Facial Volume Loss
Volume loss occurs as we age due to reduced collagen production, fat loss/redistribution, and bone loss. As the skin ages, the middle layer of skin thins because of collagen loss and decreased collagen production, reducing the skin’s ability to retain elasticity and moisture. Facial fat tissue is critical to maintain a youthful appearance. As we age, fat tissue volume loss along with redistribution, accumulation, and atrophy of fat occurs. A significant loss of facial bone also occurs with aging, and without this structural support, the skin and facial appearance can undergo noticeable changes in appearance.
As we age, these structural rearrangements are slowly progressing and going on behind the scenes. When we're young, fat in the face is evenly distributed, with some pockets here and there that plump up the forehead, temples, cheeks, and areas around the eyes and mouth. With age, that fat loses volume, clumps up, and shifts downward, so features that were formerly round may sink, and skin that was smooth and tight gets loose and sags. Meanwhile other parts of the face gain fat, particularly the lower half, so we tend to get baggy around the chin and jowly in the neck.
Dozens of changes take place as the years add up. Some other obvious and familiar signs of aging can include:
Foreheads expand as hairlines retreat
Ears often get a bit longer because the cartilage in them grows
Tips of noses may droop because connective tissue supporting nasal cartilage weakens.
Even if you have great genes and look much younger than you are, age-related changes in our facial appearance are unavoidable. Those changes reflect our joys and challenges in life. One approach is to simply celebrate our age and appearance for what they are.
Not everyone is comfortable with that, and some might like to postpone embracing those changes. The age-defying facelift, which surgically removes excess tissue and lifts sagging skin in the lower part of the face, is one way to try to stem the tides of time. But the surgery is expensive and invasive. The facelift procedure is only the 20th most popular cosmetic procedure, and now there are plenty of alternatives for altering the aging face.
Treatment Options
Here are some of the things that you can do — or get done — to give your face a more youthful appearance:
Facial fillers - Juvederm / Restylane / Voluma / Belotero / Radiesse
The fastest way to improve volume loss is with facial fillers. Dermal fillers are used to treat lines created by lost collagen and fat. These fillers give instant results and the look improves over 6 weeks. After botulinum toxin injections, dermal filler injections are the most common cosmetic procedure performed in the United States. Fillers improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, plump lips, fill out cheek hollows, and repair other facial imperfections. They work by filling the depleted space below the wrinkles, replacing lost fat. Fillers can be injected into the dermis or subcutaneous layer of the skin, depending on the type of filler and treatment goal.Prime locations for the injections are:
Nasolabial Folds: the two sets of parentheses which are the pair of lines that extend down from the nose to the corners of the mouth
Marionette Lines / Doll’s Lines: pair of lines that extends down from the corners of the mouth to the chin
Cheeks: front of cheeks and cheekbones
Lips: including vertical smoker lines and thinning lips from volume depletion
Many different materials are used as dermal filler. The most popular ones contain hyaluronic acid, a complex sugar found naturally in many tissues. Depending on the type of filler and location on the face being filled, hyaluronic acids can last anywhere from 4 months to up to two years. With repeat injections, the body starts to produce its own collagen and then the amount of filler needed is less and retreatments are further apart.
Products used:
Sun Protection
Protecting your face from the sun is the single best way of keeping it youthful. Much of the damage comes from the UVA part of the light spectrum, so you need to put on sunscreen that protects against it and UVB light, which causes sunburn. Your sunscreen should be at least an SPF 30, and contain titanium dioxide and zinc. Wearing a wide brimmed hat and sunglasses are also great protection.
Exfoliants, Creams and Serums
Moisturizers soothes dry skin. Exfoliant creams can improve the appearance of older skin by getting rid of dead skin cells that don't slough off as readily as they did when we were young. We have an amazing line of skin care products that we can recommend for you.
Avoid Pollution
Avoid smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke and to other pollutants.