What does the ‘the ageing process’ really mean?
How our skin ages relates to the balance of what our bodies lose over time, versus what we can regenerate.
Our skin consists predominantly of collagen for structural support, hyaluronic acid (HA) to hold water and support all the living cells and immune responses, and elastin to help keep it tight and resilient.
From about the age of 30, our collagen, HA and elastin loss starts to decline faster than our ability to replace it. We also lose bony support and our skin becomes more vulnerable to gravity and starts heading down ‘south’.
For many years now, we have been able to assist holding back some of these changes. We have added facial volume with dermal fillers, reduced wrinkles with anti-wrinkle injections, and improved skin tone, texture and discolouration with laser treatments. We are now looking very closely at the best options to improve the structural support that we need to hold it all together – collagen.
Introducing PDO Threads
Threads have been around in Australia for over 15 years in various forms. However, since about 2017, the Koreans have really hit the mark with developing user friendly, effective, absorbable PDO threads for both stimulating collagen and strengthening facial structure.
These non-invasive, minimal downtime injectable threads are offered as two different but compatible procedures. The first is PDO Smooth threads, or Collagen Boost. This treatment stimulates collagen and delivers general skin strengthening and support around the face. The second is Mechanical PDO threads, or the Paris Lift. This is a stronger treatment for mild to moderate jowling, and is designed to reposition our facial structure. Both forms of PDO threads are strategically placed in the cheeks, jawline and neck to better define our facial shape.
PDO threads are made from Polydioxanone, an absorbable, biologically inert substance which has been used safely in surgical procedures for decades and gradually dissolves over 3-4 months. During this time they stimulate fresh strong collagen, improving the structural support of your skin.
The “Collagen Boost” and “Paris Lift” procedures each take about an hour to perform. They do require a little local anaesthetic for comfort, and there is some downtime. This mainly relates to some temporary bruising, tenderness and swelling related to the injecting process. Treatments may be repeated yearly to continue the collagen boosting process.
Next Steps
The next step is easy. If you feel you’d like to know more about these treatments and find out if they would be suitable for you, please contact your Artisan Doctor to discuss your options.