We’ve been wearing masks for over a year and our social lives have been almost non-existent.  Our day of liberation is coming though.  The mask mandate has been lifted in Fort Worth and all of Texas.  Are you be ready?  After all, other than your family, people really haven’t seen you in quite a while.

Mask Face

In the old western movies, bad guys holding up a stage coach or a bank always pulled a bandana up over their noses.  I never thought much of it.  But you know, it works!  You really can’t tell what’s under that bandana.  Fast forward to 2021.  As you’ve traveled around the Fort Worth area you’ve seen all kinds of people wearing masks at Lowe’s, Tom Thumb, and Target.  They may have wonderful smiley faces.  You know they’re smiling because you see the crinkles by their eyes.  But you don’t really know what they look like.  You probably wouldn’t even be able to identify them without the mask.  I call this, ‘mask face’.  Most people look pretty decent in a mask.

Zoom Face

We’ve become pretty good at Zoom (or whatever video media you use).  From changing the lighting to changing the camera angle to using software filters, we’ve learned to alter our e-look.  As we start eating out with friends again, we don’t have all those filters.  Darn it!!

Your Real Face, And Some Options

Okay, it’s time to get real.  It’s time to get confident.  Put your best face forward!

Lip-appeal

You may have some fine lines in your lips. Perhaps you’d like a little more fullness.  There are a couple of pretty good options.  Fine lines can be treated with small doses of Botox.  That will weaken the lip a bit, so it may be hard to use a straw for a while.  Fine lines may also be addressed using facial chemical peels.  This sort of treatment can make the skin pink for about a week, so you don’t want to have a peel on the day of a social event.

Microneedling is another option for treating lip lines.  We use a Rejuvapen device that has several tiny needles.  These fine needles create micro-injuries to the skin, promoting collagen and elastin production.  Most people require about 3 treatments, separated by about 6 weeks, to see the best results.

Lip lines can also be addressed using fillers.  Juvederm and Restylane have some nice products for this.  The results will usually last between 4 and 6 months.

A person who wants to have more fullness in her lips may use Juvederm or Restylane products for that as well.  The products used may be different, and they wouldn’t be injected to fill the lines of the lips.  Instead, they’re injected in other areas to add volume and shape.

Nasolabial folds

These are the ‘parentheses’ lines that run from the side of the nose down to near the corner of the mouth.  As we age we lose volume in our cheeks.  The skin is a little loose and tends to bunch up in this area.  Nasolabial folds may be addressed using fillers.  Most of the time the filler is placed along the fold itself.  Often, however, additional filler is added in the cheekbone area.  Adding volume there pulls the tissues up a bit.  This creates both an enhanced cheek contour and less noticeable nasolabial fold.

 

Jawline and Jowls

We often lose definition of the jawline as we get older.  Jowls form.  A person who has mild jowls may benefit from a filler like Juvederm or Restylane being placed along the jawline.  This is a nice way to add shape and smooth the contour.

Are You Ready?

We’ve discussed a few things to consider as you prepare to go have mask-less fun with friends again.  Contact us if you think we may be able to help!