Guide · Facial treatments
Wrinkles and fine lines appear because the skin ages and gradually loses its natural collagen. From approximately age 25, in both men and women, production slows down. At Photoderma, five non-surgical treatments soften frown lines without freezing expression.
Why wrinkles appear
Looking good brings confidence, but it doesn't mean wanting the face of a 20-year-old or skin so stretched it looks frozen. The first fine lines follow the collagen slowdown and deepen over the years.
≈ Age 25
This is the pivotal age cited in the clinical reference. The dermis makes fewer support fibres, cell renewal slows down and the skin starts to lose density, without yet showing a visible crease.
30 – 40 years
Repeated movements of the forehead, eye contour and mouth gradually carve folds. Fine lines show up first during expression, then begin to leave an imprint even at rest.
40 years and up
Collagen loss is joined by a loss of deep volumes. Contours change: jowls, double chin, bags under the eyes appear. Both categories of wrinkles then coexist on the same face.
Men go through the same stages, sometimes later, but with the same mechanics: less collagen, more expression lines, gradual loss of support. The protocols chosen at the clinic account for skin thickness and the areas involved.
Classify before treating
The clinical reference explicitly distinguishes two main families. Recognizing them helps explain why one face may combine several protocols — one to relax a muscle, another to restore volume or firmness.
A · Dynamic
They arise from repeated muscle contraction. Frown lines between the eyebrows, horizontal forehead lines, crow's feet around the eyes: it is the muscle that folds the skin, not yet the skin that is sagging.
B · Structural
They reflect the loss of dermal support and the gradual sagging of tissues. The clinical reference cites three typical visible signs: double chin, jowls and bags under the eyes.
In most cases, the two categories add up: a personalized assessment selects the right sequence of treatments, from localized relaxation to volume remodelling.
Factors cited at the clinic
The clinical reference lists five main causes. They often act in concert, which explains the pace of progression for some people and the need to combine several levers.
01
UVs degrade the collagen and elastin fibres in the dermis. Heliodermia — sun-induced ageing — remains the most frequently cited environmental cause of early fine lines and carved relief.
02
Smoking, alcohol, short sleep, chronic stress and nutritional deficiencies speed up skin ageing. The underlying inflammatory terrain shows on the face even before pronounced expression lines appear.
03
The skin produces less collagen, less hyaluronic acid and renews its cells more slowly. This is the intrinsic, unavoidable cause, but it can be slowed down by targeted treatments and a good lifestyle.
04
Frowning, smiling, squinting: every repeated expression gradually imprints a line in the dermis. The signature is unique to each person — frown lines, crow's feet, forehead lines.
05
This is the most common scenario: UVs, lifestyle, age and facial expressions combine. The in-clinic assessment untangles their respective shares to adjust the dosage of each protocol and avoid overdoing it.
Treatments related to this one
The treatments offered include injections, microneedling and peels. Their relevance and sequence are assessed during the consultation.
Dynamic wrinkles
Botulinum neurotoxins — Botox or Dysport — relax the muscle at the injection site. The effect smooths frown lines, forehead and crow's-feet lines without affecting sensitivity or freezing the overall expression of the face. Dosage adjusted after the in-clinic assessment to keep a natural-looking result.
Volume & furrows
Hyaluronic-acid fillers redraw furrows and restore volume to sagging areas — cheekbones, hollow tear troughs, nasolabial folds. They complement muscle relaxation when the wrinkle is already imprinted at rest.
Neocollagenesis
Microneedles create controlled micro-channels in the dermis to restart the production of collagen and elastin. Targeted actives — hyaluronic acid, peptides, vitamins — are added to penetrate the skin deeply for a progressive densifying effect.
Surface & glow
AHA and BHA acid peels accelerate surface cell renewal. They smooth the relief of superficial fine lines, refine skin texture and bring back radiance. Often integrated as maintenance between two deeper protocols.
Before the consultation
The skin stops producing as much collagen from approximately age 25. This gradual slowdown weakens the dermis's support structure. Combined with facial expressions and sun exposure, it explains the appearance of the first fine lines, in both women and men.
The clinical reference distinguishes expression wrinkles — carved by facial movement, especially on the forehead, around the eyes and between the eyebrows — and wrinkles caused by weakened skin, which translate into a double chin, jowls or bags under the eyes. The treatment approach differs for each category.
Five causes recur in the clinical reference: excessive sun exposure, lifestyle (sleep, stress, smoking), natural ageing, repeated facial expressions, and a combination of several of these factors at once. The in-clinic assessment identifies the share of each one.
The treatments offered include Botox injections, dermal fillers and volumizers, mesotherapy and microneedling, as well as AHA or BHA peels. Their relevance and sequence are established after a personalized in-clinic assessment.
Yes. The goal is to soften frown wrinkles and fine lines and restore a fresh-looking face, not to recover the face of a 20-year-old or have skin stretched to the point of appearing frozen. The team modulates amounts and combines techniques to maintain a natural-looking result.
Next step · map your wrinkles
The consultation makes it possible to assess the wrinkles and your expectations, then determine the appropriate treatments from among the injections, microneedling and peels offered. Medicard financing is available for medical-aesthetic treatments.
Wrinkle mapping by appointment · Photoderma clinic, 4672 Blvd. Saint-Martin Ouest, Laval, Québec H7T 2X9 · ste-dorothee@photoderma.ca