As you may have already discovered, today there are many different ways of tightening the skin. But all these different ways fall under two main umbrellas: surgical or non-surgical.
Facelifts, eye lifts and other surgical treatments offer one proven way of providing a tighter, firmer appearance to the skin. But increasingly, people are turning to non-surgical treatments to achieve similar results.
If you are considering a skin tightening procedure or treatment, you probably have lots of questions, which is both normal and great. The more questions you ask and the more research you do, the better your results are likely to be.
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1. Make sure you are a good candidate for a skin tightening treatment.
The first and most important thing to know about skin tightening is that not everyone is a good candidate for these types of procedures and treatments.
The American Academy of Dermatology Association (AADA) explains that the best candidates can meet the following criteria:
– Doesn’t drink much if at all.
– Doesn’t smoke.
– Doesn’t use tanning machines.
– Doesn’t have excessive sun damage.
– Eats healthy foods.
– Has small problem areas that need tightening.
In other words, if you have an overall healthy lifestyle, your main issues are with small sagging patches of skin and your skin hasn’t been subjected to excessive exposure to damaging ultraviolet light (whether artificial or natural), you may make a good initial candidate for skin tightening.
However, the AADA also states that it is important to tell your practitioner or dermatologist if you are pregnant, taking specific medications or have a pre-existing skin condition.
This is for your own protection, since failure to disclose may mean you don’t get the results you are hoping for from your skin tightening treatment.
2. Understand you may need multiple skin tightening treatments.
With a surgical procedure such as a facelift, typically you go in once, have the procedure done, and then you have a period of time when your skin will heal and recover.
With non-surgical skin tightening treatments, the process is quite different.
Instead of one big procedure, you will likely have a series of smaller treatments spread out over a period of weeks or months. The type of skin tightening treatment you pick and the results you desire will determine how many treatments you need.
As well, many skin tightening treatments also take some time before you will see the full results. But you won’t have the kind of downtime and recovery time after each treatment that you would with a surgical skin tightening procedure.
In some cases, with a non-surgical skin tightening treatment you can even return to work the same day or the next day.
3. Expect to need additional treatments in the future.
As the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery (ABCS) explains, the majority of non-surgical skin tightening treatments will only last for a period of time – up to one year in some cases.
After that time period elapses, you may need additional treatments to maintain your results. However, by adopting a healthy lifestyle and staying out of the sun, you may be able to prolong the results of your initial round of treatments.
4. Be sure your expectations are realistic for the results of your treatments.
The American Society of Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS) explains that it is important to remember skin tightening is designed to provide improvement, not a total transformation.
Skin tightening results can differ depending on the area being treated, adherence to post-treatment recovery and skin care regimens, prior medical and skin care history and genetics.
Results may also vary depending on the type of skin tightening treatment you select.
By selecting an experienced and qualified practitioner and clearly outlining your goals, you will have the best chance of loving your results.