Understand Your Aging

the face & neck

Skin Changes

As we age, the fibroblasts, which are the cells in charge of maintaining the skin structure in good shape, begin to age and disappear.

The skin loses it´s firmness due to a loss of collagen production, it decrease the ability to regain its original form when stretched due to an elastin loss and becomes thinner and drier due to a low hyaluronic acid production.

Over time, the unstable skin structure will lead to wrinkles, increased elasticity and sagging. Furthermore, sun exposure will lead to pigment changes & skin dehydration.

Volume Loss & Bone Density

We can all appreciate the plump, vibrant appearance of a baby’s face.

This vibrance is due to abundant facial fat under the skin. As we age, we lose facial fat volume and facial skeletal bone density. These changes combined with gravity and loosening of the facial ligaments and soft tissues contribute to the deeper facial changes we see with aging.

The Upper Face

In the upper face, we can see mainly the effect of constant muscle activity, when the muscles contract to generate an expression, the skin folds and collagen breaks, eventually we will end up with expression lines in the forehead, frown area and eyes.

We also lose fat and bone, changes are most evident with hollowing of the temples, flattening of the forehead and deflation of the eyebrows.

Around the eyes, hollowing of the upper eyelid due to a loss of fat together with excess skin result in a aged eyelid and baggy wrinkled lower eyelid.

The Midface

Bone and fat loss creates a reconfiguration and migration of the facial fat pads to the middle and lower part of the face.

When we are young we have full cheeks with defined jawline creating the appearance of a nice triangle, however as we age and the skin turns heavy this triangle gets inverted making the lower face squared.

We notice a flattening of the cheeks and depression of the transition zone between the lower eyelid and cheek with creation for infraorbital hollows and a more prominent tear trough.

Since the volume in decreased and the ligaments are pulled forward, the nasolabial folds (the folds between the cheeks and the nose) become deeper. Most patients ask us to fill out the folds, however , now that we understand how the aging process happens and that most aging is going on in the back part of the face, we always start correcting the volume loss in the cheeks in order to lift the skin and take weight off the fold itself.

The Lower Face

The weight that is coming from the midface can lead to deepening of the marionette lines (folds on the corners of the mouth), formation of jowls, flattening of the space between the lower lip and chin and loss of jawline definition.

The skin around them thin out and "smokers lines" appear making the mouth look old and wrinkled.

The lips lose volume and, along with the changes that occur in the teeth, they may even appear to be inverted.

The Neck

The skin of the necks is one of the thinnest in the body, so the breakdown of collagen and loss of hyaluronic acid occurs more quickly and noticeably than on other parts of the body.

The skin has fewer oil glands compared with the face, so is impacted by environmental damage more strongly.

Under the skin, the platysma muscle gets stronger producing the vertical neck bands and the horizontal neck lines (due mostly of sleeping positions) making the skin look wrinkled.

BODY

Decolletage

The decolletage is one of the most neglected body areas in terms of skin care.

It can receive just as much UV exposure as the face & neck, making it an area that is prone to wrinkles, sun damage, age spots, dehydration and crepey skin.

The weight of cleavage pulls on the skin of the chest, and the skin in this area is frequently folded in on itself. A lifetime of side sleeping or the use of push-up bras can even exacerbate creasing and wrinkling.

Hands

The aging in the hands is characterized by a loss of tissue volume and elasticity of the skin which can increase the visibility of tendons, veins and bones on the back of the hand. Additionally, years of exposure to UV rays and other free radicals cause the skin on the hands to appear spotted, dull, wrinkled, dehydrated and crepey.

The Aging Process