DR. LEHOCKY SHARES SOME THOUGHTS ON AGING
…. and what you can do about it
“I feel young on the inside, but I don’t look young in the mirror.”
I hear this from patients all the time. Most of us think aging is just due to our skin getting loose and “sagging” but there is really much more going on. |
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A variety of factors contribute to aging such as sun exposure, smoking and our genetics. Studies on aging and Plastic Surgery continue to show there actually are changes in the fat and bone structure of our faces which also contribute to the signs of aging. These changes often begin when we are in our 30’s. If you examine the pictures below you will notice how there is a loss of fullness in the face especially around the eyes as we age. This loss of fat is as much a contribution to the look of aging as the loss of elasticity of the skin. If you look at the eye area of young women, the skin around the eyes is full and plump. As we age, the area around the eyes loses some of this fullness and the skin sags. Just removing the excess skin does not address the whole problem. This was the basic treatment by plastic surgeons in the past – to only remove excess skin. Removing skin does help remove wrinkles and I still remove skin but I also like to add back the volume to the face that is lost with the aging process. Adding small amounts of fat in the right places can give back what the aging process has removed. Facial filling can be added with fat transfer techniques or with dermal filler products. Fat grafting and fillers may not be treatments you are familiar with but I will explain them in more detail and how they can apply to your individual concerns. I encourage you to bring in pictures of yourself (preferably when not smiling) so we can see how your face has changed over time.
The 30’s
Aging does begin to show in our faces when we are in our 30’s. The good thing is these changes can be turned around with relatively minor procedures that involve short healing times. It is a good time to start the professional skin care products offered at Beautologie. They can help keep your skin smooth and remove the unwanted spots caused by the sun. Botox can prevent the fine lines from beginning, especially around the eyes. Small amounts of fat transfer or use of dermal fillers can subtly fill in the hollow areas around the eyes that may just be beginning to show. Laser treatments can help rejuvenate the skin, remove red and brown spots and even out skin tone.
The 40’s
It is interesting how wide a variability of aging exists among people in their 40’s. Some people hardly seem to age very much at all and others show quite of bit of change. The 40’s is the time when the previous years of sun exposure and bad habits like smoking start to really make a difference. We begin to lose more of the elasticity of our skin and the fat loss in the face continues. So the 40’s are when the skin might start to look “loose” in certain places like the neck or the upper eyelids. Professional skin care products, dermal fillers and non-surgical laser treatments all can make tremendous differences for those in their 40’s. It is also the time I start talking about surgical options. Many people can really see a benefit from having their eyelids freshened up with a blepharoplasty often combined with a browlift. Some individuals are ready for a facelift. I perform different types of facelift procedures and the ones I generally suggest for those in their 40’s are mini-facelifts. I sometimes combine a minifacelift with a midface lift which restores the cheek fullness. These are procedures that do excise some skin – because that is what is needed, but the total amount of surgery is less so healing time is less. Often, surgical procedures done when younger, like in the 40’s, can have long lasting changes because the skin still has good elastic properties. You would be surprised the changes that can be made with a hidden scar and a week of down time.
The 50’s on up
The 50’s and older are the ages traditionally thought of when people begin to seek out plastic surgery to help them look younger. You might feel as though you have a “tired look” or the neck skin begins to show definite loose folds. Again, many people think it is all due to loose skin but as I mentioned earlier, there are several factors involved. The collagen and elastic components of our skin certainly are not like they were when we were younger and this loss of elasticity does cause the wrinkles and folding of the skin. The bands in the neck are caused by a loss of adherence of a thin muscle that covers the neck and is magnified by a loss of the fat under the skin of the neck. The loss of fat that starts in our 30’s continues to progress and can lead to a hollow look around the eyes. Additionally, there are subtle changes to the underlying bone that can increase the hollow look. So as we age in the 50’s and beyond, our skin does “sag” from loss of elasticity but also our faces “deflate” which adds to the picture of aging. The skin has lost elasticity and so some of it must be removed to counteract the looseness. But to maintain a natural appearance, filling out the face, or “re-inflating” with fat transfer or maybe even a small cheek implant can make striking changes and minimize skin removal. I like to perform what is called a subperiosteal facelift because this type of facelift raises the cheek. When you look at other website pictures of facelifts, look at the cheek changes (if they even show a view where you can tell). Don’t just look at the neck changes. The neck changes are important to achieve, but is the filling out of the cheek that makes you look younger and makes removing less skin possible. Professional skin care products are still very helpful for those of age 50 and above.
“65 year old after facelift. Notice filling of the cheeks for a youthful look”
At all ages I individualize the plan for facial rejuvenation surgery. No two people are the same either in needs or goals. The ability to tailor the surgery to the individual maximizes the change while minimizing the necessary healing time.
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