Loss of facial volume

Throughout a person’s life, his facial features, shape and contour are not static. A small child grows, his face gradually matures, aging processes begin in adults, the structure of the skin and muscles changes, their elasticity decreases, body weight increases or decreases. A lot of factors are reflected in a person’s face: his health, lifestyle, alcohol and drug use, smoking.

One of the most common changes in this part of the body is the loss of volume. At the same time, the surrounding people note that the face seemed to have become haggard, became less rounded, its contour changed. The appearance of a person as a result, of course, also changes somewhat.

What is volume loss in the face

With a loss of volume in the face of a person, there is a state of intense decrease in tissue turgor in this area, as well as in the neck area. In fact, the face seems to “deflate” and dry out, its volume disappears, soft noticeable cheeks disappear and become sunken, flabby, depressions (recessions) form, the skin almost sticks to the protruding parts of the facial bones of the skull. With a strong loss of volume, outwardly, a person’s face begins to resemble a skull covered with skin. Under the eyes, pronounced pits appear in the shape of the eye sockets. Also, there is a drying of the skin, atrophy of subcutaneous fat and muscles of the face.

Such a condition is not always associated with the aging process, although it is very noticeable in aging and elderly people. The loss of volume of this part of the body can also be observed in children, in which case they look unnatural, painful, emaciated.

In a person with the described symptom, not only the volume of the face changes, but also its shape, it becomes somewhat flatter. Skin elasticity disappears, skin turgor is lost. If an oval face was previously present, due to the degradation of subcutaneous fat, it acquires a square shape.

It should be noted that a thin face may be a feature of the anatomical structure of a person. In this case, for him it is the norm. Concern should be caused by the situation when the loss of volume occurred in an apparently healthy child or adult, or if the condition of an aging person came on abruptly and rapidly, if the face turned from normal to haggard in less than a month.

Why there is a loss of facial volume, what are its signs

Doctors and scientists, considering the condition of a haggard face, distinguish the following causes of the onset of a symptom:

• normal and natural aging process, loss of skin and muscle elasticity;
• dehydration of the body;
• drastic weight loss;
• some diseases of the endocrine system of the body.

Also, a person can become thinner due to excessive physical exertion and malnutrition, with chronic pancreatitis, intestinal lymphomas, bile duct obstruction, Crohn’s disease, diabetes mellitus, leukemia, depression, tuberculosis, heart failure, cirrhosis of the liver, and other diseases and conditions that provoke severe unhealthy weight loss.

The main signs of a haggard face:

• the acquisition of a grayish, faded, unhealthy shade by the skin;
• wrinkling and dryness of the skin of the face and neck;
• hollow cheeks, muscle atrophy, especially noticeable during facial movements;
• change in the shape of the face;
• loss of skin elasticity, change in its texture.

The processes of old age, reflected in the appearance of a person

Features of the course of aging processes in the body, to some extent, are determined by heredity, as well as the way of life of a person, whether he goes in for sports, what foods he eats, whether he has chronic or acute diseases.

Internal factors of aging are combined with the influence of the environment, the harmful effects of the sun, polluted air and water. With age, some processes slow down in people, a decrease in the production of certain substances, which causes aging.

The decrease in the volume of the face during aging is primarily associated with thinning of the skin, a decrease in the number of its cells. The loss of volume, along with wrinkles and the loss of luster and density, gives the visual effect of an aging face. Loss of volume often changes the structure and shape of the head as a whole – the point is sagging skin, loss of clarity of contours and features. Structural changes in the skin occur with each new year of human life.

How to define aging and haggard face? There is such a thing as the “triangle of beauty”. The triangle demonstrates how a decrease in volume leads to a change in appearance, when a person with age has a sad, tense or unfriendly face that has nothing to do with the emotions experienced.

In a young man, the volumes on the front of the head are distributed relatively evenly, due to which a youthful, attractive appearance is noted. Young people boast high cheekbones, full cheeks, smooth skin, and a well-defined jaw line. These factors together form the structure, image and shape of the front part, wider at the top, tapering towards the bottom.

Signs of loss of facial volume that occur with age lead to the fact that the triangle visually turns over, as the jaw line becomes more blurred, flabby, the skin may sag in places, the cheeks somewhat sag, wrinkles appear on the forehead, and the corners of the mouth tend downward. The appearance of a person is getting older. The wider part of the triangle moves down to the line of the lower jaw.

The loss of facial volume during the aging process is due to the fact that the processes of production of substances designed to make it more elastic gradually slow down or stop in the skin, that is, substances that, as it were, fill it from the inside, giving it a smoother and toned appearance. At the same time, the skin gradually sags, and the face acquires a characteristic aging appearance. This occurs in the epidermal layer of the skin, where the amount and rate of production of hyaluronic acid and lipids decreases. The normal amount of these substances makes the skin supple and toned, while their lack is the main reason for the “weak” condition of the skin, its age-related roughness and dryness.

