Expert Spotlight
Dr Joseph Ajaka
Cosmetic Surgeon
Ageing Concerns
Facial ageing is inevitable. It is almost as certain as death and taxes. Today, non-surgical options are paving the way to smooth out lines and restore volume to the face, reducing the appearance of ageing and helping to rectify the damage that we may have caused over time.
15 is the golden number, where our face starts to moves away from picture-perfect skin. We start noticing more oil production, dehydrated skin, pore size increases and skin repair slows down.
In our mid 20s we already start to lose skin volume (proteins and elastin fibres) at a rate of 1% every year. Fine lines start to appear as well as light blemishes and sun spots. Skin texture can also be affected, particularly if acne is a problem.
As more skin volume breaks down in our 30s, more noticeable fine lines start to appear. The delicate skin under the eyes becomes thinner and looks puffier. The first signs of broken veins also start to show. It’s around now you can start to expect a drier complexion and as cell turnover is reduced, a rougher texture to the skin.
In our 40s we start to lose the “triangle of youth”. In our youth, the widest part of the face is our cheekbones, which extend down to the tip of our chin. These three points form an inverted triangle and is recognised as being attractive and providing definition. In our 40s, we start to notice the jawline widening as the face sags, while the cheeks start deflating and narrowing due to a loss of skin volume. This triangle of youth starts becoming the dreaded “pyramid of age”. Deeper lines around the mouth and eyes and furrows in the forehead are also seen.
In our 50s onwards, lines and wrinkles start turning into deep folds. Elasticity and plumpness become a thing of the past. Sagginess and droopiness become more apparent as the “pyramid of age” is really kicking in. Hyper-pigmentation is also a very common problem as skin tone becomes more uneven.
It is important to remember that sun exposure has a huge impact on the ageing process. UVA rays penetrate deep into your skin and damage the all important building blocks of skin volume, which results in wrinkles. Once these are damaged, the skin cannot rebuild itself. Nearly as detrimental as sun damage is smoking which accelerates the ageing process by also breaking down skin volume at a much faster rate than it would otherwise. A 2007 study found that smoking is associated with increased wrinkles and skin damage on many parts of the body and not just limited to the face. Inner arms, neck and décolletage are likely to show wrinkles and sagging also.
My top advice; prevention is better than cure.
