Everybody recognizes the difference between the aging and youthful face – skin wrinkles, loose and excess skin, jowls and lower eyelid bags, however most of us don’t realize that many of these changes are intimately related to facial volume loss. Think of facial fat as hundreds of small balloons that slowly deflate as we age. When you let the air out of a balloon its elasticity will determine how much it will shrink and after a certain point the balloon will start to sag from its own weight. Wrinkling happens when the volume loss exceeds the elastic ability of the outer layer to shrink down to the smaller volume – much like what happens to a grape sitting out in the sun.

The same is true in our face – our skin and internal tissue elasticity will determine how much facial volume we can lose before things start to sag and wrinkle. Our tissue elasticity and volume loss is determined by our genetics, age, weight gain/loss and various environmental assaults. Plastic surgeons understand the artistic balance between tissue elasticity and volume needed for a natural and beautiful facial rejuvenation.

Facial rejuvenation starts with evaluation and treatment of the skin. These treatments can include botulin toxins, fillers, chemical peels, laser skin resurfacing, and, if necessary, excess skin removal. Facial volume restoration is critical to this process. Restoring volume usually creates a more natural appearance requiring less aggressive eyelid, eyebrow, facelift, and laser surgery.