Little by little facial muscles begin to lose their vitality. This loss of vitality produces noticeable sagging over time as the muscles elongate; this action drags the skin downward making one look tired, out of shape and old. One might see down turned mouth corners, a flabby neck or a lined forehead develop practically overnight. Aging in the face can alter our lives as we lose confidence in our appearance.

One option to turn back the clock is plastic surgery; it has certainly become mainstream and affordable but surgery has inherent risks such as anesthesia complications, loss of sensation, risk of infection and less than stellar results sometimes occur. Taking unnecessary financial risks and risking one’s health to attain youthfulness is a very steep investment that one should carefully consider.

Another aspect of having a surgical face procedure is that muscles continue to atrophy, pulling the skin downward. Unfortunately, surgery does not stave off the aging process; procedures just mask the symptoms and the muscles continue to weaken due to inactivity. Surgical face lifts may be repeated and little “nips and tucks” performed periodically to “freshen” the lift; again, more risk for the patient.

Injections of “filler materials” have become so popular, one shouldn’t be surprised to find them popping up in every airport kiosk. Botox® and Restylane® and Collagen are the “darlings” of the many available injections but they, too, only mask aging in the face. The results from these injections are temporary and must be repeated several times per year to counteract further muscle elongation.