Aging is a natural part of life, but that does not make it any easier when your body starts to change. Aging can be felt physically by feeling more tired throughout the day, having less mobility in your body, or having less clear thoughts. Aging can also be seen through thinner skin, wrinkles, and sagging.
Aging happens to everyone eventually but modern technology has made it so that you can delay the inevitable and you can transition to your wiser years a little easier. Various anti-aging treatments such as botox injections, hyaluronic acid fillers, intense pulsed light (IPL) laser treatments, and more can help to enhance your youthfulness.
Keep reading to learn more about the nine best anti-aging treatments of 2021.
#1: Botox Injections
Botox injections, also known as Botulinum toxin, is a substance that can be injected into your muscles of the face to help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Botox can be used for many conditions including migraines, excessive sweating, and neck pain, but it was approved for cosmetic use in 2002.
Botox has become one of the most popular aesthetic anti-aging treatments since it is a minimally invasive treatment that has helped many people to reduce the fine lines and wrinkles that appear on the face.
People often get Botox in the forehead, around the lips, and eyes. It is a treatment that needs to be done about every 6 months to maintain the appearance. Botox injections can be done by a dermatologist, plastic surgeon, primary care physician, or another healthcare provider trained in Botox injections.
Botox can also be performed as preventative care to slow the formation of wrinkles and help decrease premature skin aging. Botox is also offered under the brand names Dysport or Xeomin.
#2: Fillers
As you age you can begin to lose the elastin and collagen in your skin that helps to keep it looking tight. You also lose some of the fat layers, which causes a sunken-in appearance. This sunken-in look can make someone look older, but using fillers can help to combat this issue.
Fillers, also known as dermal fillers, help to add fullness to the face, help fill acne scars, and even help to fill out some wrinkles as well, like frown lines.
One of the most popular places for fillers is in the lips. Lip fillers help to make the lips look plumper. They can also be injected into wrinkle problem areas to fill in the wrinkles and make them less apparent.
Other areas on the face that may seem shallow are under the eyes or cheeks and fillers can help to make the areas more prominent.
Fillers are often used in conjunction with Botox, but they can also be used alone. The same healthcare providers that offer Botox, likely offer fillers as well. Popular fillers include Restylane and Juvederm.
#3: HGH
Aging does not only happen at the surface of the skin, it happens deep within your body from the DNA in your cells to the hormones in your blood. All of these little changes can lead to macro effects that you are able to see and feel.
As you age your levels of human growth hormone naturally lower, and may show up in your physical and emotional self. When levels are too low and cause a deficiency, it may develop as thin skin, less muscle mass and strength, anxious thoughts, feeling tired, and more.
A treatment that may be able to help with this aging-related issue is hormone replacement with human growth hormone.
After testing for low levels of HGH, your doctor may be able to prescribe you HGH injections to help you look and feel your best. You can also set up a consult with our hormone replacement professionals here at Elite HRT to get more information on whether or not you’re a candidate for HGH replacement.
#4: Retinoid Treatments
Retinol or vitamin A is the most well-known “drug” used for anti-aging symptoms such as fine lines and wrinkles.
Retinoids, such as tretinoin, are used topically on the skin and help to reduce physical signs of aging. This is done because the retinoids stimulate the body to produce its own collagen and boost the supply. The collagen protein in the skin is important for keeping your skin looking plump and youthful.
Retinoid treatments can be found in products over the counter at any drug store, but higher strengths of the medication can be obtained as a prescription from your doctor or dermatologist.
You should be careful when using retinoids because they can cause severe dryness and irritation of the skin, so follow your doctor’s instructions carefully.
#5: Testosterone
Testosterone is another hormone that naturally decreases with age, especially in men, and can have an impact on how you look and feel. In everyone, there will be a slow decline in testosterone levels, but in some, the levels can get so low that they can start to cause some problems.
When the low levels of testosterone are detected by a simple blood test, a doctor may prescribe you with testosterone hormone replacement to help boost your testosterone hormone level and support your body’s natural functions.
Some of the effects that may be felt are an increase in hair growth, boosted sex drive, less body fat, and a boost in strength. Testosterone hormone replacement may be very helpful in reducing the unwanted symptoms of aging when there is a true need for the treatment.
We also offer testosterone replacement therapy here at Elite HRT.
#6: Microdermabrasion
If you are looking for a very minimally invasive procedure that may help with signs of aging on your skin, microdermabrasion may be exactly what you are looking for.
Microdermabrasion is used to support your aging skin and help to resurface the skin’s texture and appearance. It does this by using a tool that releases fine crystals to physically exfoliate the skin, and then the machine also has a small but powerful vacuum to remove the crystals.
Doing this for about 30 minutes all over the face helps to remove the top layer of skin, making the skin look younger. Microdermabrasion is not a long-term fix but can support skin health with dull skin, wrinkles, age spots, and uneven texture.
#7: Vitamin C treatments
Vitamin C is another well-researched anti-aging product. Vitamin C is most used for helping to boost collagen formation, act as an antioxidant, help address pigmentation issues, and more. Vitamin C can be used in skincare products to help protect the skin from damage and even help to support the health of the skin.
Vitamin C can be found in many everyday skincare products including serums, creams, and face washes. You can purchase these products over the counter and can of course ask your healthcare provider for recommendations on products, as well. You can also boost vitamin c in your diet through leafy green vegetables, citrus, berries, and more.
#8: Platelet-Rich Plasma
You may have heard of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, also known as the vampire facial. Platelet-rich plasma therapy is a newer therapy that has gained popularity quite quickly from its antiaging impacts and the shocking photos that have been shared on social media with the substance on people’s faces.
This therapy involves taking a sample of your blood and separating out the platelets from your blood, which is the part of the blood that forms blood clots and keeps you from bleeding if your get injured. The platelets are then injected back into the skin, injected with microneedles, spread with microdermabrasion techniques, or placed using a laser. All of these methods help to improve the skin’s collagen production and smooth out the skin.
#9: Microneedling
Microneedling sounds terrifying, but it is actually just very small pricks into the skin using tiny needles, which helps the body to create more collagen. It is usually used on the face, especially on the cheeks and forehead.
The microneedles can be automated or handheld. The handheld rollers are most popular and some can even be used at home. The at-home rollers have shorter needles, while the professional rollers have longer needles and need special training.
Microneedling has been shown to improve wrinkles in the skin, skin tightness, and skin texture. Typically it takes at least four treatments one month apart to show the best improvements in the overall skin appearance.
Microneedling does take some time to see results, but it is simply helping your body to do the job it is meant to do.
Conclusion
You do not have to take aging as it is. Of course, there are some things you are not able to control about aging such as your genetics, but there are some environmental factors that you are able to control.
All nine of these anti-aging treatments can be helpful in different ways in slowing the appearance of aging or even the way that aging physically impacts the body, and many of them ask for either no or little downtime.
Consult with your doctor about if any of these treatments may be helpful for you, and have some grace and patience with yourself as you age — everyone does it!
Resources:
Injectable Dermal Fillers Guide | ABCS
Do retinoids really reduce wrinkles?
Testosterone therapy: Potential benefits and risks as you age
The Roles of Vitamin C in Skin Health- Nutrients
Safety and Effectiveness of an Automated Microneedling Device in Improving the Signs of Aging Skin