LOSS OF FACIAL VOLUME and Restoration of Facial Volume
With the passage of time the shape of the face changes from a triangle broadest at the top to a triangle narrow at the top and broader at the base. We lose volume; so that the youthful smooth convex contours are replaced by concave ones. The elevator muscles that hold the tissues up become weaker and the depressor muscles become stronger. So together with the effect of gravity, facial features sag and move ‘South’. The jaw line weakens and the corners of the mouth droop.
From the age of thirty, we lose one per cent of facial collagen every year. Together with the loss of elastin and facial fat the ‘upholstery’ of the face becomes thinner.The time for cell renewal increases with age. As teenagers the surface layer of cells is replaced on weekly basis whilst in our sixties, this process can take up to six weeks. So the surface is made up of older cells with accumulation of dead skin cells.
Also, deeper inside the face, the facial skeleton shrinks with age. Eye and nose sockets enlarge so that eyes appear more deeply set and the tip of the nose droops. The integrity of the lower jaw line diminishes, as bone is lost.
Older skin shows the accumulative effects of sun damage and life style factors such as smoking, dehydration, poor diet and stress.