We all age...it is inevitable. This is because ageing is, in part, due to genetic factors which we have little control over. It is, however, also influenced by external factors which we can change.

 

Ageing is visibly apparent due to the facial and skin changes which occur:

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SKIN CHANGES: 

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• Collagen depletes (a protein providing structural support within the dermis - the second layer of the skin).  Therefore the skin has less structural support, hence it wrinkles more easily.

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• There is also less Elastin, the protein which makes skin mobile and stretchy, so skin loses its ‘bounce’.

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• Lesions can appear on or close to the skin surface, which tend to be caused by sun damage over time, or damage from pollutants, chemicals etc.

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• Overall, the skin becomes thinner, so more prone to trauma, also pigmentation and capillaries can be seen through it more easily.

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FACIAL CHANGES:

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• Usually, bone, fat and muscles create a scaffold effect for skin to sit on. With time, all these three tissues regress and become smaller - so there is loss of volume beneath the skin’s surface.

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• This is particularly obvious on the face, which can appear hollow, especially around the eyes, the cheeks and the temples. Not only can the face appear hollow, but because the skin sits on this scaffold, which is regressing, the skin has less support and appears more wrinkled; think of a shriveling balloon - there is the same amount of balloon (skin) but as the air reduces (imagine shrinking fat, muscle and bones) the balloon becomes more wrinkled in its appearance.