Knowledge of the ageing processes in the face is mandatory for every aesthetic practitioner. There are three primary types of ageing that can be distinguished: intrinsic(e.g hormones), mimetic (e.g muscle ageing), and extrinsic (e.g photoageing). Photoageing and other external factors lead to skin thinning, fine lines, melasma, and telangiectasias.1,2 Decline in synthesis of collagen (primarily type III, but also type I), elastin, and other extracellular proteins of the dermis results in its flaccidity. Bony resorption and loss of volume in the facial fat pads are a widely known phenomena. Laxity and ptosis, characteristic of ageing, are also a consequence of muscle thinning and contraction, as well as flaccidity of the facial ligaments. These ligaments and septa separate the individual compartments of the face. When they lose their stiffness, drooping of the tissue becomes visible.3-6
Aesthetics is a branch of medicine that is devoted to preventing changes that result from the passage of time, and to restore what has been lost. Bearing in mind the mechanics of facial ageing, the…
