Ageing is inevitable, and with each passing year, your skin starts to look and feel different. The changes you will notice initially occur in your outward appearance: fine lines between your eyebrows, loose and saggy skin, loss of fat volume around the lower half of the face.
Age-related changes in your facial appearance are unavoidable; gravity and genetics may dictate some of what happens. But the significant factors that accelerates facial ageing are the environment and lifestyle. This can include smoking, stress, poor nutrition and excessive sun exposure without SPF – which can all levels take a toll on a youthful appearance.
So, what actually happens to your face when you age?
The bones are the foundation for your fat pads, facial muscles and skin. As you age, facial bones begin to lose density and volume which alters the contour and dimensions of your face.
According to a study by University of Rochester Medical Center, when there is loss of definition in the lower face, this results in less support of soft tissue in the area. As such, sagging facial skin and a more softer, oval appearance to the lower face and neck will be more noticeable.
In other areas, the angle of the bones under the brows decreases, which contributes to frown lines on the forehead, droopy eyelids and crow’s feet on the eye area. In addition, the bones of the eye socket will gradually widen, giving a more sunken appearance. For the lower face, facial bone loss emphasizes jowls and slackened jawlines.
Remember how firm and perky the apples of your cheeks are? During your youth, fat in the face is evenly distributed with some pockets in areas that plump up the cheeks, forehead, and around the mouth and eyes.
As you age, the fat loses volume and shifts downwards. Skin that was previously smooth and tight becomes loose and sagging as the lower half of the face gains fat. This causes a double chin and jowls to form around the neck.
Beneath the fat pads, facial muscles lose their volume, elasticity and strength as you age. Along with gravity and repetitive movements, the loss of facial fat and continual tugging of facial muscles lead to skin creasing and wrinkles in the face. Laxness of facial muscles and loss of muscle mass also cause droopiness around the upper eyelids and around the brow.
As you age, you will also experience a loss of elastin and collagen, which affects skin strength and elasticity, and causes the development of frown lines, laugh lines and crow’s feet. There is also reduced moisture in your skin, causing a rougher skin texture and more pronounced facial lines.
If you spend a lot of time in the sun, you are likely to see the cumulative effects with a significant breakdown of collagen and elastin. Hyperpigmentation and sun spots will become more of an issue, and fine lines and wrinkles will look deeper and more prominent.
Turn back the clock on your skin
All of these changes are a natural part of the ageing process. Facial rejuvenation can be an effective solution for those who wish to improve their ageing skin and gain confidence in their appearance.
From lip to chin fillers, dermal filler is a highly popular cosmetic procedure that helps to fill and lift the facial soft tissues, and restore some fullness for a more youthful appearance, without surgery, incisions or downtime.
The filler injection works by filling in the loss of volume in the face, using very fine needles to deliver the filler with precision. Hyaluronic Acid (HA) is a commonly used filler, found in brands like Restylane and Juvéderm, and it is a natural compound that occurs naturally in the body. This makes fillers highly compatible with the body for better absorption. With HA, it can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, restore volume to the face and reduce the sunken look. The skin will also become more hydrated.
Each face ages differently, so you may wish to get different filler options for specific concerns. For instance, nose fillers provide an instant lifting effect to your nose bridge and help to sharpen a drooping nose tip. With ageing comes loss of fat checks which is crucial to support the lower face. Deflated cheeks cause nasolabial folds and jowls to develop. As such, chin fillers can improve the volume of the cheeks to lift those nasolabial lines and reduce jowls for a more youthful appearance.
Getting individualised treatment is key. Your doctor will evaluate the areas of your face that can be improved with fillers on volume, lines and structure. Aside from ageing concerns, patients can also use face fillers to shape their face and contour their facial profile.