Out With the Old: Cosmetic Treatments You Don’t See Anymore (And Their Replacements)

The medical field is always evolving and advancing. The treatments that were commonplace years ago have almost all been replaced with newer versions which produce less side effects, have a speedier recovery time or produce better results overall. Take a look at some outdated cosmetic treatments and the options that replaced them.

Collagen Injections

It wasn’t that long ago that collagen injections were the go-to option for adding volume to the lips or even for filling in lines and wrinkles. Collagen is the protein responsible for giving skin its firmness and structure. As you get older, your body produces less and less collagen, so you end up with wrinkles or thin lips.

Because there are newer and better options available now, collagen injections have become outdated cosmetic treatments. The injections just had too many drawbacks, such as a risk for an allergic reaction or the possibility of over-enhancement, leading to that duck lips look that was pretty common in the early aughts.

If you’re thinking of adding volume to your lips, a better option these days might be Juvederm Volbella. Volbella is a filler made from hyaluronic acid. It’s specifically designed for lip injections. The filler contains less hyaluronic acid than other versions, which means it produces more natural looking results.

Electrolysis

Although you might still find providers offering electrolysis, it’s not the most efficient way to get rid of unwanted hair. Electrolysis uses heat or chemicals to destroy hair follicles, preventing new hair from growing. The process can be slow, as it involves treating the follicles one by one. Many people need to go in for treatments on a weekly basis, especially if they are treating a large area.

Laser hair removal can be a better treatment option for many people. Although you do need multiple treatments, they aren’t every week. The laser treatment also tends to be more comfortable than electrolysis and also has a lower risk for side effects.

Ultrasound or Laser Liposuction

Fat removal is another cosmetic treatment that’s evolved considerably over the years. Once upon a time, if you had extra, unwanted fat, the only way you could get rid of it was with surgery. Then came non-surgical options that used ultrasound energy to destroy and eliminate fat as well as laser liposuction. Finally, there’s Coolsculpting, which gets rid of fat by freezing it.

Of the non-surgical fat removal methods out there, Coolsculpting might be your best bet. It removes fat from more areas that treatments that use ultrasound. Some ultrasound fat removal options only treat the waistline, for example. Coolsculpting also tends to be more comfortable than other options. You might feel some tingling and cold at the start of the procedure, but the treated area quickly goes numb.

Threadlifts

Threadlifts aren’t just outdated cosmetic treatments, they were also pulled off of the market by the FDA because of the risk for infection and other issues (the FDA did approve a new version in 2016).

For many people looking to reduce the signs of aging on their face, the loss of threadlifts isn’t much of a loss, mainly because there are so many safe and non-invasive options available. If your primary concern is the appearance of wrinkles, injectables such as Botox and dermal fillers can be a good option for you. If you are concerned about skin laxity, a non-surgical skin tightening treatment such as Ultherapy can be a good pick.

Ablative CO2 Laser Treatments

For the most part, there’s no need for patients to subject themselves to the intense, ablative laser skin resurfacing treatments of the past. Those older laser treatments completely destroyed the outer layer of skin, leaving people with lengthy and often painful recovery times.

Today, treatments such as Fraxel help to turn back the hands of time without blasting away the skin. Non-ablative Fraxel lasers create micro-injuries deep in the skin. The tiny injuries help stimulate collagen production, so that fresher, more youthful looking skin emerges after about a few months.

If you want the most up-to-date and advanced non-surgical cosmetic treatments available, schedule a consultation with Dr. Paul Vitenas and the staff at Mirror Mirror Beauty Boutique in Houston to learn more about your options. Call 281-810-9083 to make an appointment today.