Age undoubtedly affects every nook and cranny of our body. Along with the wisdom, experience and accomplishments that increase as we age, there are changes that occur in our outward appearance. Among these, changes in our faces are the first to take place.
First of all, an aged face is a beautiful face. Time passing over us leaves traces that are recorded in our bodies and this is perfectly natural. There are, however, changes that occur with age that we would like to slow down their development.
How the face ages
- In addition to the well-known and obvious changes that time brings to the surface of our skin, there are also structural rearrangements that occur behind the scenes. When we are young, fat on the face is distributed evenly. With age, this fat loses its volume, accumulates and shifts downwards, so features that were previously “round” can sink and skin that was smooth and tight can loosen and “break”. Meanwhile, other parts of the face are getting fatter, particularly the lower half of the face, especially around the chin and neck.
- And, of course, there are the wrinkles. Those seen on the forehead and between the eyebrows are called expression or movement lines and are the result of the facial muscles constantly pulling and eventually creasing the skin. Other folds may become deeper because of the way the fat is reduced and moves. Finer wrinkles are caused by sun damage, smoking and the natural degeneration of the elements of the skin that keep it thick and elastic.
What can I do about my ageing face?
Even if you have great genes and look much younger than you are, age-related changes in our facial appearance are inevitable. These changes reflect our joys and challenges in life. One approach is to simply celebrate our age and appearance for what it is.
However, not everyone is comfortable with this, and some may want to postpone their embrace. A facelift, which surgically removes excess tissue and lifts sagging skin on the lower face, is one way to try to stop the march of time. The facelifts have been improved, so the results tend to look more natural. But surgery is expensive and additional procedures may be needed to achieve the desired results.
There are many alternatives for slowing down facial aging. Here is just a sample of some of the things you can do to give your face a more youthful look:
- Sun protection
Protecting your face from the sun is the single best way to keep it youthful. Much of the damage comes from the UVA part of the light spectrum, so you need to wear sunscreen that protects against this and UVB light, which causes sunburn. Wearing a wide-brimmed hat is also a good idea.
- Creams and lotions
Moisturizers soothe dry skin and can temporarily make wrinkles less noticeable. Facial moisturisers contain water to make them less oily and many have substances – glycerin, for example – that can help bind water to the skin. Exfoliating creams can improve the appearance of older skin by ridding us of dead cells.
Finally, several anti-aging creams contain retinoids – compounds related to vitamin A – that appear to increase collagen production and reduce melatonin levels. There are many varieties of retinoids.
