dermal fillers
how our faces age
Facial ageing is characterised by predictable changes. We all develop a gradual decline in the quantity and quality of the underlying tissues supporting our faces. A baby's face is very plump, with large cheeks and no signs of sagging whatsoever. In contrast, a 90 year old patient will always have hollows, sagging skin and volume loss to the entire face. So by definition we're all somewhere in the middle of these extremes with subtle changes that get more obvious over time.
But facial aging isn't random, there are predictable changes that happen sequentially to all of us including:
1) a decrease in the amount of fat that supports the face. This leads to a loss of contour, hollows and less definition of the face. Our cheeks deflate slowly, our lips become thinner and the lower face in particular becomes saggier
2) the bony skeleton also changes, leading to deeper eye sockets, flatter cheeks, a less defined jaw and a chin that slowly receeds
3) the overlying skin looses its firmness and thickness, leading to fine lines and increased sagging.
With these basic facts in mind, fillers can help improve these features by restoring the anatomy of the face back to a more youth configuration. By restoring support to the fat compartments and bony structure of the face, we can lift and shape the facial areas to look naturally improved.