It’s been said that adulthood is when you stop wanting to become older and start wishing you were younger. Youth is synonymous with health and beauty, especially for those who start to notice wrinkles and find that their knees start to hurt more than usual. As we all know, a healthy lifestyle with regular exercise and a balanced diet helps a lot to prevent diseases, maintain our energy levels, and allow us to live longer. But that’s not all.
Modern medical technology has come a long way in developing aesthetic and cosmetic treatments that help stave off the effects of aging and make you look more youthful. Research is still ongoing, but many new and innovative techniques have entered the market and become commercially available. The following are just a few that you may be able to find at a beauty and wellness clinic near you.
Dermabrasion
Dermabrasion is a procedure that removes skin blemishes caused by acne, scarring, birthmarks, age spots, and sun damage. It involves a special brush that scrapes away the outer layer of the skin so that new, smoother skin can grow in its place. Sounds painful? Maybe – but you’ll be given a local anesthetic first so that you won’t feel any pain.
However, your skin will look raw and red afterwards, and there may be some bleeding, with slight risks of infection or cold sores. Depending on the level of abrasion, you will need between 7 to 30 days to recover, which means taking time off work. And if your scars are deep, or your age spots are significant, you may need to undergo several treatments. Nevertheless, dermabrasion remains a popular treatment.
Microdermabrasion
Despite the similar name, microdermabrasion is a different procedure, although it aims for the same results. Instead of a brush that scrapes away the skin, microdermabrasion uses a much gentler exfoliation technique using crystals or diamond flakes. It is not invasive, and those who have gone through it often describe it feeling just like a cat’s tongue licking their face.
This newer technique only requires one to two days to recover. There may be some sensitivity to the sun afterwards, but on the whole you can go about your daily routine as normal. You can even use your usual skincare products afterwards – in fact, your exfoliated skin may even absorb your skin creams better by 10 to 50%. All this certainly makes microdermabrasion a better alternative to dermabrasion, but take note – since it utilizes newer technology, it’s likely to be more expensive.
Laser skin resurfacing
Laser skin resurfacing is another procedure that removes skin blemishes as well as reducing wrinkles. Similar to dermabrasion, it damages your skin in precise and controlled ways so that it can heal itself and produce smoother, younger-looking skin. You may hear of some weird technical jargon such as “Er:YAG” or “CO 2 ” in your research, but you don’t need to worry about that; they just refer to different types of lasers that are used for the same purpose.
Laser skin resurfacing has become quite popular in recent years as an anti-aging treatment that can rejuvenate your looks. The procedure can be painful, or at least uncomfortable, so you’ll need local anesthetic or even a mild sedative for it. There are risks of infection or cold sores, and recovery time may vary depending on the person or the severity of the treatment. Yet the results are well worth it for most people, even with the high cost.
IV vitamin drip therapy
A much more inexpensive and less invasive anti-aging treatment is an IV vitamin drip. There are many vitamins and nutrients that can make you look better and younger, such as vitamin B complex, vitamin B12, vitamin C, zinc, glutathione, and more. These can be found in skin creams and foods. But oral consumption means up to 50% of these nutrients aren’t absorbed by the body, which means you’ll have to eat a lot to see results.
Hence, a vitamin drip feed that delivers them intravenously can allow you to experience their rejuvenating effects much faster. There are a variety of IV “cocktails” than can produce different benefits, such as curing hangovers or migraines or giving you a boost of energy, but those with beautifying and anti-aging effects are the most popular. And they’re hardly invasive at all – just an injection to insert the catheter, then sit tight for 30 minutes to an hour while the IV drip works its magic. You’ll see and feel the effects almost instantaneously.
There are many anti-aging treatments out there that vary in price and effectiveness. Consider your budget, your schedule for time in recovery, and your willingness to endure discomfort, before deciding on one. When it comes to safety and inexpensiveness, IV vitamin drips definitely win out, but you’ll still need to pick a wellness clinic that’s qualified and experienced in administering IV therapy. For more information, contact our medical professionals at any of the channels below.