What Can I do to Combat Aging without Surgery? - NBC29 WVIR Charlottesville, VA News, Sports and Weather

From the moment we're born, we start to age.   "Aging is basically just change in our tissue over time," said Dr. Elizabeth Chance, a plastic surgeon at Martha Jefferson Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery. "Aging can happen in the skin, aging happens in the fat of our face and even in the deeper bone of our face."  

Dr. Chance says the best thing to do as we get a little older, is work to combat aging as best we can, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."   

Prevention starts in the teenage years.  "If you have acne as a child, really, it's important to treat it.  I see a lot of acne scaring and frankly it's very difficult to treat once the scaring exists," remarked Chance.  

The next step is as simple as using a few products.  "In your 20s and 30s, that's really when you want to start treating your skin very gently," said Chance.  

Then, in your 40s and 50s, attention turns to the fine lines and wrinkles.  "Folds get more pronounced, we start to see the wrinkles on the forehead and along the eyes, and there are a lot of minimally invasive things we can do that don't include the scalpel that can really improve your appearance." 

Ultimately, Dr. Chance says it's about finding what works best for you.  "There is not a one size fits all situation, and it really is tailored individually to your face to make sure we do the right thing for you, for now."  

For more information on this topic, call Health Connection at (434) 654-7009.  

If you have a question about you'd like us to ask the experts about, email us at healthquestions@nbc29.com.