How best to tighten my face?
Well there are several factors to consider here. How much loose skin is there? Is the loose skin mostly due to loss of volume during the aging process? Is it due to sun damage and the damage to the collagen and elastic fibers in the skin? Or both?
A surgical facelift is always an option, of course. And sometimes it’s the best option if there is a lot of loose skin. Nonsurgical tightening methods work best on skin with mild or moderate laxity (looseness).
Of the nonsurgical methods, the 3 most effective are Thermage, Ultherapy and Exilis. Thermage works best on people ages 25-45ish who have mild to moderate laxity. Ultherapy in it’s most recent incarnation probably works as well but is still more painful and requires more treatments. Exilis is newer but promising, early data suggests it may be slightly more effective, and it is the most comfortable to have done. It will take a year or two to really know though.
Generally, it’s a good idea to do the tightening or laser before the fillers but your doctor can advise you on the order depending on which technology you choose.
Hope this helps, Dr. I
Read Dr. Irwin’s article on Guide to Fillers: Juvederm, Restylane, and Others.
