Facial Aging

Aging is a process that affects all parts of the body and is most visible on the skin of the face.

People can’t see aging below the skin, but aging also affects the muscle, fibrous tissue, fat and bone. Further, all the parts of the body age at different rates. We all have different facial structure that ages at different rates in different places. The means the best treatment to reduce the visible signs of aging will vary between persons and at different ages. 

Signs of aging

The common complaints people voice about facial appearance include

  • Heaviness and tiredness (symptoms)
  • Skin lines around the eyes, forehead and between the brows
  • Drooping of the brow
  • Excess upper eyelid skin
  • Drooping upper eyelids
  • Sunken / hollow appearance of the eye socket
  • “Bags” under the lower eyelids
  • Hollows between the lower eyelid and nose
  • Hollows between the lower eyelid and cheek
  • Drooping of the lower eyelids
  • Lines in the cheek
  • Loss of cheek volume
  • Hollows between the cheek and nose
  • Drooping of the lower face
  • “Jowls” of the lower face
  • Excess neck skin and fat
  • “turkey neck” appearance

Reducing visible aging

The first step to any improvement is entirely under patient control. Lose weight, improve diet, reduce alcohol and stop smoking. Skin care is vital. 

  • Antiwrinkle injections work to reduce visible lines. These are given 3 to 4 times per year and very effective.
  • Fillers are excellent to reduce the appearance of hollows. We recommend reversible fillers in the face. 
  • Surgical implants are a permanent way to fill the face in selected regions.
  • Brow lift surgery rejuvenates the upper face and is often combined with lower eyelid surgery
  • Cheek lift surgery rejuvenates the mid face and is usually combined with lower eyelid surgery. 
  • Cheek volume augmentation reverses flat cheek bones to restore a youthful face.
  • Face lift surgery rejuvenates the lower face including jowls and is usually combined with neck lift surgery. 

Timing

  • Fillers and antiwrinkle injections can be used at any age. 
  • Keyhole Brow lift surgery achieves best outcomes in patients aged 40 to mid 50’s. Above this age, open brow lift is usually preferable.
  • Cheek lift surgery is usually indicated for patients in their early 50’s.
  • Face and neck lift surgery achieves best outcomes for patients from the 50’s onwards.
  • Fat removal and repositioning can be done at any age. 
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