Expression lines
Cosmetic Surgery - Plastic Surgery - Aesthetic Medicine - Reconstructive Surgery
Expression lines are due to day to day contraction in of the muscles of the face and an excessive creasing of the skin.
The more time passes, the more the skin loosens, becoming less smooth
and less firm, wrinkles and fine lines begin to tunnel in, creating
trenches of varying depths on the skin’s surface.
At the origins of a wrinkle is a rupture of the elastic fibres in the
dermis and connective tissue is involved. Collagen and elastic fibres
are altered and reduced as a result of repeated stretching of certain
areas, making the skin lose its flexibility.
Expression lines or dynamic wrinkles are dependent on facial muscles and are found:
-on the forehead: forehead wrinkles resulting in horizontal lines;
-in the area of the glabella (smooth protrusion between the eyebrows) with frown lines or intercilliar wrinkles;
-at the outer corner of each eye with the wrinkles in the crow's feet or smile lines,
-in the nose, resulting in wrinkling of the nose known as wrinkles of disgust or Bunny lines;
-at the mouth, surrounding it in the form of vertical tracts resulting
from the repeated action of muscles around the lips with perioral
wrinkles or hyperkinetic lips.
The treatments available to treat expression lines are numerous. The main ones are:
- The use of wrinkle fillers (hyaluronic acid instead of collagen).
- injections of Botulinum toxin or Botox® which decreases muscle tone to diminish wrinkles
- Reinjection of autologous fat or lipo-filling/lipostructure, which is a real graft of fat cells from the patient himself (autologous).
- Mesolifting is a mesotherapy technique consisting of plumping the skin to make it lose its crumpled appearance (treatment of wrinkles and fine lines) by injecting a variable nutrient mixture depending on the patient to be treated. The mixture injected in a "classic" Mesolift is a cocktail of vitamins, minerals, vasodilators and calcitonin. There is a Mesolift "fill", done solely with non-crosslinked hyaluronic acid.
- Dermabrasion is a technique for erasing blemishes and smoothing the facial skin using a burr or very fine sandpaper.
- The temporal lift: this lift corrects the signs of aging in the forehead and cervicofacial regions, the lateral brow, and in crow's feet, putting a mild tension on the outer part of the eyelids. It is often associated with eyelid surgery or blepharoplasty. But crow's feet are only slightly improved by a facelift.
- The peel is a chemical process to destroy the superficial layers of the skin (exfoliation) so as to erase some skin blemishes, especially the signs of aging (superficial or medium wrinkles, scars, keratoses and liver spots).
- Medical laser: lasers are widely used in medicine and surgery and also have a growing number of paramedical uses: hair removal, acne treatment, treatment for wrinkles and scars but also removal of tattoos.
These procedures in aesthetic medicine are delicate, requiring a lot of rigour and carrying all the risks associated with any medical procedure, even when performed under the most favourable conditions, that is to say by a qualified plastic surgeon. Without overstating the risk, a proportion of risks exist. Turning to a qualified plastic surgeon can prevent complications or help to treat them effectively.