During the aging process, it’s inevitable that your appearance will change, and when it does, it can damage your self-esteem and reduce your confidence. Our faces change in ways we weren’t really even expecting sometimes. We prepare ourselves for wrinkles and sagging skin, but not necessarily for the structural changes that can happen over the years. If you’re noticing an overall shift of your features, call RefineU MedSpa in Oklahoma City, OK and ask how a Y Lift could change your life.
How Our Faces Change
There are several ways our faces change as we get older. We can see some changes, like wrinkles, as they happen and even track their progression. Some changes come on so gradually we might even notice them until we start to feel like we just look older and tired. Here are some ways our faces change as we age:
- Lines and wrinkles
- Sagging skin
- Areas of lost volume
- Shifting proportions
- Lower face heaviness
What Causes Each Change?
There are commonalities involved in all these changes, but the details are different. The underlying root cause of each change is a decline in the production of the protein collagen.
Lines and Wrinkles
This is one of the first signs of aging we see, and they’re a result of our supply of collagen declining. Collagen is the most prominent protein in the human body and can be considered the building block of our skin. It’s fibrous and creates fibroblasts that form a scaffold in the middle layer of our skin. That layer stays very thick, smooth, and strong because collagen is packed so tightly together.
This layer forms the ideal platform for our outer layer of skin to lie smoothly on top of. About the time we turn 20, we lose production of collagen at a rate of 1% per year. The middle layer of our skin gets sparse areas where it weakens, and the top layer of our skin falls to fill those weaknesses. That’s why wrinkles form most where we make repeated movements like smiling, frowning, and squinting.
Sagging Skin
We have three layers of skin that adhere firmly to each other. The outer layer (or epidermis), middle layer (or dermis) and the deepest layer (or hypodermis) are all held together with collagen and another protein called elastin. Elastin is responsible for the flexibility of all our organs, including our skin. When we’re young, elastin helps our skin form tightly to our underlying tissue and bone structure. Because elastin and collagen work closely together, when collagen production declines, so does the production of elastin.
Over time, elastin isn’t prevalent enough to allow our skin to bounce back after each movement, so our skin not only falls into crevices causing wrinkles but it begins to sag at various places on our face. Gravity becomes too much of a pull, and we’ll see skin sag on places like the neck, jowls, chest, and eyebrows.
Areas of Lost Volume
The deepest layer of our skin is made up of a layer of fat, soft tissue, and fat pads. These are the things that keep our face soft and proportionate. When we’re young, soft tissue and the layer of fat are held in place by strong layers of collagen and flexible elastin. As we age, we don’t have as many of those proteins keeping everything healthy and in place, so the fat in those areas can shift.
When this happens, it can leave us with hollow areas of lost volume like at the temporal, cheek, and cheekbone areas. Over time, this can leave our faces looking gaunt and even bony. The same is true of the backs of our hands.
Shifting Proportions
One thing most people aren’t even aware of is that proportions slip as we get older. If you’ve always enjoyed high cheekbones and softly rounded apples of your cheeks, you will notice a shift in those features. Your cheeks will lose some of their roundness, and the high cheekbone feature will appear to flatten out.
The same happens if you had beautifully arched eyebrows when you were young. Over time, that strong feature will sag and lose its prominence. Another thing that happens as we get older is the deterioration and shrinking of our facial bone structure. The frame of our face gets weaker and smaller at the same time our proportions are shifting, adding to the changing shape of our faces.
Lower Face Heaviness
The fat pads under our cheeks and cheekbones don’t just disappear, though they do get thinner. They actually slip and wind up near the bottom part of your face. This is why jawlines can look bulky and people develop the dreaded jowls and chin wrinkles. Jawlines and profiles become undefined, and all the bone structure we used to love admiring about ourselves becomes thrown out of proportion or completely hidden from view.
Solutions
Luckily, there are plenty of solutions available to tackle one or many of these signs of aging. We offer an entire menu of treatments to address any concerns you have. If you’re noticing multiple areas of concern, specifically involving the “Y” of your face, you may be the perfect candidate for the Y Lift.
What Is a Y Lift?
