Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, a journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, has the results of an interesting study regarding facial bone structure and how it changes as we get older. Read on if you’re a fan of rejuvenating treatments like Botox!
The signs of aging as they appear on the skin are all very well known to most of us. We associate lines, wrinkles, creases and saggy skin to age, but the study published in the journal also suggests that the bone structure of our face can also change as we age, contributing to an overall older appearance. The most notable area of change was the eye sockets, becoming longer and wider with age.
While changing our bone structure is almost impossible to do with current non-surgical methods of cosmetic medicine, results of the study are important because they can help us pinpoint the areas on the face that have changed with age, and that make us look older. Understanding how changing bone structure can affect our appearance and how we look in our latter years can help cosmetic medical professionals tremendously, allowing them to adjust techniques and methods accordingly. Even though injectable fillers only target flaws of the skin, it may be able to help add volume in the skin and hide the appearance of aging bone structure as well.
The study was conducted by the University of Rochester Medical Center and included 120 participants of three age groups: 20 – 40 years old, 41 – 64 and 65+. Researchers studied the upper part of the face (around the eyes), midface and lower face (jaw area). The bone structure of women was found to occur earlier than in men.