Many men and women notice the changes that occur with aging, and wonder “What is happening to cause this, and what can I do about it?” Lines form around the mouth, lips begin to thin and skin begins to sag. Over the last few years our understanding of facial aging and has changed from being primarily a ‘skin’ issue to a ‘volume’ issue.
Two processes are contributing to facial aging – localized depletion of collagen and loss of facial fat.
As we age the rate at which our bodies produce collagen decreases at a rate of 1-2% per year. Collagen provides the structural support to the skin and other structures. As the amount of collagen decreases the skin begins to stretch and sag. Women produce less collagen than men, therefore the effects on women are more noticeable.
Additionally the amount of fat in our faces decreases and recedes. Most of the time we’re thrilled to lose fat, but in this case, fat is necessary to provide a youthful appearance. This ‘deflation’ of the face combined with loss skin tightness, results in the changes we see reflected as facial aging.
How to we correct this?
Since the primary focus of facial rejuvenation has shifted to volume restoration, we typically start first with volume replacement using fillers such as Juvederm, Voluma, Restylane and Radiesse. The gold standard for volume replacement is fat transfer.
Fat transfer involves harvesting fat from one area, processing the fat and reinjecting into the face and lips. Fat transfer has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity over the last few years. The process has become more refined and easier to perform. Fat transfer is considered a semi-permanent procedure and the effects should last for years. However, fat transfer is a more invasive procedure than fillers and does require a few days recovery for most patients.
What about the excess skin?
Treated early, volume restoration can help lift and restore the face to a more youthful state and can compensate for some degree of skin laxity. If the amount of laxity is significant, patients may choose a variety of procedures, mini-facelifts, facelifts, necklifts, eyelid lifts, browlifts, etc all off which function in different ways to lift and re-support the aging face. Many patients who undergo these procedures also benefit from volume restoration using fat transfer at the same time.
Here at Elysian Plastic Surgery, Dr. Dellinger has almost 20 years experience in performing facial rejuvenation procedures, both invasive and non-invasive allowing us to offer the complete solution for your facial aesthetic needs. Conveniently located in Northwest Austin, we serve the greater Austin area including Round Rock, Georgetown and Killeen.
Call us today at (512) 229-1978 for a complementary consultation and learn how we can help you turn back the years!
