FACIAL AESTHETICS

Aesthetics are important to almost everyone. We express ourselves by how we look, as well as our body language and our facial features. People are particularly sensitive to how their faces look, and understandably so. As we age, we lose collagen and therefore structure in our skin, as well as in our underlying tissues. This creates a collapsed appearance that indicates aging. While to some degree, this is unavoidable, there are many things we can do to limit this effect. For example: reduce stress, stay hydrated, use appropriate lotions, eat a clean diet, avoid exposure to toxins and heavy metals, avoid excess alcohol and drug use, and use red light and laser therapies. 

An often undiagnosed and heavily treated area of facial aesthetics are the lines and/or extra tissue created from deficient jaw development. If the jaws are too small, the covering soft tissue collapses in, creating an aged appearance. This is commonly seen in the nasolabial folds - the lines between the nose and the mouth. This is also seen as a double chin (called submental fullness) where there is adequate soft tissue but not enough bone structure to support it, so it bunches up. Similarly, if the upper jaw is too small, it doesn’t provide adequate support for the tissue under the eyes, which allows for venous pooling creating dark circles under the eyes. While dark circles under the eyes may be treated temporarily with injections, it does not solve the underlying problem of a deficient upper jaw. Dark circles under the eyes can also be caused by or exacerbated by inflammation, such as from lack of sleep, an inflammatory diet, illness, or excessive drugs or alcohol.