How to Improve Facial Volume Loss
Facial volume loss is a common concern for clients that see me in clinic. Volume loss involves changes in the skin, fat, muscle and bone – and unfortunately, this process starts from your late 20’s. Understanding how the facial anatomy changes as we age is crucial in cosmetic aesthetics and in choosing the best treatment options to address your concerns.
Skin
As we age, our skin loses collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid. Overtime, this leads to decreased skin integrity, elasticity, tone and firmness. Our pores can become more visible, our pigmentation changes.
Our underlying fat compartments shrink and move downward, particularly in the mid and lower face. Volume is reduced due to atrophy, which can be seen in areas like the temples and under eye area. This results in a more hollowed and gaunt appearance.
What can you do?
For your at home treatments, using products such as hyaluronic acid, amino acids and peptides can improve your skins hydration. This will help with the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Pigmentation can be addressed using antioxidants such as vitamin C, Mandelic Acid and AHA’s like Glycolic Acid. In clinic, we recommend and build tailored skin programs using The Ordinary skincare range, to help address your concerns.
In clinic, we have several options to improve the appearance of your skin, aimed at boosting and regenerating your skins collagen production. Regular treatments like skin needling, exosome facials and LED Red light therapy help to reduce the signs of aging in the skin. We also offer prescriptive treatments to address and improve upon facial volume loss These include PRP injections and other treatments which can bio-stimulate your collagen and boost hydration.
Our client has visible signs of facial aging with a mix of skin, fat volume loss and bone structural changes.
Muscle
Our facial muscles loose bulk and tone as we age which can contribute to sagging facial skin. This creates the appearance of deeper folds, particularly around the nasolabial region and marionette lines. Some muscles become overactive, pulling the above tissue downwards, contributing to the appearance of jowls and reduced lip volume.
What can you do?
At home, you can use tools such as Gua Sha to address facial muscles tightness. Gua Sha improves blood circulation, enhancing oxygen and nutrient delivery to the muscles. The scraping action of Gua Sha releases muscle tightness and knots, relaxing their downward pull. Regular Gua Sha at home can also improve muscle flexibility and range of motion, which tends to decrease with age.
Prescriptive treatments to assist with relaxing muscle movement may also be a treatment option to consider. They can be used to address overactive muscle movement, particularly in the lower area of the face. In this area, our downward-depressing muscles pull on the tissues, creating the appearance of heavier jowls. Treatments to reduce this movement can improve the jawline, giving a ‘lift’ in this area.
Bone Structure
Our facials bones provide foundation support for our overlying soft tissues. As we age, our bone is reabsorbed, changing the appearance of the overlying tissues. This becomes more noticeable in our upper and lower jaw and around our eyes. In our midface, our cheeks appear flatter, less projected with deeper nasolabial folds. Jowling in the lower face is more evident around the jawline. Our eyes can also appear sunken, with increased visibility of our fat pads and tear troughs.
What can you do about it?
Preventative home treatments are somewhat limited in this area, however application of make up contouring can assist in creating a more lifted appearance. Makeup contouring uses darker foundation shading to create shadows and lighter shades to highlight areas. This technique can make cheekbones appear more pronounced, the nose look slimmer, and the jawline sharper. This combination creates the illusion of altered bone structure, enhancing or redefining facial features.
In the clinic, there are prescriptive treatments to assist in minimising the overlying tissue volume loss. PRP or Exosomes with skin needling treatments, can also stimulate collagen production. Use of these treatments in the undereye area can help to reduce the pigmentation changes of the skin. Darkening in these areas can further contribute to the appearance of tired, hollowed eyes.
Understanding the relationship between soft tissue and bony changes is crucial for effectively addressing facial volume loss. While in-clinic treatments can address age-related volume loss and muscle changes, at-home care can also help prevent the signs of facial aging. By combining effective home care with clinic treatments, the signs of facial aging can be reduced and maintained.