How to achieve natural facial rejuvenation with collagen stimulation

Ageing transforms the face to create a look that does not always reflect the vibrant person inside. Hence, maintaining a youthful appearance, for some people, has a profound effect on self-esteem and personal and professional relationships. There are several non-surgical interventions available, but not all are able to deliver a high-quality, long-lasting and natural result. Ms Lydia Badia, a leading facial plastic surgeon, explains the best treatments to achieve natural facial rejuvenation, and those that are best avoided.

What treatments do you advise against?

Two of the well-known anti-ageing treatments on the market are Botox and fillers. Whilst Botox can deliver fast-acting results, if the injections are not well-placed by an expert, the result can sometimes be a ‘frozen face’ appearance. Additionally, results from Botox injections have variability between different people.

There are a range of fillers available, each with varying results. Fillers are inserted under the skin, in different layers to improve contours, scars, folds and flaccidity. One of the most common temporary fillers used today is Hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers. Whilst these are long-lasting, due to their hydrophilic properties (their tendency to bind to water molecules), they can give an unnatural and overinflated look.

Hence, my take-home message is to avoid getting rid of individual facial lines. It is better to focus on appearing ‘well’ for your age. With Botolunim toxin, avoid creating unnatural folds and a frozen face. Hyaluronic acid binds up to 1000 times its weight in water, it is a good lubricant ‘jelly’ but when injected in the dermis it can cause pseudocysts and can give an overinflated look.

What treatment do you recommend?

There are newer generation polycaprolactone (PCL) based collagen stimulators that are very effective in restoring volume and redefining contours. They are also safe and temporary, and have been shown to require few touch-up procedures. Therefore, because of PCL filler’s biostimulatory properties, they are my first choice for natural facial rejuvenation and chronological ageing.

If you are interested in finding out more, make an appointment with an expert.