In the age of the internet, rumors about skincare, wrinkle prevention, and reduction are rampant. While there is no real fountain of youth, there are effective ways to reduce the signs of aging and delay their onset! Learn the truths below:

Myth: Just like you exercise your body, you should exercise your face to prevent wrinkles.

While exercising your facial muscles may help to improve the muscle tone of your neck, repeated facial expressions may actually be the culprit of wrinkles in the forehead and around the eyes. Just think about the crow’s feet and nasolabial folds that develop from years of smiling and the furrows between your brows from worrying or scowling. Hence, the idea behind exercising facial muscles doesn’t work in the same way it works for our bodies.

For those with fine lines and wrinkles, injectables like Botox® and Dysport® can help relax the muscles in the forehead and eyebrows that cause frown lines and forehead wrinkles. Meanwhile, facial fillers like Restylane® and Juvéderm® help fill areas around the mouth and nose to smooth deeper folds and creases.

Myth: Eating large quantities of fish like salmon and tuna will prevent the signs of aging.

Eating the recommended amount of omega-3 fatty acids beneficial for your skin as well as your heart, and those healthy fats can be found in fish like salmon. However, just as with any other type of food, fish should be eaten in moderation. Women who are pregnant or who are trying to get pregnant may not benefit from the higher levels of mercury found in some types of fish. Instead of focusing on the amount of oily fish you eat for improved skin health, focusing on preventative measures like wearing sunscreen are often more effective steps toward avoiding signs of aging.

Ulthera® Non-Surgical Facelift is another option which strengthens your skin from within and promotes collagen production while lifting and tightening the face. Individuals whose skin seems damaged and dull may benefit from laser skin resurfacing  performed with Matrix RF™ Fractional skin resurfacing  removesdead and damaged tissue from the surface of the skin to smooth wrinkles and give you a dewy, youthful complexion.  A chemical peel may also help to rejuvenate your skin with minimal downtime.

Myth: Using a tanning bed is safer than sunbathing outdoors because you can control the amount of sun you get.

FDA advisory panels have been contemplating tougher regulations on tanning beds because they have been so closely linked with increased risk of deadly melanoma afterward. No amount of unprotected sun exposure, real or artificial, is safe for the skin. Along with a drastic increase in your chance of developing melanoma, unprotected UV ray exposure speeds up the skin’s aging processes and breaks down the skin’s supportive structures, expediting the wrinkling process and increasing the chances of hyperpigmentation and other signs of aging.

If you’re looking to reverse more advanced signs of aging like sagging skin and drooping eyelids, cosmetic surgery procedures like facelift and eyelid surgery can refresh your appearance for subtle and natural-looking rejuvenation.

For more information on anti-aging treatments and procedures available from Dr. Fernando Burstein make sure to check out our website. To schedule a consultation for a cosmetic anti-aging procedure, contact our office. You can also keep up with the latest Atlanta cosmetic surgery news by following Dr. Burstein on Facebook and Twitter.