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It’s no secret that as we get older, our faces change. It’s a slow process that you don’t notice day to day, but when you look at pictures of yourself from five or even ten years ago, the difference can be striking. Yes, laugh lines appear and your skin may show signs of fun in the sun, but there are deeper changes happening beneath the surface as well.
For most women, the biggest change that occurs with aging is the loss of volume in the face. If you’ve always had a round “baby face,” this volume loss may actually be welcome. Some women enjoy the way their face looks in their 30s and 40s, but for many others, these changes can make them look tired or older than they really are. So what exactly happens to the shape of our face as we age?
When we are young, our faces are full of volume. The classic youthful face has a heart-shaped or inverted pyramid appearance: full and broad at the top around the forehead, temples, and eyes, and gradually tapering toward the mouth and chin. The transitions between facial areas—from the forehead to the eyes, from the lower eyelids to the cheeks, and from the cheeks to the mouth—are smooth, soft, and well connected.
As we grow older, loss of bone and fat combined with decreased skin elasticity causes this heart shape to flip upside down. The temples begin to hollow, and the eyelids can look thinner and heavier. Jowls may develop, and deeper lines form around the mouth. The once-smooth transitions between different areas of the face become disconnected, taking on a sharper, more angular appearance. The upper face looks more tapered, while the lower face appears fuller—a complete 180-degree transformation.
Fortunately, there are effective ways to restore a more youthful shape to the face. By combining Botox with dermal fillers such as Restylane, Restylane Lyft, and Juvederm, it’s possible to bring back fullness, softness, and smoother facial transitions. Botox doesn’t just reduce wrinkles—it can actually help reshape the face. By relaxing certain muscles, others are allowed to work more effectively, creating a subtle lifting effect. Dermal fillers then add volume and contour exactly where it’s needed.
Take a look at the patient below. She had an extremely deep glabella line, which for most people appears as the pair of vertical lines commonly called “the 11s.” In her case, we first used Botox to relax the muscles that were pulling on the skin and causing the line to form. To soften the area even further, Restylane was used to fill the crease. The result is a smoother, softer, and more youthful appearance overall.
