Have you been lately looking in the mirror and can't put your finger on exactly why your face looks older or more tired? Are you unhappy with the sunken or flattened look of your face? Maybe your skin is starting to sag.
Then, there's a high likelihood you're a victim of facial volume loss. This is especially true if you are in your late 30s and 40s when facial volume loss really starts to accelerate and can alter the structure and shape of the whole face.
In our teens and twenties, it's common to have high cheekbones, a lean, well-defined jawline and plump skin. These features of a youthful-looking face—also known as the triangle of beauty— create a face shape that's wider at the top, tapering down to the narrowest point at the chin.
However, as we age, a combination of changes such as the shrinkage of fat pads in the face, the loss of collagen and thinning bone density mean the youthful face shape often becomes inverted.
The result is flatter cheeks, heavier and squared lower face and jawline often accompanied by sagging skin.
The good news is that you don't have to surrender to this fate. There are still viable options for restoring the facial volume and shape and regaining a youthful-looking appearance.
In your youth, fat in the face is evenly distributed with pockets of fat that plump up the forehead, temples, cheeks, and areas around the eyes and mouth. The size and position of these fat pads have a great impact on facial volume.
For example, the malar fat pad, which resides in the cheekbone area beneath the eyes, provides a youthful curve to the face and makes the area around the eyes and cheeks look full.
However, with age comes a reduction in collagen and elastin production, which cause the skin structure to become weaker gradually. Add this to years of gravity pull on the face and the outcome is that the malar fat pad slides downward.
This drop creates deep nasolabial folds, makes the eyes look hollow, and the cheeks appear flatter.
At the same time, it's estimated that individuals can lose 20% to 50% of facial fat during the natural ageing process.
Genetics, certain medications, rapid weight loss, stress and other lifestyle factors may exacerbate facial volume loss.
For women, especially during perimenopause and menopause, rapid hormonal fluctuations may cause changes in the amount and distribution of facial fat. As estrogen levels begin to dwindle, the face may lose volume as the facial fat pads shrink.
If this wasn't enough, the outermost layers of skin start to produce less hyaluronic acid.
Hyaluronic Acid is formed by skin cells and is part of the connective tissue of the skin. One of its key functions is to retain moisture due to its ability to bind in between 1,000 and 10,000 times its own weight in water!
As we age, the skin's natural ability to produce hyaluronic acid decreases.
The skin is now less able to bind in moisture, becomes drier, starts to sag and appears thinner.
As we age, the loss of facial volume means we look older, tired and even sad or angry. This is due to the following changes:
Procedures such as surgical face lifting can help to reduce wrinkles and sag. Still, without restoring the volume that was lost, the results are often unsatisfactory.
To regain a youthful appearance, you have to replace some of the lost facial volumes in the mid-face and cheeks area.
Our recommended non-surgical treatment option for restoring lost facial volume is Hyaluronic Acid (HA) Dermal Fillers.
HA filler plumps up and adds volume for immediate smoothing and lift to the targeted areas of the face.
The exact choice of filler depends on the patient’s age and the level of correction needed.
That's why we employ different consistencies of dermal fillers from the Intraline® and Teosyal® collections. Each works in a slightly different way to restore volume to different areas of your face
For the best results, it's essential to work with an injector who has a deep understanding of the facial anatomy and how fillers interact with fat pads in the face.
At Dr Aesthetica, we specialise in the non-surgical replacement of facial volume using hyaluronic acid (HA) dermal fillers.
This is the safest and most effective treatment option for facial volume loss.
That said, a major concern for many of our patients is the temporary results of HA fillers with volume restoration and anti-ageing effects typically lasting 6-12 months. Therefore repeat procedures are required to maintain the result.
However, reports from numerous patients and medical professionals show that repeat treatments result in longer-lasting anti-ageing effects compared to the initial injections.
After your second or third treatment, that same filler in the same area may now last up to 8-36 months.
If you would like to discuss restoring facial volume, please do not hesitate to contact our friendly staff, who will happily arrange a consultation for you.
We look forward to listening to your different needs and customising a facial rejuvenation treatment just for you.
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In part 4 we discussed the non-surgical facelift as an option to get rid of jowls. The non-surgical facelift is a safe, affordable way to get rid of a drooping face, but it isn’t permanent. This article will help you get the most out of your non-surgical facelift. While more cost-effective and generally consisting of […]
