Sagging of the skin of the face is one of the most noticeable signs of aging. Different factors can cause the skin to sag, including aging, sun damage, smoking, and stress.
In the past, sagging of the face is addressed through surgical lifts, but this method often results in an unnatural, tight-looking appearance. Fortunately, non-surgical skin treatments are now available to help you reverse aging and achieve a natural, contoured, healthy-looking glow.
Many different factors contribute to the sagging of the skin, especially on the face. The primary causes of skin sagging include natural changes due to aging and lifestyle consequences.
Aging is the number 1 cause of skin sagging. Cellular changes due to senescence can occur during your early 20s but these won’t be visible until your later years. The structural changes on the muscles, fat, bone, and layers of the skin can cause noticeable sagging of your face.
Aging causes the levels of collagen and elastin to decline. Collagen and elastin are the two most important proteins that keep the skin supple, firm, and smooth. With age, the production of new collagen and elastin starts to slow down. The existing collagen and elastin accumulate damage and become weak. These changes all result to visibly sagging skin.
Volume loss is another major component of skin aging. Muscles and subcutaneous fats in the face lose volume as we age, hence there is less support for the skin of the face. The fat deposits also start to shift into new pockets, such as those under the chin, the neckline, and around the jaw. This explains why sagging skin is typically found in these target areas.
Aging also causes the structure of the facial bones to deteriorate, which further contributes to the decreased structural support for the facial muscles, fats, and overlying skin.
Lifestyle factors may also accelerate skin aging, resulting in visible fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging of the skin.
UVA and UVB radiation from the sun can cause considerable damage to your skin cells, resulting in early cell death and impaired cell repair processes. Prolonged sun exposure also causes damage to the collagen and elastin reserves in the skin.
The nicotine and other chemicals in cigarettes induce the production of free radicals, which cause cellular damage, impair collagen and elastin production, and weaken tissue repair processes.
Having a stressful lifestyle increases the levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which further accelerates the decline of collagen and elastin.
Alcoholic beverages dehydrate your skin by flushing water out of your system. Dehydration makes your skin more vulnerable to structural damage, wrinkling, and sagging.
Regular exercise increases heart rate and breathing, which improves the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to the skin. Hence, having a sedentary lifestyle can actually impair cell repair and regeneration as oxygen and nutrients are not distributed efficiently.
A diet high in sugar and fats and lacking in proteins and minerals can worsen existing skin issues such as sun damage, injury, acne, and dehydration.
Several non-surgical skin treatments can help correct sagging of the skin and give you a healthy, young-looking appearance.
Ultraformer III High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) is a modern non-invasive face lifting technique that effectively reverses sagging skin. This treatment uses ultrasound energy to reach the deep layers of the skin and stimulate collagen production. Ultraformer III is a highly specialized HIFU device that induces skin remodeling. The result is a natural face lift, tightened skin, contoured face, and a healthy, young-looking glow.
Profhilo® is a revolutionary bio-remodeling injectable that contains pure hyaluronic acid. The Profhilo® treatment reduces sagging skin by activating cell regeneration processes to replace the stem cells that are lost with skin aging. Profhilo® also boosts skin hydration and induces the production of collagen and elastin to improve skin structure.
BTX treatment is minimally invasive procedure that involves injecting botulinum toxin, a potent neurotoxin that effectively reduces fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin. BTX relaxes the muscles used for frowning and smiling, thereby relaxing the skin covering these muscles and ultimately reducing wrinkles. BTX can be used to address frown lines, crow’s feet, forehead wrinkles, bunny lines, and wrinkled chin.
Fillers are gel-like injectables that contain high amounts of hyaluronic acid. Fillers reduce sagging skin by restoring facial volume, particularly in target areas such as the temples and cheeks. Fillers can be used with BTX to target laugh lines, reduce forehead wrinkles, and define the jawline for a V-shaped, young-looking face.