The Latest Anti-Aging Cosmetic Procedures

It has been years since Botox hit the market and turned the old school anti-aging products on their heads. Since then, researchers and surgeons have been clamoring to find the next "it thing". The advances in recent years range from subtle to drastic and from putting a mild dent in your wallet to deciding whether you want to take out a second mortgage on your home to finance your new (newer looking) face. Here's a look at some of the latest cosmetic procedures, what they entail and what they may cost you in monetarily and financially.

Injectable Wrinkle Fillers

Wrinkle fillers such as Restylane and Juvederm are popular due to the instant gratification factor and minimal down time. These treatments can be done over the course of an hour or so and the results are almost instantaneous. A syringe filled with the wrinkle filler is inserted into the laugh lines around the mouth and some are used for superficial lines and scarring. The cost of the treatment ranges from $300-$500 for short term line fillers to as much as $2000 dollars for the "permanent" line fillers. A word of caution regarding the permanent fillers. They are not recommended as permanent wrinkle fillers and are only used as such off label. There can be serious complications such as lumps under the skin so make sure you weigh your options carefully.

Chemical Peels

Every anti-aging cream on the market today is a watered down version of a chemical peel. Chemical peels, as with wrinkle fillers come in various levels of severity. A minor chemical peel to remove sun damage, acne scars or other tiny imperfections are simply a mixture of alpha hydroxy acids that simply remove the top most layer of skin. There is really no downtime and these can be completed by a asthetatician at a day spa. The treatments need to be repeated every few weeks for several months. The cost varies greatly from $50 to $200 dollars.

The Intensive chemical peels require sedation and can cause an intense amount of pain. There is also a significant down time during recovery, usually around two weeks. Deep peels use a product known as phenol which removes several layers of skin. It is not uncommon for scabbing, peeling, and blistering to occur. As the skin heels, it can become itchy and patients may wish to scratch or pick at their faces, this can result in deep scarring. This chemical peel is good for reducing sun damage, scarring and to some degree facial hair.

Laser Treatments

Laser treatments such as Fraxel are getting a lot of good feedback due to the rejuvenation of the body's own collagen stores. A laser is applied to the face in a grid like pattern and penetrates the lower layers of tissue to cause the body to stimulate collagen. While the procedure can be done in a short in office visit it can be extremely painful based on the individual's tolerance to pain. It may take several days to see the results and with price tags ranging from $2600 to $18,000 it is one of the priciest new treatments on the market.

While these are by no means the totality of cosmetic treatments available for youth enhancement, they are some of the newer and most sought after treatments out there. As always, do your research on not only the procedures but on who you allow to perform them. Despite being readily available these are still medical procedures and should be weighed as risk vs. reward.