“Ageing” is an inevitable process that occurs gradually over time. Although it heavily depends on your genetic make-up, once you cross over the age of 24, you are likely to notice that your skin starts to change its look, and some facial features may change as well.
What is “facial ageing”?
“Facial ageing” is a process that involves a series of physiologic changes in the skin texture. With time, your body doesn’t produce as much collagen as it used to, and as a result the skin all over your body loses its elasticity.
Additionally, pockets of fat in places such as your cheeks, under the eyes or around your mouth gradually become thinner, which adds to skin sagging. Your lips may naturally lose volume as well, and the corners may start to point downward, even when you smile.
This is why your face might appear saggy, tired, and old (even though you feel young and refreshed!).
As if this wasn’t enough, losing weight can also influence how old you look. When you lose weight the soft tissue is affected with slow atrophy. This increases the thinning of the face and makes the bones appear more prominent.
It is said that losing 4 kilos can make a person look as much as 4 years older! Of course, this depends on your lifestyle, diet and genetics.
What happens to my face as I age?
The changes in collagen production, fat tissue and atrophy have a significant influence on your overall look. When those changes start becoming more visible (and it takes years for them to become so – it is not an overnight occurrence), you might notice that:
- Your cheeks sag significantly, revealing your jowls.
- The corners of your mouth move downward, giving you a slightly “unhappy” look, and they may not turn up as much when you smile.
- Your lips become somewhat thinner.
- The tissue around your eyes becomes less elastic and your eyes sag.
- Both upper and lower eyelids are visibly sagging.
- The lines on your forehead are there for good, whether your forehead is relaxed or not. This causes the eyebrows to move downward, giving your face a flatter impression.
- Your nose grows for as long as you live (it’s the nose and ears actually), and it may change slightly in shape or size.
- The tip of the nose might change its shape, becoming pronounced and more bulbous.
- You might see more wrinkles on your face overall: crow’s feet around your eyes, smile wrinkles, frown wrinkles between your eyes, wrinkles near your ears, underneath your eyes, and even nose wrinkles.
- The skin on your neck is thinner than on your face and it will be the first place to significantly wrinkle.
- The loss of muscle tone and thinning of the skin can make your face look flabby or drooping.
- Sagging jowls or loose submental skin might create the “double chin” look.
What are the factors that emphasise facial ageing?
Although you cannot avoid the ageing process, you can significantly slow it down – eventually looking years younger, more refreshed, and rejuvenated.
There are some factors that directly contribute to your body’s apparent age. Taking them into account can help you maintain a younger look without ANY cosmetic enhancements:
- Sun: Genetics aside, sun exposure is the most skin damaging factor that you can experience. The UVA rays (which are directly linked to skin ageing) are not absorbed by the ozone layer and nothing can stop them from damaging your skin, ie. clouds or glass. This is why using sunblocks is so important.
- Diet: A poor diet is surely going to age you a few extra years. Eating too much sugar, trans fats and processed carbohydrates (like pasta, white bread, and baked goods) can lead to inflammation which over time wears on your skin’s collagen. Keeping your collagen intact keeps your skin elastic and smooth for longer.
- Alcohol & Smoking: Smoking changes your skin, accelerating the ageing process. It’s not only about the 4,000 different chemicals used in a cigarette, which damage collagen and elastin, but also the facial expressions you make when you inhale that result in “smokers lines” around the mouth. Alcohol dehydrates your skin and causes inflammation, which is why some drinkers have a noticeably red “puffy” appearance. Over time, dehydration and inflammation will contribute to visible ageing in your skin.
How can I help my skin appear younger?
Over the past decade, there have been real developments in anti-ageing and now you can choose from a number of rejuvenating non-surgical treatments. Two of the most popular are anti-wrinkle injections and dermal fillers.
- Anti-Wrinkle injections. These are a muscle-relaxing solution that is injected into individual muscles in/around the areas you want treated. This keeps the muscle(s) from additional contractions and prevents them from folding and creasing the skin. With a good injector, your facial expressions will remain because they can provide enough, in the right places, to still allow for some movement. A natural smile will still be natural, and a wink will still be a wink! Wrinkle injections are not going to radically change your appearance or make you look as though you had a “plastic” facelift. They will certainly not freeze your face (these are just myths about cosmetic treatments). Instead, they will soften your wrinkles and give you a look that is refreshed and young. They can also be used in the frowning muscles at the sides of the mouth to prevent them from pulling down and creating an unhappy look.
- Dermal fillers. This procedure is used to reduce the sallow, sagging appearance that may result from fat atrophy and volume loss in your face and hands. It is also a great solution if you want to plump the lines and smooth the creases on your face. It’s a safe way for you to achieve an instantly younger look. In addition to filling the already existing lines, dermal fillers prevent those lines from becoming deeper. They can also be used to replenish lost volume in the lips.
What should I keep in mind when considering facial injections?
The most important thing that should guide your decision is the quality of the clinic that you choose. Although these are non-invasive treatments, they still require considerable experience and expertise to achieve the best results. Treatments performed by underqualified or inexperienced practitioners can lead to undesirable outcomes and can even be a risk to your health.
At Rejuvenation Clinics of Australia, we take pride in our long history of performing both of these treatments by our highly qualified medical staff. Our expert doctor and qualified nurses are here to help you every step of the way so you can feel comfortable and safe at our clinic.
