The Pure Perfection Clinic team are experts when it comes to the ageing process, anti-ageing treatments and the psychological changes of ageing, and we’re more than happy to share our secrets!
We all know that as we get older the skin on our face begins to sag and wrinkles start to form, but do you know why this is? More significantly, do you know how we can slow and improve the signs of ageing?
The Ageing Process
Facial ageing is a natural process that occurs as every person gets older. Each layer of the face is affected differently, contributing to the overall aged appearance we see.
Skin Changes
The first thing you may notice is wrinkles appearing on your forehead, as well as around your eyes (known as crow’s feet) and around your mouth (often referred to as lipstick or smoker’s lines). There are two types of wrinkles – dynamic – noticeable when you make facial expressions like smiling and frowning – and static, which develop when you lose skin elasticity and are visible all the time.
Losing skin elasticity (your skin’s bounce-back ability), collagen (which gives your face its structure and firmness) and hyaluronic acid (that keeps your skin hydrated) is expected from the age of around 25, when our levels begin to decline. If you’re a woman, then you’ll lose these three key skin components at a much faster rate during peri-menopause, as the hormones that help produce them also start to decline. The resultant effect is usually thin, dry, wrinkled and sagging skin.
It’s also normal to see changes in your skin’s pigment, with darker patches appearing on your face, chest and hands. This can be caused by a combination of age, sun exposure and pollution.
Volume Changes
Getting older means we also lose fat and tissue volume. This leads to the appearance of sunken cheeks, hollowed under-eye areas and thinning lips. As the fat pads around the eyes can shift, you may also get puffiness or bags under the eyes.
The sagging makes folds appear in our skin, which appear as deep lines from the nose to the mouth (nasolabial lines) and from the mouth to the chin (marionette lines). In addition, our chins and jawlines can look heavier as all the skin has moved south.
Impact of an Ageing Face
Bone Changes
The bones in our face shrink with age, in a process called bone resorption. This means we have less structure holding our skin and fat in place, which is another reason why it sags downwards. It can also contribute to hollowing under the eyes and on the temples, giving a somewhat gaunt appearance.
Impact of an Ageing Face
The physical changes that occur as part of the ageing process can make us look tired, sad and angry. Often this isn’t how we feel on the inside, so we get frustrated with how our face portrays us. This makes us also experience the psychological changes of ageing, with some people finding they lose self-confidence as they worry people may find them unfriendly and unapproachable. Others may simply miss their youthful appearance.
Whatever your motivation for seeking anti-ageing treatments, Pure Perfection Clinic is here to help. We offer a comprehensive selection of procedures that can successfully address all signs of ageing. Here we share our favourites…
Anti-ageing Treatments
There are loads of anti-ageing treatments available, which each work differently to address specific concerns. These can include:
Wrinkle Removal
We offer consultations for anti-wrinkle injections with Botox to smooth ageing skin. Botox uses a substance called botulinum toxin, which temporarily relaxes the muscles that cause wrinkles to appear. It can be used on multiple areas on the face, including the forehead and either side of the eyes. Botox usually lasts around three months, before a top-up will be needed to maintain results. As with all our treatments, you must have a consultation with us before booking a Botox appointment.
Facial Volumisation and Contouring
Hyaluronic acid (HA) dermal fillers are our go-to treatment to replace lost volume in the cheeks, lips and temples, while also being able to add definition around the chin and jawline. Using conservative amounts, we can make your face look more youthful with very natural-looking results. HA filler can last up to a year and is easily dissolvable if anything goes wrong.
Skin Rejuvenation
If you’re after brighter, fresher looking skin, then there’s lots of treatments we can explore. First, it’s important to get you on a good skincare routine with clinically-proven products from our ZO Skin Health range. This will help maintain your skin quality on a long-term basis. Then we can consider treatments such as chemical peels, which exfoliate skin at different depths, a HydraFacial, the world’s most advanced facial that removes impurities and leaves you with glowing skin, or perhaps a Dermalux LED procedure that uses light energy to treat a wide range of skin conditions such as acne, rosacea and hyperpigmentation.
