What causes our face to age?
Youthful skin is soft, supple, smooth, well hydrated, and rich with cells that renew fairly rapidly.
Two primary and independent factors contribute to the way our face ages:26,50,53-55
- Intrinsic ageing
- Extrinsic ageing
So, what exactly is intrinsic ageing?
This is caused by the genes we inherit from our parents.
Intrinsic ageing is influenced by hormonal changes that occur with age, for example, those associated with menopause.26
This type of ageing affects all layers of our skin and contributes to the gradual thinning, dryness, and loss of elasticity of our skin during the ageing process.26,50,53-55
And extrinsic ageing?
Environmental factors such as sun exposure, air pollution, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, poor nutrition and lack of physical activity are all to blame!11,26,50,52,54
This type of ageing causes us to have brown spots, rough, wrinkled and uneven toned skin, as well as an early onset and progression of ageing.53-55
Another cause of facial ageing is linked to normal muscle movements that are repeated day after day and year after year, such as squinting, frowning, laughing, pursing our lips while smoking or drinking from a straw. The loss of facial fat, combined with gravity and repetitive muscle activity, can result in the appearance of lines and wrinkles.42,50,56
Furthermore, the loss of facial bone, muscle tone and thinning skin can give our face a loose, sagging appearance with a less defined contour. 50,57