In the deeper layers of the skin, there is an annual loss of collagen and elastin fibers that make up the inner “frame” of the skin, responsible for its elasticity and strength. When the number of cells that give the skin volume and fullness from the inside decreases, the deep layers of the skin begin to thicken, which causes retracted cheeks and a sagging, sunken surface of the skin.

The age-related slowdown in blood circulation also plays a role in this process, due to which the entry of nutrients into the skin cells also slows down.

Dehydration as the cause of a haggard face

The state of dehydration occurs due to a significant loss of water and salts, a violation of the water and electrolyte balance. Water is an integral part of every cell in the body, and is also one of the main constituents of blood and cerebrospinal fluid. A decrease in its normal amount leads to thickening of the blood, the transfer of the remaining water from the cells into the intercellular space, and disruption of cellular functioning.

Why does dehydration happen? One of the reasons is prolonged exposure to the sun on hot days, and the subsequent overheating. In children and adults, dehydration occurs against the background of infectious diseases. diseasesaccompanied by vomiting, diarrhea, fever, increased sweating. Children react to dehydration much more strongly, as they have a more intense metabolism. If the body is not able to cope with dehydration, complications develop in it.

The symptoms of dehydration are very typical – a person begins to be thirsty, he has dry mouth, a decrease in the volume of urine, which becomes sharp and dark in color. Weakness and increased fatigue are a direct consequence of a violation of the water and electrolyte balance. In severe cases, the patient complains of blurred vision, dizziness, confusion.

Those around him notice the appearance of dark circles under his eyes, and due to a decrease in the elasticity of the skin, his cheeks become sunken. A haggard face is a typical sign of dangerous and rapid dehydration.

The condition is especially noticeable in the appearance of children. For them, severe dehydration can cause death.

Side effects of weight loss: loss of facial volume

As it turns out, simply getting rid of excess weight is only the first step towards beauty and attractiveness. When the scale arrow finally stopped at the desired figure, and the waist and hips became slender, the thinner will have to face another problem – a haggard face.

In addition to the loss of facial volume, hollow cheeks, after losing weight, dark circles under the eyes, pronounced facial wrinkles, and a faded complexion appear in the mirror. This situation is especially familiar to people who have lost weight sharply and intensively, as well as to those who have lost a large amount of excess weight, for example, from 120 to 70 kilograms.

Strict, inadequate diets, and especially starvation, have a very negative effect on the body, including the effects on the face. This is due to the fact that with an unbalanced diet, the body does not receive the right amount of nutrients, carbohydrates, fats, proteins necessary to build adipose tissue. It is on the face under the skin that fat reserves differ in friability, therefore, they are primarily destroyed. There are frequent cases when, during a diet, the total weight and volume did not decrease, and the face already began to look emaciated, and seemed to have aged dramatically. In a person after intensive weight loss, wrinkles on the face become especially visible, the skin loses its tone and sags.

Already after 30 years, people are advised to be careful about fluctuations in weight, to strive for its stabilization within the normal range.

It should be noted that the loss of facial volume accompanies any cases of a noticeable decrease in body weight, not only with targeted weight loss, but also if a person loses weight due to illness, with oncological diseases, depression, in women, changes are noticeable after childbirth.some after breastfeeding. Sometimes, even those around you notice that a person began to look haggard and sickly.

What to do in this case? How to restore a healthy appearance? For children and young people if the cause of weight loss eliminated successful treatment or correction, restoration of facial volume is a matter of several months. The older a person becomes, the more difficult it is for him to return to his previous state, however, in any case, the skin will gradually be updated, and over time it will tighten. This is also true for those who were on a diet for weight loss, of course, if the diet did not cause pathologies or diseases.

The change in facial volumes in people suffering from drug addiction is very noticeable. After amphetamine, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and some other drugs, a person eventually becomes like a living skeleton, he has a general poisoning of the body and a violation of absolutely all processes in all organs, cells, tissues. Drug addicts usually lose weight dramatically, as the body throws all the forces and resources into the fight against incoming poisons. In addition to losing weight, drug addicts lose their teeth, ulcers appear on their faces, and wrinkles become very noticeable. At 25, the patient may look like a 50-year-old.

Why does the face lose volume in diseases of the endocrine system

Hypopituitarism develops in humans when the pituitary gland completely or partially stops producing hormones and participates in the hormonal regulation of the body’s vital functions. The disease can occur if a person develops a brain tumor, there are vascular disorders, hemorrhages, if a person is infected with tuberculosis, syphilis, and also due to meningitis, encephalitis and skull injuries.

If the pituitary gland does not produce enough hormones, the patient develops a secondary hormonal deficiency of the remaining glands, and all hormonally dependent processes, including sexual function, are inhibited. Therefore, one of the first active manifestations of the disease is a decrease in sexual function and libido, impotence in men, menstrual irregularities in women. For such patients characterized by loss of hair from the pubis and under the arms, as well as a pale, haggard appearance, unhealthy skin color. Due to the low temperature and lack of interest in life, a person may lose his appetite, and the skin, especially on the face, may become thinner and flabby.

