The Face of Time

When we are young, our skin is soft and supple. As we grow older, the skin loses its elasticity, thins and becomes drier. Fine lines and wrinkles start to appear on the face, especially around the mouth, eyes and forehead. Fat pads under the cheeks shrink and sag. The lower eyelids may look hollow or sunken. The skin may appear dull with tiny splotches of uneven coloration, brown spots or tiny red lines from broken capillaries.

Some people start to look old when they are still quite young, while others maintain their youthful appearance for a considerable time. The rate at which facial aging becomes apparent is largely influenced by our genes. However, gravity, sunlight, smoking, the environment and how we care for our skin and body can also influence how well our skin and youthful looks withstand the test of time.

Cosmetic Procedures

There are many people who work vigorously to maintain or enhance their appearance. Last year, according to The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, more than 1.7 million surgical cosmetic procedures and nearly 8.5 million non-surgical cosmetic procedures were performed in the U.S. The top five surgical cosmetic procedures last year were breast augmentation, liposuction, eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty), nose reshaping (rhinoplasty) and tummy tuck (abdominoplasty). The leading nonsurgical cosmetic procedures were BOTOX® injections, laser hair removal, injectable fillers, chemical peels and laser skin resurfacing.

BellaDerm™

Sometimes during a cosmetic procedure doctors need a little bulk or filler material to provide extra support or a smoother texture for an area. Artificial materials or implants may be used, but can sometimes be rejected by the body. A new alternative is a product called BellaDerm™, developed by the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation.

BellaDerm is made from donated living human skin, like the excess skin removed after weight loss surgery. The donor skin is processed, removing the top layer (epidermis), fatty tissue and cells. What remains is a skeletal graft of dermal tissue, called a dermal matrix graft. The graft is soft and flexible and available in various sizes.

Philip Bonanno, M.D., Plastic Surgeon with Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, NY, says no product preparation is needed. Once a package of BellaDerm is opened, it’s ready for use. It can be used in many ways, like adding support for sagging breasts, plumping up the lips or filling in ridges and furrows on the face. Plastic Surgeon, Sharon Dechiara, M.D., says BellaDerm is ideal for smoothing out facial contour after a facelift.

Once BellaDerm is placed in an area, it provides a matrix for the growth of new cells. As the patients’ own cells grow into the scaffold, the matrix eventually becomes a part of the body. Since there are no donor cells left on BellaDerm, there is no risk of rejection.

For information on BellaDerm™, go to http://www.belladerm.org.

For general information on aging skin or cosmetic procedures:

The American Academy of Dermatology

The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery