For hundreds of years, human beings have been searching for new ways to slow down aging, improve the quality of life and look young. Depending on the genetic characteristics of living things, the rate of aging, which is a pre-established clock, can differ even between organisms of the same species. In this complex process, the cells of the human body begin to weaken in a certain period of time and gradually lose their functions. It informs that aging is coming with symptoms such as joint disorders, heart and vascular problems, endocrinological diseases, wrinkles on the skin and whitening of the hair. It is also affected by environmental factors such as wind, decrease in humidity, use of alkaline soaps. It is possible to list the noticeable changes with aging as dryness, thinning of the skin, the appearance of fine wrinkles, loss of elasticity and the appearance of spots and an increase in their number. In addition to thickening and coarsening of the skin in areas exposed to ultraviolet rays, loss of elasticity and deep wrinkles appear.
During the aging process, changes occur in the tissue, metabolic and physiological functions of the skin. For example, functions such as the ability to repair DNA damage, the power to form vitamin D, the protective feature of the defense system, the regeneration capacity of the skin barrier, the secretion of oil and the production of the pigment called melanin are reduced. As a result of environmental factors, especially the photoaging process, irregularities and deteriorations occur in the proteins called Collagen and Elastin, which are important structural elements of the subcutaneous tissue. Over time, the amount of hyaluronic acid, which keeps the skin moist, also decreases. Gradually, excessive dryness occurs in the skin, the muscle mass that provides facial expression decreases, subcutaneous fat tissue, bone structure and cartilage tissue decrease. As a result of the deterioration of the muscle structure, the grooves around the eyes and the edge of the nose become deeper. Eyebrows fall, drooping of the upper eyelids and drooping of the lower eyelids occur. In addition to sagging and bagging, especially on the lower and upper eyelids, wrinkles are also seen on the cheeks and neck.
Thin lines of the skin, which is considered one of the inevitable results of the aging process, are very affected by sun damage and environmental factors. While evaluating deep wrinkles, we consider them in two parts as dynamic and static. As in the eye area, dynamic lines emerge with the movement of facial muscles. Static lines, on the other hand, do not change with muscle movement. Dynamic lines can become static over time.
In order to achieve good results in the treatment of wrinkles, a combination of many processes is needed.
First and foremost, it is necessary to use glasses, clothes, wide-brimmed hats to protect from the sun and apply sunscreen creams to the exposed areas. It is necessary to be protected from air pollution and to stay away from smoking. Consistently use moisturizers and consume 8 glasses of water daily to reduce dryness and help aged skin look better. In addition to moisturizers and sunscreens, the use of antiaging products such as retinol, vitamin C, alpha hydroxy acids applied externally is one of the methods used to reduce wrinkles on the skin.
Chemical peeling can be done in order to reduce static lines on the skin, increase the water retention capacity of the skin, trigger collagen production and correct color irregularities in the skin. In the chemical peeling process, which is applied as treatment courses of 4-6 sessions, superficial peeling of the skin is provided by using glycolic acid, salicylic acid, lactic acid and trichloroacetic acid from fruit acids. Chemical peeling, which does not require anesthesia and does not cause loss of work, makes the skin look more transparent and refreshed.
Hyaluronic acid and collagen, which are naturally found in our skin and reduce over time and allow the appearance of signs of aging, are used today as filler injections to remove deep lines and make them look better. Fillers usually fill the cheeks, under-eye grooves, lines around the eyes, lines around the lips and deep lines that appear on the chin, making the person look younger. Another method to fill deep lines is to treat wrinkles with the patient’s own fat cells. In this treatment method, the patient’s fat cells are taken from his own body with the help of an injector and then injected into the wrinkled areas. Filling injections, which usually last between 8 months and 12 months, are very easy to make and do not affect the daily life of the person.
Botolinum toxin injection therapy is used in the treatment of dynamic wrinkles that develop as a result of temporarily stopping mimic movements in the facial muscles. These wrinkles, especially between the eyebrows, around the eyes and on the forehead, treat crow’s feet, frowning and forehead lines as a result of botox injection under the skin. Botolinum toxin, the effect of which continues for 4-6 months, must be administered by specialist physicians.
In PRP (platelet-rich serum) treatment, the plasma part of the patient’s own blood that is separated from the red blood cells is applied to the skin by mesotherapy or filling method. In this plasma obtained in PRP treatment, there are intense amounts of platelets (clot cells) and leukocytes (white blood cells). Activated platelets and leukocytes that secrete growth factors trigger the migration and proliferation of stem cells. Thus, regeneration occurs in the tissue and various functions of the skin.
