Dermal fillers and anti-wrinkle injections can do wonders for your appearance.
The treatments are affordable, the results can be transformative, and people accept the benefits are temporary. We all know that nothing is forever, including the rejuvenating effects of cosmetic injectables. What isn’t as widely known is that injectable patients can help prolong their anti-ageing benefits with a little bit of simple self-care.
Let us show you how…
Costhetics Tips for Longer-Lasting Results from Injectables
- Throw Some Shade – Nothing is more damaging to the skin than sun exposure. UV exposure triggers an increase in the production of a natural enzyme called collagenase. This enzyme causes collagen to break down, leading to fine lines, wrinkles, and visible signs of facial ageing.
Australians, in particular, need to wear sunscreen year-round and stay out of the direct sun in the middle of the day when UV rays are most powerful and damaging.
- Treat Night-time Like Beauty Time – The connection between a good night’s sleep and facial beauty has been well-documented, so lose sleep at your own risk. As you sleep, your body is hard at work to repair any damage done to your skin. Your blood flow increases, and skin goes into collagen-production mode.
At the same time, lack of sleep triggers “the stress hormone cortisol to be released, which in turn encourages inflammation in the skin, causing flare-ups in conditions like acne, psoriasis, and even eczema,” says The National Sleep Foundation in the article How Sleep Improves Your Skin. Insufficient sleep puts your body in direct conflict with your injectables, causing problems such as under eye bags. The NSF recommends adults get seven to nine hours of (beauty) sleep.
- Let the Smoke Clear – Beyond the significant health risks it poses, smoking also plays havoc with facial skin. Dermal fillers are excellent for correcting smokers’ lines, i.e the vertical lines around the mouth that become permanently etched in the face. If you start smoking again after you have fillers, your skin is likely to become unnaturally dry and your wrinkles will reappear.
The good news is that people who stop smoking ahead of a cosmetic procedure are likely to reduce or even quit their habit. In the article Cosmetic Surgery May Help Patients Quit Smoking, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons writes, “In the follow-up survey, about 40 percent of patients said they no longer smoked cigarettes on a daily basis. Nearly one-fourth had not smoked at all since their cosmetic surgery procedure.”
- Think Zinc – We love facts at Costhetics and the fact is a 2012 study on zinc supplements found that supplements were effective in increasing “the degree and duration” of anti-wrinkle injections. A whopping 84% of participants reported a “subjective increase in…effect,” contrasted with “no significant increase in duration or effect reported by patients following supplementation with lactulose placebo or 10 mg of zinc gluconate.”
Zinc is generally considered safe as a supplement. However, some people may experience digestive problem and rarely, zinc has been known to cause stomach and kidney damage. Before taking any supplement, Costhetics recommends speaking to your physician.
- Stay Calm and Carry On – As we noted above, cortisol is an enemy of good skin. It’s produced when you’re sleep-deprived and also when you’re stressed. Among all the other mischief cortisol is up to, it can break down the active ingredients in fillers, causing them to lose their effectiveness sooner rather than later.
When you’re feeling stressed your breathing pattern changes. Breathes are shallow and you may feel light-headed from lack of oxygen. A few deep cleansing breaths can really help right your boat. “Deliberately copying a relaxed breathing pattern seems to calm the nervous system that controls the body’s involuntary functions,” reports the Better Health Channel.
We think you’ll agree that’s good advice in all things health and beauty!