The aged face is characterized by several consistent features that transcend gender or culture. One hallmark of a youthful face is the appearance of high cheekbones that gently taper to a defined jawline. This is known as the “triangle of youth” and is drawn by a horizontal line between the cheek bone prominences forming the base with the apex of the triangle at the point of the chin. This heart shaped face can be seen in ages from the 20s to the early 50s, with a gradual loss of facial support and structure thereafter. In part as a result of the effects of gravity, this shape is ultimately replaced by the “pyramid of aging” when the triangle of youth flips over. A horizontal line drawn between the jowl points forms the base, with the apex at the glabella completing this triangle. The facial morphology changes in part because of bone and tissue shifts with loss of volume in the cheeks and a new fullness in the jowls resulting from facial tissue descent and fat deposition in this area. One goal of aesthetic facial restoration with Sculptra, therefore, is to flip the pyramid of aging back to the triangle of youth.
As Our Skin Sags With Age, So Do Our Bones! It's not just skin that droops with age — Facial bones shift and wither with time, too.
Photo 1:
We do not age symmetrically. However, the areas of the facial skeleton that resorb in a specific and predictable manner with aging .
- Flattening of the glabellar and eyebrows.
- Increased convexity of upper forehead.
- Temporal hollowing.
- Expansion of the superiomedial and inferolateral orbit.
- Pyriform/maxillary recession.
- Prejowl area of the mandible resorption.
Photo 2:
- Increase in the mandibular Angle (L to l). - Decrease in mandibular length and height with anterosuperior displacement of the gonial angle. Skin aging is a gradual process affected by external factors like smoking and spending too much time in the sun, as well as internal factors like genetics. These factors contribute to ROSs, MMPs and AGEs – the three biochemical reactions that manifest wrinkles, discoloration, loss of skin tone and other signs we typically associate with aged skin. Amazingly, these signs start to appear as early as our 20s(!), when production of collagen (which keeps skin firm) and elastin (which keeps skin bouncing back), begins to falter. Cell renewal gradually slows, and skin begins to lose its youthful glow and texture.
WHY AM I AGING? The reason is degradation and volume loss of fat, tissue and muscle. The skull shrinks and this results in skin excess. Imagine a table cloth—the table shrinks so the table cloth ultimately gets larger... By using Sculptra , I am able to treat the cause of aging by creating volume with new collagen formation (over time) in the correct tissue planes, as opposed to just filling the lines and wrinkles. My signature approach stimulates the regeneration of both structure and function of skin and soft tissue restoring contour and light to the face. skin health we can see!
Can what you eat be aging you? Eating sugar promotes cross-linking of collagen fibers through a process known as “glycation,” leading to the production of tissue-destroying byproducts (called Advanced Glycation End Products). This is associated with increased free radicals in skin collagen, which accelerates skin aging. Grilling, frying, deep-fat frying, or roasting produce high levels of these same AGE byproducts compared to cooking processes involving water. 🥘 Given that a glutenfree diet is low in high-temperature processed foods and in flour-based items, which are generally high in these AGEs byproducts, this diet might have beneficial effects in improving skin health and aging! 😍 However, further studies need to be done to confirm this. A healthy diet following a low-glycemic diet, which is low in refined carbs and processed foods and high in vegetables 🥦and lean protein 🐓, helps keep blood sugar levels stable and minimize these effects. 🧘🏼♀️ Another promising strategy for enhancing skin protection from oxidative stress is to support one’s VERY OWN antioxidant system with a diet rich in antioxidants! 🧬 A study looked at skin wrinkling in a sun-exposed ☀️ area in older people of various ethnicities and concluded that persons who consumed a high intake of veggies, olive oil, and legumes but a low intake of milk and milk products, butter, margarine, and sugar products had less wrinkling. Another study examining associations between food intake and skin aging in 4025 American women found that higher intakes of vitamin C 🍊 and linoleic acid from food sources such as fruit, vegetables and nuts, were associated with a lower prevalence of a wrinkled appearance, skin dryness, and skin thinness, whereas a high intake of fats and carbs were associated with a higher likelihood showing features of skin aging!