soft Lift and was pioneered and developed by many of the top physicians in this field like Dr Crippen. During a Soft Lift, soft tissue gel fillers may be used to inject into the soft tissue of the cheek, the under eye and smile lines and around the mouth to create an elevated and rejuvenated youthful fullness of the cheek that can look natural and pleasing. Botox can also be used to relax the muscles that pull the cheek down creating the illusion of a cheeklift or midfacelift effect. In addition to Botox or soft tissue fillers, there are certain lasers and radiofrequency devices that can be used to tighten the skin of droopy, lax and elderly soft tissue of the cheeks improving cheek wrinkles. Wrinkled Skin and droopy cheek patients can benefit from combinations of these non-invasive
If I have my droopy, wrinkly, deflated cheeks treated, can they come back? And how can I prevent that?
Droopy cheek and wrinkly cheek skin patients who have their aesthetic concerns addressed with either cosmetic cheeklift procedure or some non-invasive procedures will undergo a natural and normal facial aging process of the cheek, with loss of the volume that was created and wrinkling of the skin after their procedure. In general, DermMedica™ physician Dr Crippen will recommend some non surgical treatments that are designed to be performed intermittently throughout the year, perhaps once every three to four months, in order to protect the youthful vitality and the youthful rejuvenation that has been achieved through a cosmetic plastic surgery cheeklift or non-invasive cheek enhancement procedure. These maintenance treatments may include Botox, soft tissue fillers and fractional infrared and radiofrequency skin tightening procedures.
