What is making you look older?

As we age, the face and neck will begin to sag and wrinkles will become deep set. This natural aging process is often brought on by a range of factors including: 

•Dieting and Weight Loss: When women lose weight, especially at an older age, the skin on the face may sag. This is because the face is typically the first place weight loss appears. Older women do not have as much elastin and collagen fibers in skin, which allows skin to stretch and spring back after weight loss. The result is sagging skin. A 2007 study by Rod Rohrich, a professor of plastic surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, the face is made up of 21 individual fat compartments which age at different paces. These fat compartments must be maintained to keep a full and youthful looking face. While exercise may help you keep a trim and youthful figure, it can actually accelerate the aging process of the face.

•Excessive Sun Exposure: According to Ana Lourdes Gomez, a research scientist at the University of Connecticut, “runners often have a more weathered look, but it's not because gravity is pulling on their faces…” Rather, runners tend to be leaner and therefore have less subcutaneous fat. Runners also spend more time in the sun. More sun exposure results in older and less elastic skin as you age.

•Hormonal Changes – Estrogen is partially responsible for changes in the amount and quality of fat found in the face. When hormones shift, the face can thin out which can causes sagging. 

•Receding Bones: As women age, bone mass is lost in the face. In some cases, muscles in the face can begin to atrophy. The changes in the underlying structure of the face can cause the face to look like it has collapsed, especially in patients over the age of 70.

Solutions for a More Youthful Appearance

Though nature may be against women over 30 years of age having a firm face, science is not. One of the most common solutions for a decrease of fat in the face is non-surgical injectables, like Botox, Juvederm or Radiesse. These injectables are fillers made of synthetic substances which target wrinkles and create volume in cheeks and other trouble areas of the face, reversing the look of sagging.

While injectables offer quick results, the results do not typically last a long time. Luckily, there are several cosmetic procedures that offer longer lasting and, in many cases, better results. Newport Beach facial plastic surgeon, Dr. Kevin Sadati, offers a range of procedures that address aging of the face. The Double ‘C’ Plication technique, or his Natural Facelift procedure, which has been specially developed by Dr. Sadati to address sagging of the face, gently lifts the face while avoiding the “tight” look common with traditional face lifts. Other procedures, including neck lifts, fat grafting with PRP, blepharoplasty (eyelid lift surgery) and cheek or chin augmentation can also offer more youthful and longer lasting results.

To ensure his patients are comfortable and safe, Dr. Sadati does not use general anesthesia. Instead, he uses local anesthesia and twilight sedation which are considered safer and offer a shorter recovery time. His procedures offer natural-looking and long-lasting results with minimal discomfort and down time. If you are interested in how Dr. Sadati can help your face appear more youthful, contact us today!