Don’t Let Smile Lines Compromise Your Beautiful Smile
Ready to do something about those laugh lines you’re noticing at the corners of your mouth? You have several options to treat them so they don’t detract from your beautiful smile.
If you’ve tried a variety of home treatments and over-the-counter creams but still notice wrinkles you’d like to get rid of, it may be time to try something new. Melanie L. Adams, MD, PA, is happy to discuss various treatment options including a natural, noninvasive method using radiofrequency energy to minimize wrinkles and restore your healthy, youthful appearance.
Wrinkles appear in both men and women due to age, skin exposure to certain elements such as sun and smoke, and repeated facial expressions. While you can’t stop time and may not be able to completely eliminate your exposure to the elements, understanding how these things create wrinkles can help you combat wrinkles as they form.
As you age, your skin loses elasticity. You produce fewer healthy oils, and your skin becomes more fragile. Additionally, you lose layers of fat beneath your skin, which leads to sagging and wrinkles. Finally, the collagen in your fat breaks down, so your fat doesn’t hold its proper shape beneath your skin. All of this together produces wrinkles, and each aspect must be addressed to reduce wrinkling.
Radiofrequency (RF) addresses the problem of collagen breakdown in facial tissue. A device such as the Pelleve® wand sends RF waves through the skin. When the waves hit the fat tissue beneath your skin, the RF energy works as thermal energy to heat your fat and collagen. This heat, when maintained for a few moments, breaks down the collagen.
Now you may be thinking, “Wait a minute. How does destroying my collagen help support my proper face shape?” The answer is that when collagen is damaged, your body reacts by increasing blood flow and building new, healthy collagen. The Pelleve device stimulates your own body to fight wrinkles.
Unlike older forms of treatment that use lasers, RF stimulation does not heat the skin. This reduces complications such as the discoloration and pain that used to be associated with wrinkle treatments.
Each treatment begins with applying a special gel to the areas you want treated. A small metal wand slowly moves through the gel, heating each area for a few minutes several times. Your face may feel warm, but you should not experience any pain.
During the session, which usually takes less than an hour, the fat beneath your skin may swell. The swelling is minimal — it shouldn’t impact your daily life and usually diminishes within a day.
You can notice the reduction of wrinkles within two days. However, as collagen continues production for several days after the procedure, you may not see your final results for about a week.
Pelleve has received positive reactions from professionals and patients. Four months after two sessions with Pelleve, professionals reported 76% of patients still showed positive results, and 85% of patients reported continued satisfaction with their results.
However, it is important to keep in mind that your collagen continues to break down as you age, so you may need repeated treatments over the years if you want to keep wrinkles to a minimum. You can discuss a skin care regime with Dr. Adams that can help extend your results and reduce the number of RF treatments you need.
Radiofrequency treatment may not be the best answer for everyone. But if you have mild to moderate wrinkling, it may be one of the better options for you. Dr. Adams can assess your skin elasticity and determine if Pelleve, in combination with topical treatment or on its own, can achieve the results you want. To learn more, request an appointment with Dr. Adams by phone or online.
