What happens to the skin as we age and where does non-surgical skin tightening come in?

As we age, one of the most showing effects visible on our face is thinning and drooping of the eyelid skin. When the upper eyelid skin thins so much as to cause an extra fold, sometimes hanging over the eyelashes, it is called dermatochalasis in medical ophthalmic terms. Until recently, the only effective treatment was a surgical blepharoplasty. This is only available on the NHS under strict criteria, which often includes such severe changes that the loose upper eyelid skin folds over the eyelashes, causes the upper eyelid to droop and subsequently affects vision. Many people notice the heavy sensation, or difficulty applying eye make up long before this serious eventuality. 

In medicine, we often talk about "prevention" being better than "cure". In other words, why wait until the changes have progressed so far that your vision is affected, and then you need surgery, which carries significant risks, to try to correct it? What if there were a quick, relatively easy, low risk way to induce collagen even before the signs f its loss? Research has shown that even by our mid twenties, we are starting to lose significant amounts of collagen from our skin, even though it's not visible to the naked eye yet. 

Well, now there is a quick, easy, low risk way to induce collagen.

In fact, there are several ways to induce collagen formation in the eyelids, from platelet rich plasma (one of Dr. Sam's best loved treatments) to PDO thread tightening, tear trough correction with filler (for lower eyeid loose skin), dermal filer brow lifts and of course, plasma / fibroblast eyelid tigtening. 

What does fibroblast eyelid tightening involve?

The first thing Dr. Sam will do is examine your eyelid positions and perform a relevant ophthalmic examination to rule out a significant medical condition, such as ptosis. Dr. Sam will take measurements and photographs of the eyelids with you looking in various gazes, mainly straight ahead and upwards. This is because some issues are more obviously prominent when looking in certain directions. Having discussed the findings and likely benefit of non-surgical eyelid lift, and given plenty of time for discussion, the eyelids will be cleansed, numbed, and then the fibroblast treatment applied.

Does it hurt?

Your comfort is very important to us. At all stages, we will check that you are comfortable, and if needed, extra numbing agent can be administered.

Is it safe?

All cosmetic procedures carry a small risk. Because we are applying pin point burns to the surface of the skin, there is a small risk of infection, and some people experience increased pigmentation of the skin, that in very rare instances may be long-lasting. There is a risk it may not do what you expect, and there is a small risk the skin could become very tight. Overall, it is one of the very safest procedures available, and certainly much less risky than surgery!

How does non-surgical skin tightening actually work?

As mentioned above, tiny burns are applied to the skin after it has been numbed. This, over time, causes a 'controlled healing' process. That process involves the formation of new collagen in the skin. The tightening process works over about 3 months.

How many treatments will I need?

One or two treatments yearly are useful to keep the collagen formation active and help prevent dermatochalasis from occurring.

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