What Aging Does to Your Face and How to Counter It

Have you ever been to a reunion with your high school or college friends and noticed something different about them? Like they still look like their younger selves but there are definitely changes in their appearance?

Age is an unstoppable natural force that affects everyone, whether we like it or not, and its effects quickly become apparent on the skin of the face. What’s more, signs of aging can become apparent sooner depending on your lifestyle, genetics, and other factors. 

This article discusses the ways aging can affect the skin. It will also look into natural and noninvasive cosmetic solutions that can mitigate the impact of skin aging and restore the complexion to its youthful glow.

Your Face’s Changing Appearance

This revelation may surprise you, but the way your face will change over time has already been predetermined by your genes. The way an individual’s parents looked at a certain age will determine how the person’s appearance changes.

Another factor that can influence how your appearance can change over time is the environment. Frequent exposure to sunlight, rain, and dust can make skin seem dull and tired-looking.

When Does the Face Begin to Age?

It may sound hard to believe, but your skin starts to age as soon as you hit your 20s. You won’t immediately notice its impact on your appearance, but these small changes will eventually become more noticeable as you approach your 30s and beyond.

Signs of Aging on the Face

Your Facial Skin Becomes Drier

Older people tend to have drier, rougher skin than they did when they were younger. There are many causes, but mainly it’s because the sebaceous glands don’t produce as much oil. Loss of hormones and slowed-down collagen production are also major factors.

Your Face’s Shape Also Changes

In young people, subcutaneous fat in the face is distributed evenly. As a person gets older, however, this fat loses volume. As a result, the skin sags downwards. 

Wrinkles Begin Appearing 

This is easily what many fear the most when they think about how aging will affect their appearance. Your genetics play a major role in how early they begin to take up real estate on your face, but in some people, wrinkles can start appearing as early as in their 20s.

There are multiple factors that can influence the development of wrinkles, crow’s feet, and fine lines. Smoking, sun exposure, and even your sleeping position and facial expressions influence when and where these wrinkles will appear on your face.

Effects on Other Areas of Your Face

The other effects of aging on your face is less pronounced, but these changes will definitely contribute to your overall change in appearance.

Your ears become longer as your age as the cartilage inside them grows. The loss of elasticity on your face also affects your mouth as the ligaments around the chin and mouth area can cause it to sag.

Your nosetip will also droop as the connective tissues around your nose weaken. Your eyebrows and lashes will also become patchy as you age. Your jawline will also sag over time.

How to Manage the Visible Symptoms of Facial Skin Aging

While aging is inevitable, this doesn’t mean you can’t do anything to combat its effects on your skin. Skincare and aesthetic treatments have vastly improved in the past several years, and there are now many ways to minimize the impact of time on your skin.

Prevention is still better than cure. Wear sunblock everytime you go out, as the harsh rays of the sun are responsible for a myriad of skin concerns. These include age spots or hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, and fine lines. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends using a broad-spectrum sunscreen that is SPF 30 or higher. Be sure to apply it not just on your face but also all areas of skin that are exposed.

Avoid tanning beds as well. A better option for a bronzed yet healthy glow is to use a self-tanner.

Other preventative measures you can take are:

• Avoiding smoking
• Moisturizing daily 
• Staying hydrated
• Getting enough sleep 
• Having a healthy, nutrient-filled diet
• Using skincare products with retinol
• Sleeping on your back
• Exercising regularly
• Avoiding repetitive facial expressions

If your skin is already showing signs of aging, you don’t need to worry. There are still many things you can do to prevent them from worsening and to restore your skin’s youthful appearance.

Specialized Skin Care

Many beauty brands offer creams, serums, and other skin care products to address symptoms of skin aging. However, their effectiveness of over-the-counter products varies, and they’re unlikely to address deep wrinkles and facial sagging. A better option would be professional-grade skincare products.

Surgery

Cosmetic surgery is one of the most effective ways to restore your face’s youthfulness. A capable plastic surgeon can make facial skin look tighter, plumper, and smoother.

Noninvasive and Minimally Invasive Treatments

However, going under the knife isn’t only effective means of restoring your skin’s youthfulness. There are plenty of noninvasive procedures that will keep your face looking refreshed.

Finally, a trusted doctor can implement non-invasive treatments to restore your face’s vitality. Chemical peels, botox, lip injections, and light therapy are highly effective nonsurgical techniques that can address a variety of aging skin woes, such as wrinkles, sagging skin, thinning lips, and hyperpigmentation.

Combat Skin Aging With the Help of Vargas Face & Skin Center

Aging is a part of life, and its impact on our appearance is natural. However, that doesn’t mean that you have to live with fine lines, wrinkles, and other symptoms of aging skin. The medical field has progressed so much over the past 50 years that there are now many safe ways to restore the skin’s youthful glow, suppleness, and smoothness,.

Vargas Face & Skin Center, founded by Hannah Vargas, MD, F.A.C.S., offers a wide range of services. These include surgical procedures such as cheek augmentation, brow lift, and lower face loft, as well as noninvasive and minimally invasive treatments such as injectable fillers, light therapy, and laser skin resurfacing.

To learn more or schedule an appointment, don’t hesitate to get in touch.