At Costhetics, we have a love-hate relationship with fat. While we could happily do without the fat that stubbornly attaches itself to our midsections, hips, thighs, and bottoms, we’re eager to hang on to the fat in our faces. Changes in facial fat and volume occur gradually over a lifetime. The hollow, sunken-in features that volume loss produces can make us look old before our time.

3 Ways to Slow Down Facial Volume Loss

Fat loss occurs on both a superficial level of the skin and at a deeper level, too. You can’t stop fat from migrating entirely, but you can put the brakes on this ageing process with a few simple lifestyle alterations, or the help of a skilled aesthetic professional.

Here are three reasons your face may be losing volume and what you can do about it.

1. Yo-Yo Dieting, Extreme Exercise & Facial Volume Loss – One of the biggest problems with weight loss efforts is that they can’t be targeted. So if you yo-yo diet or workout like a maniac in order to slim down your middle or bottom, you will end up reducing the amount of fat on your face as well.

Exercise buffs who constantly burn off a high number of calories may feel healthy, but they often look older than they are. That’s because losing and gaining weight over and over again puts strain on the ligaments that support the tissues in the face. Like an over-worked rubber band, they eventually lose elasticity, which, in turn, affects facial fullness.

Diet and exercise in moderation will keep your face looking its best.

2. SPF & Facial Volume Loss – The UV rays of the sun which cause skin cancer do not directly contribute to fat loss. However, the sun does speed up the breakdown of collagen and elastin in the skin. When that breakdown occurs, the overall condition of the skin is affected and the loss of fat can be accentuated. Don’t forget your sunscreen, even on cloudy days. 

3. Oestrogen & Facial Volume Loss – The female hormone oestrogen is responsible, in part, for changes in the amount and quality of fat. As women approach menopause and hormone levels begin to dip, fat starts to thin out and facial volume is lost.

Talk to your doctor about oestrogen levels, and ask whether hormone therapy may be right for you. 

4. A Thin Frame & Facial Volume Loss – Many people say “You can’t be too rich or too thin.” In fact, however, you can be too thin. For people with little facial fat to begin with, volume loss due to the ageing process presents an even thornier problem. Over time, as the limited amounts of fat begin to diminish, a thin person can begin to look extremely haggard.

Consider cosmetic enhancement treatments such as dermal fillers to add volume.

5. Bone Loss & Facial Volume Loss – As we move into our senior years, we lose bone mass throughout the body, including in our faces. The loss of bone and the atrophy of ageing muscles alters the underlying structure of the face. The result can be a collapsed look in the cheekbones and mid-face. 

A surgical facelift with accompanying procedures can help everyone look their best for years to come.