Take the years off your face in a jiffy

High levels of pollution, especially in the metros and stress due to overwork, bad diets, lack of physical activity, smoking and alcohol consumption are ageing skin faster than ever before. At the same time, they are fuelling a multi-crore anti-ageing product industry. Rhythma Kaul reports.

High levels of pollution, especially in the metros and stress due to overwork, bad diets, lack of physical activity, smoking and alcohol consumption are ageing skin faster than ever before. At the same time, they are fuelling a multi-crore anti-ageing product industry.

For those who cannot be bothered with slathering their faces with anti-wrinkle and hydrating creams every day, there are some longer lasting options which can take years off your face.

With the kind of changes cosmetic science has seen in the past few years, people wanting to go for face, neck and chest lift have a plethora of procedures to choose from, that are also non-surgical and non-invasive.

Dr Shahin Nooreyezdan, senior consultant at department of cosmetic surgery, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, uses the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved skin-tightening device for a therapy called Ultherapy. It is a non-invasive procedure for the face, neck and chest that uses ultrasound and the body’s own natural healing process to lift, tone, and tighten loose skin.

The device used in the procedure utilises the safe, time-tested energy of ultrasound to stimulate the deep structural support layers of the skin-including those typically addressed in a surgical facelift-without disturbing the surface of the skin.

“It has no downtime or side-effects such as redness or swelling and results can be seen within three to six months of the treatment. I have been using it as a prophylactic tool for people above 35 years of age,” said Dr Nooreyezdan.

It is a day care procedure, which means you can go back to your routine after a session lasting between 60 min and 90 min, depending on the condition. This one-time procedure, however, comes at a steep price, costing about R 1.3 lakh and the effect can last up to two-and-a-half years. It may not be very effective on very old and wintry skin though.

Dr Deepali Bhardwaj, Delhi-based dermatologist recently installed SMARTXIDE-2 at her clinic that she claims is a miracle treatment for not just anti-ageing but removal of scars and stretch marks. “It’s probably the only machine that combines both carbon-dioxide and radio frequency that is delivered inside the skin through laser shots to make skin imperfections vanish and counteracts ageing effects such as wrinkles and flabbiness,” she said.

A session normally lasts anywhere between 5 minutes and 30 minutes and can cost between R5,000 and R10,000. The result can last up to five years in most cases. Though these procedures have no major side-effects, people may experience redness, bruises, itching or crusting of skin for the initial three-four days called the downtime. However, experts warn against getting these procedures done by untrained people.

“Till a few years ago, we would do procedures on women in their 40s, now we have clients in their 20s. I even get queries from adolescents as young as 15. We obviously counsel them, especially in the presence of their parents,” says Dr Nitin Walia, senior consultant, department of dermatology, Max Healthcare.

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