Treat wrinkles and lines in Surrey (Vancouver) with professional cosmetic solutions at our skin care clinic

These are injectable solutions for smoothing wrinkles. Wrinkle relaxers like Botox® are made to neutralize your muscles, so that wrinkles don’t show through your skin. Hyaluronic acid fillers, on the other hand, act as volumizers, to lift your skin where crevices have formed. Other dermal fillers work by not only volumizing, but by building your body’s own collagen over time. This decreases wrinkling even further.

Most injectable solutions are temporary, and need to be reapplied every few months. Though, some can last up to a year, or even 5 years, in the longest case-scenario.

Regardless of the ingredients in the injectables, they must be handled by a trained and qualified practitioner, for your safety. At our clinic, only doctors and nurses do injecting.

More about our wrinkle relaxers (such as Botox®) and dermal fillers (such as Juvéderm®), can be read about here.

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By removing thin, top layers of your skin with laser energy, we can induce cell regeneration, so it happens more quickly. This creates new skin, literally, for a smoother appearance.

These types of treatments can be intense or mild. Sometimes we can even use a single laser at different settings. Of course, the deeper the treatment, the more downtime may be involved. On the flip side, deeper sessions also achieve more in less time. This is opposed to requiring a series of treatments, scheduled several weeks apart.

Each skin resurfacing case will require a consultation to determine the most suitable laser for reducing lines and wrinkles. We carry a range of lasers, which perform at different levels, and in different ways. This way, we can better target your problem areas, or provide a mix of solutions.

For example, our CO2 laser treatments are an intense way to renew your skin. The Fraxel® DUAL laser can also help with complexion while ‘hacking away’ at wrinkles. Something like the Nd:Yag laser on the excel® V can aid in skin tightening, which may be your root problem.

We also have lasers for photofacials and laser peels. These are milder forms of laser rejuvenation, to provide milder effects. They can be used for maintenance facials, too.

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Some cosmetic tools at our clinic use radio-frequency energy, as opposed to laser light energy. They have specific uses, but they are especially good at skin tightening. While skin tightening can be considered more of a sagging skin solution, it can have the additional effect of wrinkle reduction. This is because it reduces the folds that laxity creates in the first place.

Our radio-frequency skin-tightening solutions include:

• Infini™ RF Microneedling (this works by poking small, heated needles into the skin, to stimulate collagen).
• Ultherapy® (this works by delivering ultrasound heat energy to the deepest layers of skin, also stimulating collagen)

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In addition to laser peels or photofacials with light-based technologies, we also offer chemical and mechanical forms of exfoliation. These are not always milder, however. Rather, like lasers, they can come in a range of intensities (some chemical peels can penetrate deeper than laser treatments, believe it or not).

Most of the time, however, we recommend milder versions of these solutions for monthly maintenance. This can keep your skin ‘fresh,’ which can help with your overall ‘glow.’ They won’t give you dramatic wrinkle reversals, but they can be healthy for your skin. This way, you can fight wrinkles more easily with ‘bigger’ treatments, and preventative care.

A regular, professional routine using spa-grade products and tools can help exfoliate skin much better than at-home solutions.

Options for wrinkle maintenance at our skin clinic include:

• Microdermabrasion
• HydraFacial™
• Carbon peel
• Chemical Peels (Jessner peel & others)

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Whether as a standalone treatment, or for preparation and maintenance after a laser treatment, we may recommend topical solutions for your wrinkles and lines. These can be considered ‘wrinkle therapy.’ They work best when used diligently, day-after-day.

Cosmeceuticals contain strong, effective and researched ingredients to fight signs of aging. Prescriptions are a ‘step above,’ and contain more potent doses of these same types of ingredients. Our clinic is led by a doctor, who is licensed to write prescriptions, if you need them.

Common ingredients we may recommend for wrinkles, include:

• Retinoids (vitamin A derivatives, such as Tretinoin in Retin-A, or milder retinol options)
• Growth factors and peptides
• Ascorbic acid (a derivative of vitamin C)
• Tocopheryl acetate and tocopheryl linoleate (derivatives of vitamin E)

Plus other plant extracts, moisturizers and hydrators to go along with the above ingredients, for a ‘balanced’ treatment.

When we make facial expressions, or squish our face onto our pillow at night, we consistently create folds and creases in the skin. As we lose elastin – that ‘bounce back’ factor – the remnants of our expressions become more and more ‘fixed’ in place. This is when we see:

• Parallel, horizontal forehead lines.
• Glabellar lines (vertical frown lines between the eyebrows).
• Crows feet around the corner of the eyes.
• Bunny lines on the bridge of the nose.
• Nasolabial lines (from the nose to the mouth) and marionette laugh lines (around the corners of the mouth).
• Lip lines (vertical lines from kiss-faces and pursed lips).

These can be considered ‘fine lines,’ especially when they are in their early stages of development.

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When you combine repeated facial expressions with cell damage, either from long-term gravity, genetics (age), sun damage, smoking or other lifestyle habits, you get much coarser wrinkles. The above types of creases get more dramatic, and we would call them full-on wrinkles rather than mere, ‘fine lines.’

In this group, we often also see the addition of:

• Cheek wrinkles
• Jowl lines (on the sides of the chin)
• Dimples (on the chin, also called a mental crease)
• Neck bands (lines, creases)

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As we mature in age, the wrinkles combine with sagging skin to produce folds in the skin. Fat layers and muscles under the skin start to shrink, causing a loss of internal volume, which then gives less for the skin to ‘hang on’ to. Gravity plays a part on the skin by pulling it downward, causing wrinkles.

We write more about sagging skin here.

These types of wrinkles are usually:

• Marionette folds
• Nasolabial folds
• Neck folds

But they can include droopy eyebrows or eyelids, and more.

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We can’t prevent all wrinkles, but we can practice healthy habits to keep them at bay as much as possible. That includes:

• Wearing a high SPF, broad-spectrum sunscreen (and reapplying every 2 hours, even on cloudy days, or near windows).
• Eating healthy.
• Changing habits that lead to wrinkles, such as facial expressions or sleeping on your side.
• Using wrinkle-fighting cosmeceuticals as part of a daily routine.
• Getting regular spa-grade maintenance facials.
• Opting for injectable solutions to prevent repeated facial animations, such as Botox®.
• Opting for procedural skin resurfacing, mentioned above, as treatments for wrinkles in Surrey.