Volume loss is another fact of life when it comes to aging. Skin loses collagen, elastin and fat (in the wrong places. Funny how fat seems perfectly happy where we don’t want it to be!) leading to loss of volume. Physicians and researchers sometimes refer to this phenomenon as the “Pyramid of Age.” When we’re young, we have an inverted pyramid with the “base” as our high, lifted cheekbones going down to a youthful chin. As we age, the pyramid flips around with the “base” now being the jowls area. The cheek volume disappears and the skin then sags downward. What can we do to combat this?
AT HOME TREATMENTS
As for at-home treatments, unfortunately all that can really be done is to improve the specific wrinkles or lines with products. Bringing moisture into the skin will help make skin look somewhat firmer and plumper, but there is not any effective product for a true lift. “Facelift in a jar”-type claims are largely unfounded and rarely prove to cause real improvement.
IN OFFICE TREATMENTS
In office, the go-to treatment for volume loss is Juvéderm Voluma. Juvéderm Voluma is a hyaluronic acid filler that is injected deep into the cheekbone area. As hyaluronic acid draws in moisture, it causes the cheek area to become fuller and plumper, thereby lifting the rest of the face upwards. Long-lasting, the effects of Voluma are still notable even 2 years after treatment. To find out more about Voluma: http://www.juvederm.com/home/volumahome
A new treatment that targets the “double chin” area can also help improve the look of volume loss. As mentioned above, the fat starts hanging around under the chin instead of higher in the face where we’d like it to be. A new treatment, Kybella, is a deoxycholic acid injection that targets and destroys the fat cells in the submental area. While this will not help with cheek volume, it may improve the overall look of the “pyramid” by making the face look less bottom-heavy.
