Treatment of facial wrinkles varies depending on the depth of the wrinkles, their relation to facial mimetic muscle movements and the condition of the skin. In the care of very superficial wrinkles which are present without moving the facial muscles, rejuvenating skin care products containing retinoic acid, glycolic acid and vitamins may be utilized. Such superficial wrinkles may also be treated with glycolic acid peels.
Medium depth wrinkles as well as the superficial wrinkles which are present without moving the facial muscles may be treated with TCA peels, phenol peels, dermabrasion and lasers. These treatments affect the upper portions of the skin. Deep wrinkles which are present without moving the facial muscles on the other hand, require deeper treatments such as fat injection or injection of filler materials like hyaluronic acid. Different hyaluronic acid products such as restlane, hyaloform and teosyal are commercially available.
After injection under the skin, these filler materials last about 6-15 months. Fat, on the other hand, is obtained from the patient, and about half of the injected fat remains viable for the long term. Wrinkles that appear or deepen with the movement of facial muscles are treated with Botox injections. Botox inhibits contractions of the muscle under the wrinkle.
If the wrinkles are deep and the skin has lost its elasticity with resultant sagging, surgical treatments like face and neck lifting are required. In patients with mild to moderate aging, brows and the facial skin may be lifted either endoscopically
or using threads passed under the skin using very small incisions at the hear bearing temple and forehead areas

Technically, treatments of the superficial and medium depth wrinkles such as peelings and nonablative lasers are performed at the doctor’s office or clinic as an outpatient.
The face and neck lifting operations are performed in the operation room.

Recovery period varies depending on the treatment used. After glycolic acid peels, botox injections, nonablative lasers and the filler materials patients may resume their daily activities with no down time. After TCA and phenol peels recovery may take 1 to 3 weeks respectively, and after ablative lasers 1-3 months. Other than the surgical lifting methods utilized in the treatment of wrinkles, superficial treatments need to be repeated at certain intervals depending on the method utilized.

The main risks of wrinkle treatments are hypersensitivity to sun and make-up materials, allergy, infection, recurrence of herpes sores, and color changes (pigmentation) which may sometimes be permanent.