Skincare & Injectables- Why It’s The Perfect Marriage

I often hear from patients, “I am going to start with skin care treatments now so I can put off doing injectables for as long as possible”. It is a misconception that skin care and injectables are done in sequence. Actually it is quite the opposite. They compliment each other and should be done concurrently, and here’s why:

When you come in to see me, or any aesthetician, our role is to correct your skin. We work in the dermis and epidermis. We lighten sunspots, remove little blood vessels, tighten and clean out pores, soften fine lines and wrinkles, make the skin smoother etc.… We are working on the surface to make the skin healthy. This diagram shows the difference between healthy skin and unhealthy skin. This is what skincare does for you.

 

Now on the other hand, injectables, such as Botox/Dysport or fillers have a completely different purpose.

Botox/Dysport are neurotoxins that are used to temporarily paralyze facial muscles. Skin care cannot do anything for your muscles. We work on the skin. A simple analogy that I often use is the one of “wrinkles at rest versus wrinkles in motion”. Botox/Dysport works for your wrinkles in motion. These are the wrinkles that are created when you smile, laugh, and frown. Wrinkles at rest are the wrinkles that are left there from all those years of smiling, laughing, and frowning.

As an aesthetician it becomes difficult to treat your “wrinkles at rest” if you continue to create those facial expressions. It’s kind of like paddling upstream. For some these wrinkles are from age but for others it is genetic. I personally have been getting neurotoxins since I was 25 for my deep frown lines and it has prevented me from getting deep wrinkles in that area.

 

Now fillers, such as Juvederm, Restylane, Lyft, Voluma etc.…. are used to fill space and are typically made of Hyaluronic acid. As we age our facial fat and bone structure starts to change. The fat in our face starts to break down and bone loss starts to occur. This results in hollowing around the eyes, less defined cheekbones, and jowling. Now although collagen based skin care treatments can help to tighten the skin they cannot stimulate more fat. Below is a perfect diagram of what happens under our skin as we age.

 

So as you can see skin care, Botox/Dysport, and fillers work synergistically to help correct, bring back the appearance of youth, and even prevent the look of aging. The best results are achieved when they are used together as needed and regardless of age.