What is facial sagging?
Sagging is a cosmetic “condition” that occurs naturally to many people as they age. The skin loses its youthful appearance as it loses elasticity and volume over time, causing sagging, resulting in jowls and eye bags.
What are the symptoms of facial sagging?
Facial skin can lose firmness in different ways. The most common facial sagging are jowls, wrinkles, bags under the eyes, drooping eyelids, deeper nasolabial folds, a “double chin” (where fat accumulates under the chin) and other parts of the face where sagging skin is visible.
The skin loses its youthful appearance as it loses elasticity and volume over time, causing sagging of the skin.
What causes sagging to appear on your face?
One of the substances that gives skin its elasticity is collagen. This structural protein is found throughout the body, in fact, it is the most common protein in mammals. Together with elastin, it provides firmness and structure to the skin, but as we age, we naturally lose collagen. The loss of collagen is reflected in the loss of facial fat, which reduces the volume of the face. The loss of both substances causes the collagen matrix, elastin and fat to break down, resulting in a loss of elasticity and, as a result, the skin loses firmness.
How can we prevent facial sagging?
Aging is inevitable and everyone’s skin loses its youthful appearance over time. As we age our skin does not renew itself as often, causing the loss of collagen and fat. When the skin begins to lose its ability to recover, it depends a lot on your genes. Other factors include UV damage (i.e., from the sun) and weight changes. These are the things we can control the most. Protecting your skin by applying sunscreen throughout your life can help preserve the collagen in your skin and therefore prolong its youthful appearance. When we gain weight, the skin stretches to store the extra fat. Losing weight, especially if it happens quickly, often leaves this excess skin behind. The older we get, the less likely the skin is to spring back due to reduced elasticity. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and diet can help us maintain a stable weight throughout our lives.
What treatments can be done to eliminate facial sagging?
Facial sagging is simply a natural part of the aging process, but there are several cosmetic treatments that many people choose to undergo to maintain their youthful appearance longer. Injectable fillers can help increase volume, while collagen supplements are also available to replace collagen loss. Botulinum toxin is also an option for rejuvenating the face.