When we think of cosmetic treatments, our first thoughts might go to being under the knife. However, if you’re looking to improve your appearance and bolster your confidence, that is far from the only option. If you’re looking to avoid the risks associated with cosmetic surgery, then here we’re going to look at those options that come with much less potential danger, while still being effective in targeting the parts of our appearance that can often affect our self-esteem.
Getting rid of those dark circles
The eyes are the windows to the soul and one of the places that other people are going to spend a lot of their time looking at when they are talking to you. As such, dark circles beneath them can make them look dull, tired, and otherwise low energy, which can give the wrong impression of you and make you look older. These can happen for a variety of reasons, such as exposure to the sun, smoking, or loss of volume due to age. While there are plenty of creams that can help treat this over time, if you’re looking for quicker results, there are laser-based treatments for under-eye circles that can work a lot more quickly, helping you look younger and more vibrant.
Botox
The signs of aging can begin to affect any one of us, and there are a lot of surgical options to help target those areas affecting you the most, but there are much less invasive options that a lot of people have had great success with, as well. There are two kinds of injectables that are typically used for the purposes of diminishing the appearance of wrinkles on the face. Botox injections are typically used to target the “lines of activity,” such as smile lines, crow’s feet, and any other wrinkles or fine lines that appear due to the skin losing its elasticity as you express more. Botox basically freezes the muscles attached to the skin, so that expressing isn’t going to move the skin, allowing it to heal naturally over time. It can help your skin regain some of its lost elasticity over time.
Dermal fillers
The other form of injectable that is most commonly used to target wrinkles, especially in the face, is dermal fillers. While botox targets the lines of activity, dermal fillers help to diminish what we call “lines of rest.” Basically, over time, due to the wear and tear associated with age, sun exposure, and general living, our skin naturally loses elasticity and is going to sag. Dermal fillers can contain collagen, which can help to naturally restore some of the skin’s youthfulness and firmness, but it also fills the space behind the sag, causing the skin to appear immediately much firmer.
Chemical peels
Wrinkles are far from the only issue that can affect the skin. Age spots, uneven skin tone, and other issues can appear in the skin over time, and chemical peels aim to help diminish the appearance of these, not to mention removing dead skin cells, by peeling away the top layers of skin. There are different depths of skin peel, each of them offering different levels of effectiveness. However, the deeper the skin peels, the higher the risk of side effects and a longer recovery there will be, as well. The lighter and medium peels do tend to be one of the most affordable treatment options, however.
Laser hair removal
A lot of us have unwanted body hair. There are a host of different ways to get rid of it, from shaving to threading to waxing, and so on. However, by far the most effective and longest-lasting method available to most is that of laser hair removal. The lasers are highly concentrated beams of light that effectively produce enough heat to destroy the follicle of the hair. After a laser hair removal treatment, your hair will grow back weaker and finer, and repeat treatments can ensure that your hair doesn’t grow back visible at all for some time. It’s worth noting that no hair removal treatment is permanent, but this is a very long-lasting one. However, you should ask about its effectiveness depending on your skin tone, as it may not be as safe for some people with darker skin, although new technology is being released that may change this.
Teeth whitening
Another aspect of our appearance that can greatly affect our feeling of self-confidence is our teeth. Whether it’s due to dietary habits, age, or an oral care routine that’s a little lacking, our teeth can become discolored and it can make it difficult to smile when that happens. Whitening treatments are much, much more effective when completed with the help of a dentist, rather than when they are done alone. These treatments typically combine whitening kits that you use at home, with a much more effective in-chair option to help you improve the look of your teeth by multiple shades. Your dentist will be able to give you a better idea of how much, exactly, you can brighten your teeth.
Cosmetic dentistry
A lot of dentists offer teeth whitening services, but if your needs are a little more complex or involved, then you might need to work with a dentist who can provide precisely your needs. There are a range of different cosmetic dentistry options available from dentistry providers, with one of the more popular options, as of late, being veneers. These are thin porcelain shells that can fit over your existing teeth, and they are able to cover up all manner of aesthetic issues such as stains, discoloration, and even chips and cracks. Talk to your dentist about the cosmetic options they might recommend based on the condition of your teeth as they are.
Microdermabrasion
Back to the skin for a moment. Injectables aren’t the only way to help make your skin look younger and smoother. There’s also a treatment called microdermabrasion, which typically targets the face, neck, chest, hands, and back. By using tiny crystals as well as a vacuum, this treatment basically smooths the skin out. This is most effective at removing any dead skin cells, but may also help to diminish the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and even minor scars. Typically, microdermabrasion is done over multiple treatments. It’s a quick and relatively discomfort-free process, also it can leave your skin a little red and sensitive for a day or two after, but this will typically go away, allowing you to better see the results.
Microblading
Are you the kind of person who spends a lot of time in front of the mirror making sure that your facial hair is perfectly contoured to suit your look? In particular, do you spend a lot of time on your eyebrows? With the right treatment, you can cut down the amount of time you have to spend getting ready, while ensuring that you have precisely the eyebrows to give off the look that you want. Microblading is a process that uses very fine needles to effectively create a cosmetic tattoo, allowing you to create the appearance of carefully sculpted eyebrows. These results typically last for a couple or three years, and the process is only likely to take a couple of hours.
Non-surgical rhinoplasty
When you hear of rhinoplasty, you might think that surgery is the only way to resculpt the nose. However, that’s not the case. Whether you’re just looking to change aspects of your nose that you may not like, or you want to alleviate any breathing issues that the shape of your nose might cause, then you might want to look at the possibility of non-surgical nose jobs, which use dermal fillers to change the shape of the nose, instead. The options on how you can change the shape can be a little limited by comparison, but it may be able to help a lot of people.
Fat freezing
Also known as the brand name, CryoSculpting, this is a method of fat removal that is becoming a lot more popular as of late. Typically, approaches to removing fat from the body have had to involve surgical procedures, such as liposuction. With fat freezing, the practitioner only needs to target a part of the body with a device that emits cold through the skin. When fat cells reach very low temperatures, they can start to break down, allowing them to be absorbed much more easily by the body. There are studies both in favor of this treatment, as well as those that are uncertain of its effectiveness, so it’s worth treating this new technology with a pinch of salt, but there are many already who swear by it.
Of course, which treatments are best going to suit your needs, and what you can expect from them in terms of results is going to differ from person to person. Hopefully, the examples above give you some ideas of what treatments are available, but it’s up to you to work out, with the help of professionals, which is best suited to your needs.
