The Gift of a Youthful Face

As women, we all too often neglect our selves to take care of other people. This year, do something different and give yourself a treat before you get into the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping for everyone else. Present your face with a tune-up and watch your face return to its once youthful state just in time for the holiday parties.

Maturity is not a gift to our faces. Our face is the only place on our bodies where the muscle is attached to the skin above it causing lines to be etched through muscle action. As we age, wrinkles are formed through excessive muscle movement, volume is lost, and damage is suffered from the sun. The result is furrowed brows, hollowed cheeks, thinning lips, facial discoloration, and parentheses around the mouth instead of in the sentence where they belong. Fortunately, there are ways to reverse the effects of aging.

The following options require little or no recovery time. Plus, none of the options are drastic measures. Botox softens lines in the face. You don't have to worry about recovery time as the only side effect may be pinpoint bleeding. Injectable fillers such as Juvederm, Restylane, and Perlane restore volume lost over time, sculpt lips, and shape facial contours. Slight bruising may occur from a few days to a week. Fillers are made of hyaluronic acid which occurs naturally in the skin and can be the perfect complement to soften the effects of Botox. Laser Peels smooth texture, shrink pores, and remove skin discolorations such as age and sun spots. The outer layer of damaged skin is shed to reveal the smoothness of a baby's skin. The downtime ranges from a week-end to two weeks depending on the treatment.

Plan ahead for your holiday tune-up scheduling the proper amount of recovery time before the holiday festivities begin. The results can make a remarkable difference in your life. For instance, one parent of a five year-old complained that her child asked why she always looked angry. It was the furrows between the mother's brows which conveyed a constant expression of anger. After the "mad mommy lines" were softened, this woman's child was then able to see the warm feelings she truly felt for him.

We've all seen women whose faces look artificially frozen after injections of Botox. However, it is not natural to totally freeze the facial muscles. When the proper amount is administered by a well-trained physician, there is no need to worry about an outcome of a frozen, expressionless face. Furthermore, no discomfort should be experienced as the muscle is relaxed.

All three of the holiday tune-up options repair damage to the face created over time. The concept is to restore the volume and smoothness to the skin without the artificial look of a tight windswept face. An even balance is created between the left and right sides of the face as distractions are eliminated. This year, give yourself a package by protecting your own package. Watch the hands on the clock turn backwards as you move into the New Year looking refreshed, rejuvenated and younger than last year. After all, the best package is you.