When it comes to skin aging, most people think that skin is the main culprit for wrinkles and sagging skin. In fact, they believe that the skin is the only thing that should be treated. However, is that really the case?
What's taking place below the skin? Below the organ that we call the largest? A LOT!
The skin is the outer surface, so, naturally, that’s where we first look for a cause of our aging appearance. However, there is much more happening behind it than we realize.
Under the skin, there are bones, muscles, and fat, which all indicate how our face form looks and how well we will age. Our skin is firmly attached to the muscles and it will always follow their movement. For example, if our muscles start to sag, they’ll pull down our skin as well.
So let’s take a peek “behind the scenes” today, shall we? Understanding your face structure will give you a much better idea of why the proper skincare products and facials help you look younger and rejuvenated.
THE MUSCLES
We have more than 50 muscles on the face and neck that rarely get used. With age and over time, they get atrophied, lose their shape, and elongate. Every muscle that is not active is more affected by the gravitation process, which is responsible for the sagging of the tissue and skin. Muscle tension also effects the muscle tone. Strong emotions "expression lines" like laugh lines, the 'eleven lines' between the eyebrows, and crows feet from smiling are expressive mimics that wear out the muscle and cause wrinkles. Tension in your muscles can also make your face look puffy due to blocked lymph and weak blood circulation.
THE FAT PADS
Fat pads lay all over the face, between the muscles and your skin. With age these fat pads start to shrink and deflate in size and move down the face. The first signs of this tend to occur in the cheek (pictured below). This causes separation at the lid-cheek junction, which results in the appearance of a tear trough or under eye hollow and then accumulate and descend beneath the chin causing a 'double chin'.
THE BONES
Over the age of 40, the number of bone regenerating cells in the face starts decreasing. Gradually, the bone around our eyes widens, creating the appearance of eye hollows and flattened cheeks. Then, the bones of the central face and jaw start degrading and rotating back and downwards. Together, these changes result in a diminished bone scaffold on which our fat, muscles, and skin sit. When our bones start to lose density, our muscles and fat start to sag.
20-30 years – fat begins to disappear from under the eyes, dark shadows cause us to look older and tired.
30-40 years – fat pad's descent begins, lines and wrinkles appear.
40-50 years – cheeks begins to flatten, fat pad's descent becomes more obvious, lines deepen, facial fat atrophy becomes more evident. Eyes become sunken as a result of fat atrophy, jowls and double chin appears.
50-60 years – menopausal effects, fat hangs in saggy skin, lines and wrinkles substantially deepen, ‘turkey neck’ appears, excess fat appears under eyes.
So how can we slow down the aging process to age gracefully?
#1 SKIN HEALTH
You have to first start with protecting and preserving your skin from the sun and external elements as much as possible by taking care of your upper skin layers. You can do this by using protective measures and corrective techniques in skincare products, found in our Graceful Aging Skin Set.
#2 MUSCLE AND FAT PAD ACTIVATION
Activated muscles get more blood circulation, and the more lifted and toned they get, the more effectively they battle the gravitation process. When we train our facial muscles, they gain more volume, replacing the “lost” face fat, and making our face appear fuller. At our facial studio, we recommend our Firm and Toner Facelift Facial for clients 40 years and older. This advanced facial is like using 'dumbbells', but for the face. It exercises, tones, and stimulates the face muscles to lift and ascend back to its natural contours.
