Growing older gracefully doesn’t mean just accepting whatever Father Time hands out. It means making choices that help us feel more confident and look the way we want to look, even though we’re aging. And for most of us, that process begins with our skin.
Skin is the body’s barrier, protecting us from all sorts of injuries and germs. As our “outer layer,” skin is subjected to a lot of environmental damage, including damage from the sun’s UV rays, harsh winds, and dry air.
Those are some of the extrinsic variables that can make our skin look older. But intrinsic factors can cause skin to change, too. One of the biggest changes is a gradual depletion of collagen, one of the building blocks of supple, firm, youthful skin.
Mehran Baheri, MD, and the team at Baheri Wellness Center in Beverly Hills, California, offer treatments focused on ramping up collagen development, so you can restore some of the collagen that’s lost through the aging process. If your skin is looking or feeling loose, saggy, or wrinkled, collagen-stimulating treatments could be just what you’re looking for.
Collagen and your skin
Collagen is a protein — in fact, it’s the most plentiful protein in your body. It’s found in your skin, and in plenty of other body parts, too, including your hair, muscles, blood vessels, and even teeth.
Collagen acts like a kind of “glue” to bind tissues together and support them. Collagen plays a key role in skin structure, helping it feel firm and resilient, while adding to its protective qualities.
As we age, our bodies produce less collagen, making the skin more prone to sagging and wrinkles. Spending too much time in the sun, eating a carbohydrate-rich diet, and smoking can also reduce collagen production.
Boosting natural collagen
In addition to supporting healthy, firm skin, collagen plays a big role in healing. In fact, when your skin is injured, it ramps up collagen production to help repair and restore the area. Collagen-restoring treatments work in a similar way, creating an area of “controlled damage” to jumpstart the collagen production process.
Dr. Baheri uses the PLUS® system from InMode® to help restore collagen in targeted areas of your body, including:
- Belly
- Back
- Thighs
- Upper arms
- Knees
- Under-chin area
The PLUS system uses radiofrequency (RF) energy to gently heat the deeper layers of your skin. As these layers warm up, they trigger new collagen production to help your skin look and feel firmer over time.
The treatments themselves are essentially painless — in fact, many people liken them to a hot stone massage. Plus, there’s no downtime, so you can schedule a treatment session whenever it’s most convenient for you, with no disruption in your schedule.
Can’t I just take supplements?
Collagen supplements are certainly popular, but there are a few problems with taking them for skin laxity. First, the studies supporting collagen for skin renewal involve very small numbers of patients, and some have been conducted by supplement manufacturers. There isn’t a large body of clinical trials supporting this particular benefit of collagen supplements.
Second, collagen supplements are derived from animal products, including waste materials from processing plants. They also include fillers. Either of these ingredients could cause allergic reactions or other unpleasant effects.
And finally, supplements can’t be targeted to address laxity in a specific part of your body, like your tummy or your neck area, for example. It’s like when you take a vitamin — the vitamin is dispersed throughout your body through your bloodstream, without targeting any single area.
Enjoy firmer, more youthful skin
Baheri Wellness Center is a top provider of collagen-boosting treatments for women and men. In addition to PLUS, Dr. Baheri offers other cutting-edge treatments for cellulite and fat reduction, so you can look and feel your absolute best at every age. To learn more about PLUS and the other treatments we offer, call the office or book a consultation online.