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4 Layers of the Face – and How Ageing Affects Them
The effects of facial ageing are felt at multiple levels and are influenced by both your environment and your genetics. Whilst we can all recognise how the effects of ageing change our face outwardly, how much do you know about the underlying factors that combine to cause these changes? In this blog we’ll be taking…
The effects of facial ageing are felt at multiple levels and are influenced by both your environment and your genetics. Whilst we can all recognise how the effects of ageing change our face outwardly, how much do you know about the underlying factors that combine to cause these changes? In this blog we’ll be taking…
The effects of facial ageing are felt at multiple levels and are influenced by both your environment and your genetics. Whilst we can all recognise how the effects of ageing change our face outwardly, how much do you know about the underlying factors that combine to cause these changes? In this blog we’ll be taking you through the 4 main layers of our face in a step-by-step guide to facial ageing.
Layer 1: Bone
Bone is the base for all other structures of the face, therefore changes to the bone causes knock on effects in all 3 other layers of facial tissue and therefore can greatly contribute to the aged appearance of our facial features. As we get older, the bones of our face lose more and more of their density, meaning that they start to recess and consequently effect the other, overlying layers of our face. This loss of bone means less support for the tissue sitting on top of them and this can lead to the sagging, droopy and concave appearance of the older face. And, the older we get, the more this loss of bone comes into play. This is one of the main causes of nasolabial folds, and jowls around the lower face, jaw and neck, which can be treated at our Harley Street and Mayfair clinics with a combination of botulinum toxin and dermal fillers carefully placed around these areas. (Read more about that here).
Layer 2: Muscles
Most of the facial muscles, in comparison to other muscles of the body, maintain their size as we age. While this is good in meaning we can continue to show our emotions through facial expression, it is also the major factor behind the formation of small lines and wrinkles such as crow’s feet, forehead and frown lines. Botulinum toxin (A.K.A anti-wrinkle injections) can be injected by our highly experienced Doctors Sanjay Trikha and Zoya Diwan, into specific muscles of the face to block their movement and therefore reduce the appearance of these wrinkles in the skin, providing an instantly rejuvenated look.
In the neck, vertical lines can form due to the continued activity of the platysma muscle, known as platysmal banding. As with wrinkles and lines observed in the face, this banding can be treated with botulinum toxin injections and combined with dermal filler and injectable skincare options to return the youthful look of the neck area. (Read more about these treatments here).
Layer 3: Fat
The fat in the face is organised into facial ‘fat pads’ that help shape the characteristics of the youthful face, adding volume in specific areas to provide much of the plump, healthy look we associate with younger faces. Progressive ageing causes many changes to the distribution and size of the facial fat pads and changes in other layers of the face can cause large shifts in this layer. Fat pads in the around the eyes and mouth, and in the temples, forehead, and cheeks lose some of their volume while others in the upper mid face and around the nasolabial folds tend to increase or remain the same size. These changes are one of the greatest contributors to the aged characteristics of the older face. When combined with the consequent revelation of underlying bony contours, this helps form the deeper nasolabial folds, give the sunken appearance of the eyes and cheeks, and leads to reduced volume in the lips, to name a few. The big fix that we can perform in clinic at Trikwan Aesthetics, is the use of dermal fillers to rebalance the facial contours, replacing volume where it has been lost to return the plumper, youthful but always natural-looking appearance of your face. (Read more about that “>here).
Layer 4: Skin
The skin is where the effects of ageing are most prominently seen. The older our skin gets the more collagen is lost from the middle layer of the skin, the dermis, and this leads to the loss of volume and ‘plumpness’ we see in the aging face, as the skin becomes thinner. On top of this we also lose a lot of elasticity and moisture, which can contribute to the appearance of fine lines, dryness and a duller overall skin tone. Of course, alongside these effects we also have the aging of the other 3 layers perceived at the surface of our face, meaning that the combined loss of volume from the fat, skin and bone becomes much more apparent here, and our underlying bone structure becomes more prominent. The good news is that, at Trikwan, not only are we able to address the changes beneath the surface through botulinum toxin and dermal fillers, we are also able to treat the effects of aging at the very surface, by combined these treatments with medical grade skincare and specially-designed hyaluronic acid fillers that target both volume replenishment and regeneration of skin quality. Hydro and Hydromax, Ellanse®, Profhilo and our range of Obagi Skincare options can all be combined in a bespoke package with our range of dermal filler and anti-wrinkle injection treatments to help restore the youthful brightness, moisture and volume that the aging process has stolen from your face. At the heart of all Trikwan’s ‘anti-aging tweakments’ is our desire to provide you with a natural-looking result that replenishes, rather than overly enhances, your natural features, allowing you to regain your youthful confidence without fear of appearing ‘fake’ or ‘overdone’. (Read more about these treatments here).
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What our patients really think...
The most professional, down to earth, friendly aestheticians I could of wished for. I was pretty hesitant to get anything done to my face as I didn’t want the typical over done ‘instagram’ look.
I wasn’t pressured into doing anything outright and was told about all the possible options I could take and the differences between them and what would suit me. I have had two sessions and over that time, I am beyond pleased with the the results! Dr Zoya has masterfully kept my face the same but just enhanced and corrected things certain in places.
Would definitely recommend if you want a realistic, subtle, natural yet major improvement to any problem areas.
Visited Trikwan today in London from NYC and it was such a pleasure. Tammy the office manager was so super helpful and nice, she made the whole booking process very easy and was happy to answer any/ all questions. Both Drs were amazing, friendly and professional. They really took the time to work with me and discuss all my needs and wants. I highly recommend this establishment and will be going back! A+