Signs of facial aging
No matter how hard we try to fight it, the aging process cannot be avoided. As women enter their 30’s, physical changes to the face and skin begin to occur and become increasingly more obvious with each passing year. Due to changes in skin health, tone, color intensity, and texture applying makeup to the skin incorrectly can add years to the face and create an unhealthy appearance to the skin.
The signs of facial aging and the exact time that they will occur vary from one person to the next. Genetics, personal lifestyle choices such as smoking, UV exposure, chronic stress, sedentary lifestyle and neglect are all contributing factors to skin aging. In general, there are three typical stages of facial aging that one can expect to experience during the aging process.
Stage 1
The first visible signs of facial aging typically occur in the mid 30’s to early 40’s. Changes that can occur include:
- Fine lines or wrinkles at the sides of the eyes (a/k/a crow’s feet)
- Fine lines or wrinkles above the upper lip (a/k/a smoker’s lines or perioral lines)
- Loss of radiance to skin, dullness to color of skin
- Rough or uneven texture to the skin, enlarged pores
- Dark circles under the eyes
- Fading of hair and/or brow color
- Changes in lip size and shape, loss of smile-line depth
- Hollowing at temples and mid face
Stage 2
Stage 2 of the facial aging process present many of the same challenges as found in Stage 1 however, they become more pronounced in the early 50’s to mid 60’s. In this stage of facial aging one can expect to see:
- Wrinkles instead of fine lines
- Loss of elasticity above the eyes, creating hooded lids
- Loss of elasticity at jawline, sagging skin
- Hollowing at temples and mid face
- Double chin a/k/a turkey neck
- Prominent darks spots/hyperpigmentation
- Sallowness, a dull yellowish or gray cast is exhibited in overall skin tone
- Thinning of hair including brows and lashes
Stage 3
Stage 3 is the most advanced of the facial aging stages. As this stage of the aging process loss of elasticity and firmness create wrinkles that are visible when the face is at rest (no movement). This stage of aging is most often seen in individuals over the age of 65 however, lifestyle choices can cause this stage to become visible as early as the mid 50’s. The typical signs of facial aging in stage 3 of the aging process include all of the above in an advanced fashion plus:
- Advanced wrinkles that are visible without facial movement, in rest phase
- Hooded lids and visible fat pads under the eyes
- Sunken cheeks
- Sagging skin and jawline
- Dry rough texture
- General loss of color on the face
- Gray hair
One of the most prominent signs of youth is not only fullness of the face but also the smoothness of curvature and transition around the eye, temple and brow area. Multiple changes begin to occur at three primary areas of the face: the skin, soft tissues and bone. These changes to the face lead to visible signs of facial aging at every level of the aging process. Non-invasive cosmetic procedures are widely available to address and counteract many signs of aging however, it is crucial that treatment is sought from properly trained and experienced medical professionals. To learn more about treatment options look for a follow up to this article that will post here next week!
