The facial ageing process - how does it happen and how to slow it down?

Probably all of us - regardless of gender - would like to enjoy beautiful, firm and healthy skin for as long as possible. Unfortunately, time and facial ageing cannot be stopped. But it can be slowed down! See how the face ages and how to effectively maintain a youthful appearance. I invite you to read on!

How does the face age?

Often, ageing is equated with the appearance of wrinkles on the face, but it is not the wrinkles that determine whether a face is perceived as young or not. It is the oval of the face that shows how old it is! As the years go by, changes take place in the structure of the bones, muscles and fat tissue, so that the proportions of the face change. This change is known as the inverted triangle principle - at a young age, the base of the triangle is at the top, and as we age, it inverts. The first signs of ageing will be noticed on the skin - it loses firmness, becomes flabby, and is covered with wrinkles and discolouration. Over time, the underlying fat pads located in different parts of the face begin to move downwards or become degraded (e.g. on the temples, giving the effect of sunken temples). It is the changes and migration within the fat pads that have a major impact on the shape of the facial oval. On top of all this, there are also changes within the skeleton. The skeletal structures become shallower and lowered, which is also reflected in the shape of the face. Weakened facial muscles will cause the cheeks to droop, wrinkles to appear and the shape of the face to change. Last but not least, the jaw moves forward with age, and the ears and nose grow throughout life....

Facial ageing process - why does the face age faster than the rest of the body?

The facial muscles are attached quite differently to the tissues than in other parts of the body. Here, they are attached either with two ends directly to the skin, or with one end to the skin and the other to other muscles, or to each other in general. This arrangement means that it is not the skeleton - as with the rest of the body - that is the scaffolding for the muscles, but the skin! As a result, the skin, which ages and loses its firmness with age, is additionally loaded with muscle mass, so that it is further stretched. The muscles also lose their firmness, strength and mass, and they also pull the skin down under the influence of gravity. In addition, by being directly attached to the skin, muscles affect the appearance of the skin. Some muscles become permanently contracted with age (e.g. the frontal or eye-circle muscles) and this phenomenon is the cause of such wrinkles as lion's wrinkle or crow's feet.

When does the face start to age? Zoom in on your skin

Wrinkles, furrows, discolouration or visible capillaries are the first signs of ageing. The face starts to age because physiological functions such as the decrease in the number of fibroblasts, keratinocytes and melanocytes, as well as the number of collagen and elastin fibres decrease. Although the changes that occur cause the skin to lose elasticity and very often there is a widening of blood vessels, they are not the only indicator of age. Very often, it is not the wrinkles themselves, but the state of the muscles and the shape of the face that give away our age.

Facial ageing varies - everyone ages differently

Some people age faster, others slower - the ageing process is largely determined by genetics and external factors such as sun exposure, lifestyle and diet. The way the face will age also depends on the shape of the face. People with oval and triangular faces will notice faster progressive changes; owners of puffy faces will always look younger than friends with a different face shape. Of all the face shapes, it is the square that will remain unchanged the longest.

How to turn back time?

When it comes to combating the signs of ageing, the most important thing is... time! The key is to act as soon as you notice the first signs of ageing on your face - most likely fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes. To stop their development, it is important to provide the skin with adequate hydration, collagen and elastin. How to do this? It is worth applying cosmetics containing EGF, a naturally occurring substance in the skin that communicates to fibroblasts to produce collagen. In addition, this ingredient will not allow the skin to forget to produce collagen and elastin, which naturally slows down with age.

Facial gymnastics - exercises for the oval face and beyond

A good way to rejuvenate naturally is by exercising the facial muscles - just as body gymnastics helps to maintain a slim figure, facial gymnastics helps to maintain a youthful appearance for longer. Training this part of the muscles can be called a lift without the use of a scalpel - the skin becomes better supplied with blood, making it firmer and tighter. For those interested, here are some basic facial muscle exercises:

1 Start by warming up your face with your fingertips - you can massage, apply light pressure and stroke.
2. Relax the forehead and eye area - bring your fingers to the inner sides of the eyebrows, then drag your fingers along. Stop at the very end and apply pressure to the area.
3. puff out your cheeks vigorously - take air into your mouth, tighten your muscles and let it out after 20 seconds. This exercise will help you prevent naso-cheek folds.
4 Arrange your lips as you would for a kiss, but do not make a tight „pout” - hold this lip position for 10-15 seconds and repeat. This exercise strengthens the circular muscle and gives the impression of fuller lips.
5. stick out your tongue trying to touch the tip of it to your nose - do this very slowly and feel the skin on your chin and neck tighten. Facial exercises like this will help you avoid a double chin.

Natural rejuvenation - facial yoga

I have written about facial yoga more than once and will return to this topic many more times. You will find a lot of details, for example, in the post about this how to start face yoga. It's a facial exercise that requires no sacrifice. All you need to do is find a few to several minutes a day. If you don't know how to get started, try a few of the exercises outlined above and I'll tell you the rest in a workshop or facial yoga consultation. After your first few workouts, you will not only see a difference in the appearance of your face, but you will also feel better.

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Author of the entry: Marfa Kusinska-Bielecka - certified teacher of facial yoga by the method of Face Yoga, author of the book "beauty yoga", yogi, Ayurvedic consultant III degree, biologist, fashion designer.
I teach women to stay young and feel good for a long time.