Spring is finally here, and one of the best ways to celebrate the changing of the seasons is to freshen up your look and get ready for warmer days ahead. Here are some of our top tips to welcome springtime and present your best self to the world all season long.

1. Keep your skin hydrated.

Hydration is the foundation of healthy skin, and makes you look younger naturally – you’ve probably noticed your wrinkles and fine lines appear more prominent when you are dehydrated. To help keep your skin in tip-top condition this spring, you should drink plenty of water and use a moisturizer twice a day as part of your beauty regimen, after cleansing and toning your face. And don’t forget, the need for hydration doesn’t stop short at your jawline! Applying moisturizer to your neck, chest and hands is also essential to protect this delicate skin from the signs of premature aging.

2. Freeze away stubborn fat.

Planning a beach getaway this summer? Get the beach body you’ve always wanted with CoolSculpting. As millions of people have already discovered, this minimally invasive treatment is an effective way to achieve targeted fat loss in specific areas of the body that resist diet and exercise. Controlled cooling causes the fat cells to die, and your body will then flush them out through its natural processes. Because this procedure is nonsurgical, there are no activity restrictions or recovery time after getting a treatment.

3. Open your facial expressions.

Do people often assume you are angry, sad or fatigued even when you’re in a good mood and have gotten plenty of sleep? Drooping upper eyelid skin and sagging lower eyelids can be sending the wrong messages about you. An eyelid lift is a relatively straightforward surgical procedure with a short recovery time that can make you look younger and more refreshed by removing excess skin and improving the look of undereye bags.

4. SPF is your best friend.

It can be all too easy to fall out of the habit of using sunscreen during the short, cold and overcast days of winter, but in truth, we should all be diligent about applying sunblock year-round, even when it’s cloudy. Use the change in seasons to stimulate a new, healthy routine of putting on sunscreen about a half-hour before you go outside, every time. For maximum results, get an SPF of at least 30, and reapply it every two hours. Applying sunscreen after getting laser skin care procedures such as Fraxel and IPL is especially crucial to maintaining your results, as lasers can make your skin more sensitive to sun exposure.

5. Erase crow’s feet and forehead wrinkles.

Repeatedly smiling, squinting and frowning can furrow your brow and create premature wrinkles in the thin skin around your eyes. Neuromodulators like Botox and Dysport minimize the appearance of these wrinkles for up to four months after your treatment. When injected in precise quantities into the muscles around the eyes and forehead, these products prevent muscle contraction and promotes relaxation of the lines that develop between and above the eyebrows and surrounding the eyes.

6. Start scrubbing.

Winter weather can cause season-long buildup of dead skin cells, leftover skin care products and environmental toxins. That’s why you should start fresh by exfoliating your skin two to three times a week, followed by a lightweight moisturizer that absorbs easily into your pores, without encouraging your skin to produce excess oil.

7. Treat yourself to ultrasound therapy.

One of the newest nonsurgical procedures to make waves is called Ultherapy. With just one treatment, Ultherapy can use the power of ultrasound energy to target and stimulate collagen and elastin production at the deepest layers of the skin. For anyone who is concerned about loose, sagging skin on their neck, jawline, face and brow, Ultherapy is an FDA-approved procedure that provides remarkable results without surgery. If your lifestyle has made you unwilling to commit to a surgical facelift, you could be an excellent candidate for Ultherapy.

8. Add an eye cream.

Because the sun’s much brighter in the spring, it could make you more prone to squinting, therefore developing more fine lines and wrinkles around your eyes. You can combat these by using an eye cream that includes antioxidants like vitamin C on its ingredient list. Not only will the cream help fight off the collagen-destroying effects of UV rays, the extra moisture will help hydrate the fine lines and wrinkles that have already formed.

9. Erase your double chin.

Nothing spoils springtime selfies like submental fat, also known as a double chin. If you have a double chin despite being at an otherwise healthy body weight, you probably have genetics to blame. Now, a remarkable product called Kybella can help eliminate this pocket of fat naturally. The key ingredient in Kybella is a molecule called deoxycholic acid, which helps your body break down the dietary fat you consume. Over a series of injections, Kybella will gradually break down the fat deposits under your chin and neck, and you will excrete the dissolved fat as waste, thanks to the processes of your circulatory and lymphatic systems. Kybella also prevents the cells in that area from being able to accumulate fat in the future, so you can expect a smooth, contoured and defined chin and jaw profile for years to come.

10. Plump and fill.

The change in seasons is one of the best times to refresh your skin with minimally invasive procedures such as injectable dermal fillers. Whether you’re looking to fill in the smile lines around your mouth, or restore lost volume in your lips and cheeks, hyaluronic acid-based fillers like Juvéderm can help you get a naturally youthful look without surgery or healing time. Fillers have become one of the most popular ways to proactively address many of the most common signs of aging because they carry minimal risk and are more budget-friendly than many surgical procedures.

Ring in Spring at Richmond Surgical Arts

To learn more about these procedures and discover whether you are a good candidate, reach out to us at Richmond Surgical Arts today. We are always glad to meet potential patients and talk to them about their cosmetic concerns in our state-of-the-art facility in Richmond, VA.