Thyrotoxicosis is a disease associated with disruption of the thyroid gland, if it begins to produce hormones too actively. In addition, the cause of the pathology can be long-term treatment of hypothyroidism (hormone deficiency) with hormone-containing preparations, as a result of which its increased accumulation is noted in the body.

Thyrotoxicosis is always accompanied by numerous changes in the psyche, behavior and appearance of a person, including causing a very sharp loss of appetite and weight. Rapid weight loss is reflected on the face, and the person looks sick, emaciated, bruises and pits under the eyes are sharply outlined, cheeks strongly droop and cheekbones protrude.

The fight against loss of facial volume: is it possible to stop the process

Depending on the cause that provoked the loss of facial volume and a haggard appearance, as well as the age of the person, the problem can be completely or partially eliminated.

If the face is haggard after an illness, including as a result drug addiction and alcoholism, in young people, treatment will be aimed specifically at eliminating the disease itself. When a person recovers, over time, his face will return to normal by itself. The same goes for losing weight. It is not always possible to completely restore the appearance, but the haggard appearance should disappear.

To speed up this process, you should follow a few rules.

First of all, we are talking about nutrition. Proteins and amino acids are the building blocks for maintaining skin elasticity, so a sufficient amount of them should be present in the diet. Be sure to eat meat, eggs, cottage cheese, nuts, fish, as they use contributes to the normalization of the skin condition, making it more toned and smooth. In addition, you need to pay attention to foods high in vitamin C (blackcurrant, sweet pepper, parsley, citrus fruits) – this vitamin is an activator of the production of collagen fibers in the skin.

Not only for women, but also for men, it is important to use face creams and gels that contain vitamins A, E, K, C, coenzyme Q10 – these substances help restore the skin structure.

An important factor in the normalization of the appearance of the face is the exclusion of stress, neurosis, as well as adherence to the regime of sleep and rest, walks in the fresh air. You need to sleep at least 7 hours a day.

The elasticity of the skin is very dependent on the content of collagen in it. Scientists have found a link between a sudden change in temperature and increased production of a substance. Therefore, dermatologists and cosmetologists recommend arranging a contrast face wash with alternating warm and cold water. At first, the temperature difference should not be very sharp, it must be increased as you get used to it.

To restore the lost volumes of the face, the attending physician may recommend massage and special exercises for the face – they can be done in a beauty salon or at home.

And most importantly – the presence of a sufficient amount of moisture in the skin cells. Dry skin ages faster, wrinkles are more visible on it, flabbiness and hollowness are noticeable. To prevent dehydration of the skin, you need to drink 1,5-2 liters of liquid daily, as well as properly care for your face, make sure that care products do not dry it out.

Of course, such measures can partially restore the lost healthy appearance and stop the aging process. However, in cases where the return of the usual appearance in a natural way is impossible, for example, after a person has lost more than 50% of his original body weight, you can resort to the help of a plastic surgeon or cosmetologist. Today, the beauty industry offers various ways to return a beautiful oval and clear contours to the face – these are modeling masks, peeling, hyaluronic acid injections, facelift with mesothreads, the introduction of fillers, lipolifting.

For example, if the volume was lost slightly, and skin defects are of a minor nature, chemical peeling or microdermabrasion can somewhat improve the condition of the skin, restore the old facial features, reduce wrinkles, and make the skin smoother.

Hyaluronic acid injections are considered an effective non-surgical way to combat the loss of facial volume. A special filler with acid fills sunken cheeks and wrinkles, and the skin is smoothed from the inside, acquires elasticity, freshness, normal color. This procedure gives the result for a period of about a year, and then it must be repeated.

A thread facelift involves the introduction of the thinnest self-absorbable mesothreads into the skin, which inside create a temporary frame of the face oval. In just one procedure, you can achieve clearer contours, the appearance of pronounced cheeks. Anesthesia is usually not used. The procedure does not require any incisions in the skin. The effect of mesothreads lasts about 3 years – during this time, the material of the threads gradually dissolves.

The introduction of fillers under the skin makes it possible to eliminate depressions, wrinkles and irregularities on the skin, as well as to make sunken cheeks more plump. Its cosmetic effect is usually the most noticeable, but requires correction every one to two years.

Lipolifting is a plastic surgery to fill sunken, flabby places with fat taken from the body of the operated person. Stem cells present in adipose tissue contribute to the return of healthy color, normal texture, and elasticity to the skin. Own fat does not dissolve and does not disintegrate, so the result of the operation remains noticeable for many years.

The loss of facial volume is always due to some internal causes – weight loss, disease, aging. It can be natural, which occurs as a manifestation of normal skin aging, or painful, abnormal, for example, when taking drugs, with various diseases. And if it is impossible to prevent old age, then you can successfully deal with other factors and restore your former appearance.