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The 5 Key Areas of the Face that Show Aging

Posted January 14, 2011 in Face Lift Advice
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The 5 Key Areas of the Face that Show Aging – A brief report on the five areas of the face that most influence how old we appear.

As we age, changes in our face appear so subtly that we often don’t realize it until we take a photo or look at a mirror in really good lighting.  Most of us start as round, cheeky faced kids that mature into our adult faces.  Once in adulthood the changes slow, but they continue throughout our lifetime.  Many factors contribute how quickly our faces show this age, including lifestyle, health, sun exposure and of course our genetics.  This report briefly describes the areas of our face that most likely show evidence of the amazing and mysterious aging process.

1. Skin Tone and appearance

When we are young, our skin normally has a continuity of color, texture and overall appearance.  The aging process can lead to the development of uneven coloring and differing textures that create a less youthful look.  Many studies have shown that people with uneven skin tone are consistently rated as older when evaluated by a panel of everyday citizens.  This outer layer damage can be treated through a variety of means including fractional laser treatments designed to remove the damaged skin and cause a regeneration of skin cells and the underlying collagen giving the skin a renewed texture, tone and improved continuity of color.  Lifting procedures can also improve the appearance of the skin by evening out or eliminating wrinkles caused by a deterioration in the skin elasticity and texture.

2. Sagging of the Tissues

Our skin does not only age on the outside.  Overtime the skin itself tends to stretch and sag as gravity and other forces break down the elasticity of our youth.  These same forces also cause the underlying infrastructure beneath our skin to sag.  These tissue layers and muscles also lose their youthful firmness accelerating the overall appearance of wrinkles and sagging.  Genetics, lifestyle, fluctuations in weight and other factors also contribute to this struggle against time.  Lifting procedures address the sagging of our skin and the underlying tissues by tightening and reinforcing the structures that hold our skin in place.  The result can be a reduction in wrinkles as well as a general lifting of the skin back toward the position it held years before creating a younger look.

3. Loss of Volume

Studies have also shown that one of the most attractive things we can do with our face is to smile!  While smiling is nice and conveys a happy emotion, it also has another important effect; it adds volume to our cheeks.  Everyone remembers those bright round cheeks so often associated with childhood.  Over time, our cheeks lose this volume as collagen and fatty tissue slowly melt away in our face.  In most people this creates a more angular or chiseled appearance, showing more of the bone structure and likewise creating more wrinkles and increasing the depth of the nasolabial folds, marionette lines and hollow spots around the cheeks and eyes.  Injectable facial fillers have created an effective way to add volume back into the face providing increased volume to these problem areas.

4. The Eyes

It is common to refer to the eyes as the window to our soul, but they also can be a major factor in how old we look.  Our eyes age from several angles and oddly enough, the eye itself is not what we really mean.  To keep with the metaphor, we are not really talking about the window, but the aging of the window dressings.  Specifically our upper and lower eyelids can develop excess skin which droops, giving our eyes a sleepy appearance, and in some cases actually obstructing our vision.  The lower eyes can develop the all too familiar bags, or an increase of fatty tissue. An opposite effect can also occur where we lose fatty tissue and volume below the eyes giving us a hollow look.  A combination of eyelifts, muscle tightening and facial fillers can dramatically change the look of our eyes.

5. Expression and outlook

Finally, our fifth area of change is one that we can all affect.  Have you ever noticed that when we examine our faces deeply in a mirror, we wear a blank expression?  How often to we wear that expression when we are engaging others?  Usually when we talk to others, our face is animated and expressive, giving a much more aesthetic and upbeat appearance.  Our overall outlook and how we wear it on our face is a huge contributor to how old we look.  We need to take time to explore ways to bring the joy back into our lives and to let this joy find its way onto our face.  As we mentioned before, smiling is a quick way to knock years off our appearance.  Finding peace and tranquility is a powerful way to improve our youthful appearance.

rcastellano@imagelift.com
Board Certified In Facial Plastic Surgery
Over 3,000 Cosmetic Procedures
Performed Under Local Anesthesia
3314 Henderson Blvd, Suite 201
Tampa, FL  33609
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