Skin Rejuvenation Treatments

Skin rejuvenation options vary enormously, with a spectrum, of treatments ranging from the less vigorous (gentle exfoliants, low strength AHA’s and microdermabrasion) through to more interventional skin resurfacing procedures and appearance medicine techniques (high strength chemical peels, laser resurfacing and injectables such as botox and derma fillers).

Many of the treatments covered in this section can be used to address the same facial issues – although they do so in different ways. The treatments can also vary enormously in intensity, depending upon their application. There is no single solution that is right for everyone. For this reason it is vital that that you attend a consultation with an experienced surgeon and consider all the options available to find the treatment that is right for you.

Skin Rejuvenation Options

There are many products on the market that promise dramatic ‘rejuvenation’ of your skin. What is clear is that there is an enormous amount of money being spent on marketing and it can be difficult to work out what is realistic from the hype. There are really three types of products that have consistently produced good results.

• Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA’s) – these remove excess dull, dry overlying keratin to reveal the fresh skin underneath.

• Vitamin A Derivatives – Topical creams which improve the texture and appearance of the skin.

• Vitamin C derivatives – Also applied topically, vitamin C formulations can stimulate collagen formation and prevent free radical damage.

Alpha Hydroxy Acids

AHAs work by gently loosening and shedding the dead upper layer of skin cells to reveal the fresher, younger skin underneath.

Often called fruit acids because of their origins (the glycolic acid comes from sugar cane, citric from citrus fruits, pyruvic from papaya, malic from apples, tartaric from fermented grapes and lactic from fermented milk. They are all naturally occurring and non-toxic.

While modern alpha hydroxyl acid treatments are highly refined versions of these base products, primitive versions have been around for centuries. Cleopatra bathed in sour milk, benfiting from the refining and hydrating effects of lactic acid, while aged wine was popular among Roman women.

Because AHAs are hydroscopic (meaning they attract water), in lower concentrations they are effective tools for holding in skin moisture. In higher concentrations, however (the levels used in skin peels), the AHAs actually push so much water into skin cells that they burst, causing surface layers of skin to shed away. These mild acids also work as a gentle irritant, loosening old dead skin cells and stimulation skin turnover. The epidermis (top skin layer) then produces new skin cells to make op the deficit and the dermis (bottom skin layer) responds by making more collagen and elastin.

As the old cells are replaced with newer cells, skin also speeds up the repair process, making it more able to repair damage that occurs. AHAs come in different strengths. Basically, the greater the strength the greater the effect (but also the problems of redness, itching and stinging increase. But beware 5% of one product is not necessarily the same as another, and some AHA’s are ‘neutralised’ to minimise stinging. Various concentrations of an AHA may be applied weekly or at longer intervals to obtain the best result. Your doctor will help make this decision during your consultation before treatment begins.

While AHAs provide a gentle exfoliation or peel to reveal the fresh, pink skin underneath, trichloroacetic acid (TCA) peels and phenol peels are a much more aggressive option. TCA can be used in many concentrations, but is most commonly used for medium-depth peeling to treat fine surface wrinkles, superficial blemishes and pigment problems. As a rule with peels it is important to remember that the deeper a peel goes the more likely it is to flatten lines and erase pigmentation but the greater the risk of complications such as redness, irritation, scarring and unwanted pigment change.