The Y Lift is a facial contouring treatment that is minimally invasive and requires no downtime. When you look at a youthful face, you may notice it takes on a Y shape. Starting at the cheekbones that are high and wide, it then tapers into a defined jawline and narrow chin that extends downward onto a smooth and taut neck. The purpose of the lift is to restore this shape.
There are no incisions made and no anesthesia used, so this is akin to what people dub the “lunchtime facelift”. The purpose is to restore structural volume, meaning it’s done to create and restore shape, balance, and volume. The places where you struggle with sunken features and wrinkled skin are the focus of this treatment. Those areas are where we put back lost volume so you can enjoy a youthful fullness and vitality.
What Does a Y Lift Entail?
We use dermal fillers to help our clients restore the youthful contours of their faces they desperately miss.
What Are Dermal Fillers?
Dermal fillers are a family of injectables used to add volume to areas where it’s been lost. For instance, fillers are used to fill in many moderate to deep wrinkles and folds. The ones we use are made of synthetic hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is a natural sugar our bodies produce to keep our skin hydrated and our joints and connective tissues lubricated. In fillers, the hyaluronic acid is suspended in a smooth, pliable gel so when it’s injected it will look, feel, and behave naturally.
When Fillers are used typically, they’re injected just below the surface, so only small amounts can be used at a time or the client will look overfilled and puffy. Fillers can last between 6-12 months when injected this way. In this way, fillers can be used on:
- Nasolabial folds
- Marionette lines
- Lost volume in temples and mid-face region
- Crow’s feet
- Lip enhancement
How Fillers Are Used for a Y Lift
What makes the way we use fillers in this lift different is how we place the injections. We go much deeper than traditional filler injections, bypassing soft tissue and placing it below the layer of fat and muscle. We’re able to impact the face in a very natural way. We use a blunt cannula to place a significant amount of the filler underneath all the soft tissue. Because it’s so far under the surface of the skin, the larger amount makes the face look naturally contoured and youthful.
The deeper placement of the filler gives a lifting effect, something traditional placement of dermal fillers can’t do. Because the filler is under the muscle, the soft tissue actually lifts, making the entire effect look and feel natural. The filler is adding volume to the foundation of the skin.
The “Y” Shape
We focus on the area where the Y should be. We’ll add the necessary volume to the upper cheekbone area and apples of the cheeks so they regain their definition. The added volume to the apples of the cheeks fills in the area under the eyes, too, so you don’t have deep tear troughs. Where there may have been hollows near the temple area will be full and filled in as part of the arms of the “Y”.
For those who have lost volume in their chin, we use filler to add symmetry and balance back to the bottom half of the face. If a client is getting pre-jowls, we can fill those in so the chin is smooth and youthful-looking. By adding volume to the cheek and chin area, the jawline becomes naturally stronger looking and less saggy. Every step of the process turns back the years a bit further.
What to Expect
We will do a thorough consultation where we’ll talk through all of your concerns and discuss reasonable expectations. We’ll then examine the structure of your face and soft tissue to determine if this would be the right fit. If we’re all in agreement, we’ll give you just a few instructions. There is a low likelihood of bruising, so just stopping any blood-thinning over-the-counter medications or supplements will further reduce the probability.
Your Appointment
There’s no anesthesia to worry about and no knives or incisions, so you can drive yourself and wear your best clothing. When you arrive, we’ll make sure your face is clean, and we’ll apply a numbing cream to ensure you’re comfortable during treatment. Once your face is numb, we’ll make a series of injections under the soft tissue of your face to achieve the results we’ll have spoken about. Once we’re done, you can go back to your normal work and social routine. We’ll ask you to avoid strenuous exercise for a few days.
Results
You’ll love your results! All the results are immediate because the filler lifts the soft tissue. You will walk out of our office having turned the clock back many years. Many people go right back to the office looking like a million bucks. Though results vary, clients can expect results to last between one and three years. We’ll recommend the right touch-up appointment routine so you see consistent results.
Call to Turn Back the Years
If you’re ready to have a youthful shape and contours restored to your face, you don’t have to put off these results any longer. Call RefineU MedSpa in Oklahoma City, OK to schedule your consultation. We know when you look and feel your best, your self-confidence skyrockets. We’re committed to helping all our clients meet all their aesthetic needs.
