21 Years Old with Ugly Laugh Lines, Forehead Wrinkles and Under Eye Wrinkles...can This Hide It? How Long Will It Last?

Fractional laser is an amazing and highly effective treatment in our office. We use the laser treatment to help with acne scars, large pores, fine wrinkles, tissue collagen loss, scars, sebaceous hyperplasia, active acne, and for brightening dark pigmentation. Although there are very strong fractional lasers such as CO2 laser, we use lighter treatments for corrective skincare and maintenance of results. Our Thulium fractional laser, clear and brilliant laser, and Ultra Thulium laser are excellent options in our clinic. We also perform CO2 fractional and erbium depending on skin tone and tolerance for downtime. Patients do have to use a Melarase cream before and after treatment to help further reduce pigmentation after laser. Melarase AM, Melarase PM, and Melapads can seriously improve surface sun damage and UV related pigmentation. Dark spots can improve with these treatments. I recommend fractional laser for incisional scars as well, especially after plastic surgery.
Best,
Dr. Karamanoukian
Realself100 Surgeon

Dear Sirenamirena,

At your young age, it is important you start learning good habits of taking good care of your skin and making sure whatever treatments you get are done properly and with realistic expectations.  Dollar for dollar, your best first investment is in medical grade skin care products.  A good aesthetician or  dermatologist can help you with that.  Then light doses of botox can help soften up some lines and give you a more refreshed and rested look.  Be very careful using fillers.  They are excellent products if used moderately, not excessively.  Injections under the eyes (which is an off-label use) will help you look more rested and enhance the appearance of your eyes if that is an issue for you. I usually caution against injecting too much in the nasolabial folds.  Botox treatments cost about $250-500 depending on doseage and you need them about every 3-5 months. Filler cost about $500-600 per syringe and one to three visits a year is reasonable.  Best of luck

At your age, the most important factor in keeping your skin young is using sunblock [SPF45] to prevent wrinkling from advancing at a faster than normal rate. Additionally, a relatively non-invasive way to help the skin stay younger is using retinoic acid cream that increases cell turnover which helps keep skin younger looking.

More aggressive treatments such as skin peels or laser resurfacing can be considered, but not having a photo to evaluate makes it difficult to say whether you are a good candidate...but I would say at age 21, its unlikely that you would need that.

Finally the use of botox can help decrease the rate of wrinkle production as well. Again, its unusual for someone to need it this early, but I've seen some young patients with very fair skin that have spent too much time in the sun already and may be candidates.

As far as pricing goes: different regions of the country may charge differently, and you need to speak to a specific practice to get accurate pricing. As far as botox goes, practices charge between $10-20 per unit, and usually 20-40 units can be used at each visit.

The last thing I want to mention is your mention of the Russian supermodel Alena Shishkova. Having a supermodel as your role model can be less than healthy. Every person is different and has different positive qualities, and setting a near unattainable goal can be quite frustrating and unhealthy.

Good luck

Dear Sirenamirena,

There are a few things that you can do to maintain a pretty face


The first is really good skin care, make sure that your skin is hydrated well and you wear SPF 30 everyday to reduce the appearance of fine lines - our aesthetician does monthly anti-aging treatments, she looks ten years younger that her age

The moisture in the skin will also reduce the appearance of fine lines

Regular gym workouts will also give your face a nice look as you move the blood and get rid of any toxins that build up

Finally, I agree with the other doc, that you can see a great plastic surgeon who will give you an honest opinion for a natural look - you are very young and should be careful when dealing with these kinds of treatments


Best regards,

Nima Shemirani

 Im sure you are beautiful the way you are. If you're really considering having treatments done, seek a reputable certified physician to get an honest evaluation and can provide the best, natural, and conservative result. Without a photo provided I cant determine the exact amount you would benefit from. I suggest using Juvederm Ultra Plus to fill in the nasolabial folds, this will last anywhere from 6-9 months. For the forehead you can have a few units injected of Botox or Xeomin to help relax the muscles, this will last 3-4 months. Depending on the area you live in the price may vary

Best regards