THE AGING ADULT FACE

Studies show that when you meet someone you notice their face first.  As you evaluate their aesthetic appeal, you are drawn to the appearance of their mouth (smile) and eyes, followed by the nose.  The quality of their skin is observed but not in the top three.  But let’s focus on the face and skin for the moment.

 As an individual matures the face ages. This is not an overnight phenomenon but as a rule is gradual occurring over a period of years. This aging is actually a function of several physiologic changes that occur with time. The collagen in the face becomes less elastic and allows the soft tissue features of the face to sag inferiorly.

In addition facial fat is generally lost with age making the facial soft tissues thinner.  As the facial bones change in shape and the skin becomes thinner, the facial bones appear more prominent. The wrinkles on your face are caused by repeated movement of the muscles of your face.  These repeated movements eventually leave a wrinkle in your skin. The aging process allows for everyone to have some wrinkling.  Botox can weaken the muscle pull and consequently the wrinkles lessen and can even disappear. Prevention is the best medicine. 

The main causes of facial aging are UV –sunlight, smoking, weight loss, and illness.  Use sun block! Repeat, use sun block!   Stop smoking. Maintain a healthy weight and diet.Since we know that a person’s smile is tops in facial esthetics please contact us with any questions you may have regarding how we can help make a more beautiful you.

Dr. Carl Steinberg
http://www.dentistryinphiladelphia.com/
215-735-8844