By Nasrin Mani, M.D.
Losing Face And Those Youthful Contours?
Here Are The Signs
- Hollowing cheeks
- Depressed temples
- Development of nasolabial folds
- Over all wrinkling
- Marionette lines
The Anatomical Reasons Our Faces Lose Shape
- We actually experience all-over bone shrinkage – and this applies to the skull as well. So noses begin to look larger, chins begin to tilt upward, depressions form in the temples and our eyes begin a recession that allows lid folds to cover part of the exposed eye.
- We lose facial fat. Unless you keep an unhealthy high level of fat to muscle ratio, you’re going to see your face take a downward and slackened path eventually.
- Muscle atrophy is also a natural process that causes the muscle fibers to become less dense and less able to maintain previous shape.
- Collagenase – This is an enzyme your body produces that causes the natural breakdown of collagen. When you’re young, you make as much collagen as as you lose. As you age, you make less than you lose.
Dr. Rebecca Fitzgerald provides an indepth explanation of this process.
What Can Be Done At The Doctor’s Office
- Lift and firm with Ultherapy and Thermage to create new collagen and firm up support tissue. Thermage can also be used to tighten skin of the eyelids and around the eye.
- Fill and restore volume with fillers like Artefill, Juvederm, Voluma and Restylane. Replacing the volume with an injectable product goes a long way.
- Stimulate collagen with injections of Sculptra which create a biological collagen production.
Things You Can Do On Your Own To Stay On The Positive Side Of The Volume Balance
- Maintain a healthy diet and moderate your caffeine and alcohol intake.
- Sun protection is key – your skin’s DNA is damaged by UV exposure and the long term results are early wrinkles, poor tissue texture, irregular color and increased collagen loss.
- Don’t overuse aggressive skin products. Many can be helpful, but in today’s market, you have ample opportunity to damage your skin with products you can buy at the department store, at the drug store and online. Dehydrated skin can’t function well – the cascade effect means you’ll look older sooner. A small investment in professional skin care and recommendations is well worth it.
- You can’t prevent natural bone, fat and collagen loss, but you can avoid habits that speed up the process.
