Let’s talk about Structure and Foundation

Similar to the Foundation in our homes, The Skull and Facial Bones are the Architectural  Foundation of our Faces. The Bone is the base structure of which all other tissue fall upon. There are multiple layers of the face, with the bone being the foundation and the skin being the “roof”.  Between the base and the surface lies the deep fat pads, muscle, fascia, arteries, veins, nerves, superficial fat pads, and the layers of the skin. Tethering the skin to the bone and creating compartments within the face are the Ligaments. The ligaments keep the tissues in its respective space.  

But let’s take a closer look at the aging bone, and how losing bone creates a shift of tissues and the appearance of an aging face.

Our Bones have a system of cells responsible for growing and unfortunately breaking down Bone. Osteoblast cells are responsible for promoting bone growth, while Osteoclasts are responsible for breaking down bone, reducing, shrinking bone size.  As we age, we experience an imbalance between the blasts and the clasts.  There becomes an increasing number of clasts and they happen to stick around much longer. Hormones and regulatory influences will enhance the imbalance of the growth and reduction cycle. We are losing more bone than we are growing. Ahhh the lifecycle of the cell…and as you guessed it, the breakdown is far more prominent in women, specifically post menopausal women.

Receding Bone causes the tissues lying on top to descend downward. Aka, Sagging.

Depressed yet? Nah, it will happen to all of us and at different rates. So just because Sally age 56 has sagging jowls and prominent Nasolabial Folds doesn’t mean Kathy age 67 will.

Not to worry though, for those NOT looking for a FaceLift, we have injectable products such as Botox/Jeuveau, Dermal Filler and SCULPTRA  that can help fine tune the appearance of sagging and thinning skin, wrinkles, facial hallows and depressions. Just understand its an investment into yourself, your commitment to slow the aging process and doing so gracefully, it takes time, multiple visits, and a skilled provider.

The More You Know, Suz