Collagen Stimulation
As mentioned, collagen loss contributes to many signs of ageing including poor skin tone and texture. We have an excellent range of treatments that can stimulate collagen production on a cellular level. These include polynucleotides, exosomes, Profhilo, Sunekos, PRP therapy, Radiesse and Ellanse. Each works slightly differently, with all capable of producing seriously impressive results. We’ll advise what’s best for you after a detailed consultation.
Impact of an Ageing Face
Skin Tightening
Energy-based devices are a great way to lift and tighten sagging skin, while also being able to stimulate collagen production to enhance its appearance.
We have a large selection of energy devices in clinic, including the Secret RF, Fractora and Morpheus8, which are all radiofrequency microneedling devices, and the Secret PRO CO2 laser.
Each works in a unique way and we can recommend which is best for your skin type after an in-depth consultation.
Skin Lifting
Skin Lifting
For more advanced facial sagging, a thread lift procedure is a great option. Using dissolvable Silhouette Soft threads that are inserted in the tissue just under the skin, we’re able to give your face an instant lift as we pull and secure them upwards. They’re also able to stimulate collagen production to enhance skin quality and give you long-lasting results.
Fat Dissolving
If you’ve got excessive fat around your lower face and chin, we can help with fat-dissolving injections. These work by breaking down fat cells, which are then eliminated naturally by the body. Usually, just one treatment is needed, but you must maintain a healthy lifestyle to avoid new fat appearing.
Author: Sara Cheeney
Sara Cheeney is a medically trained nurse practitioner, ZO Skin Health Faculty Member & UK Trainer and owner of the award-winning Pure Perfection Clinic in Chester, North Wales. Sara was awarded Aesthetic Nurse of the Year at the Safety in Beauty Awards in London, 2019 and the clinic is celebrating over a decade of success having been established in 2003. Furthermore, Sara has a clinic consulting business called Clinic Success. This was established with her passion to help other clinics deliver the best possible service to their patients.
Having gained widespread recognition for her patients transformative skin results, Sara is now an international speaker & KOL for both Hydrafacial and Inmode UK and is one of the UK’s leading speakers for ZO Skin Health. Her holistic approach based on clinical research is what sets her apart from others as she leans her focus largely on bringing out the confidence in her patients through her practise. Having mastered the art of treatments including Botox and Dermal Fillers, Sara felt that these procedures, on their own, were unable to achieve the results she wanted, and patients skin health was not being addressed. This then sparked the journey to study skin and discover ZO which is now used by Sara to treat all her patients, achieving incredible results. Sara’s expertise includes performing Botox & Fillers, ZO Skin consultations and treatments and Non-Surgical Skin Tightening. Everything she does in clinic starts with a holistic approach to care.
Having suffered with psoriasis at a young age, Sara has always had a keen interest in skin health and understanding the options of best treating skin conditions. She pursued many medical plans, therapies, and treatments to help cure her own skin condition, and became fascinated with the science behind aesthetic medicine. Helping people to improve their confidence gives Sara the most satisfaction and utilising her own experience to help others is the most rewarding aspect of the job.
The experience with her own skin and confidence as a teenager, was the starting point of the journey of becoming dual trained as a nurse and a beauty therapist. Whilst studying the two she found that each profession could significantly enhance the other in terms of greater patient satisfaction. Sara consistently seeks out new knowledge, training and innovate technology that has helped pioneer Pure Perfection Clinic into the award-winning clinic it is today.
However, Sara has faced many challenges on her road to success including a battle with breast cancer. Sara successfully grew Pure Perfection Clinic whilst battling the disease and raising her two children with her husband Chris. It was her fighting spirit against her situation which helped her to refocus on what is important and made Sara even more determined to look after her family and make a success of her business. Whilst she was undergoing chemotherapy and several surgeries, she worked tirelessly on the business. Sara utilises her experience as a driving force to help and inspire her patients both physically and psychologically.
Sara is asked regularly to attend training programmes and aesthetic innovations across the globe and loves this aspect of her work as well as remaining passionate and dedicated to her patients and team at Pure Perfection Clinic. Her ultimate joy is being in the clinic performing her role as Aesthetic Nurse Practitioner.
Her role both as Aesthetic Nurse in the Clinic along with her role as Consultant & Trainer inspires her each day, and she loves being able to provide that confidence boost in others so we can all live our best life.
To view more blogs by Sara Cheeney please click here.