What Are the Elements of Healthy, Youthful Skin?
Many people facing lines, folds, and other related signs of aging choose Juvederm® at New Jersey’s South Jersey Skin Care & Laser Center to restore a more youthful look to their face. Most patients are happy simply to have their wrinkles smoothed out or lips plumped up, but some wonder: Why did this change happen in the first place?
While Juvederm® and other dermal fillers and injectables are ideal for addressing the formation of wrinkles, it can be helpful to know what’s causing those wrinkles to appear where there was once nothing but smooth, clear skin. Understanding your skin and how it changes over time can help you to care for it so it stays younger-looking longer. It can also help shape your decisions as you determine which treatments may best help you achieve your cosmetic goals.
Of course, you are not expected to figure out your treatment plan alone. A dermatologist or related medical professional can guide you on your journey of revitalization, including using a face lifting roller to increase natural skin production, steering you toward the best options for your facial shape, skin tone, degree of laxity, desired results, and more.
That said, here are some facts about the elements of a healthy, youthful-looking face.
Fat
Yes, this is something most people try to keep to a minimum, but it is actually an important facial feature. Subcutaneous fat keeps the lines and angles of the face from looking overly harsh and angular. Younger people tend to have rounder faces, so people associate smooth contours with a youthful appearance. Fat can diminish and shift downward as time goes by, leading to more prominent cheekbones and the development of hollow areas, creating a gaunt look.
Collagen
As a structure-providing protein, nothing beats collagen for versatility and prevalence in the body. These molecules make up a quarter or more of all protein in the human body, accounting for the vital flexibility mixed with strength in our tendons and ligaments. It is found in the eyes, blood, muscles, and teeth. The skin is where its unique properties are most readily visible, mainly when it is absent. Collagen loss is a primary factor in the formation of wrinkles, creases, and lines.
Hyaluronic Acid
Like collagen, this molecule is found throughout the body—typically where lubrication or moisture are important for the proper functioning of various parts. A sugar, hyaluronic acid binds to water, ultimately carrying thousands and thousands of times its own weight in water molecules. In the skin, hyaluronic acid finds its home in the framework built by collagen. Also like collagen, hyaluronic acid is most often noticed when its levels start to drop. A lack of the sugar (and the water it holds) causes the skin to dry out. Dry skin is wrinkled skin.
Elastin
Working hand in hand with collagen and hyaluronic acid to keep skin supple, elastin has a job closely related to its name. Another protein, this molecule is responsible for giving the skin its ability to stretch out of shape, and then “bounce back” to its original look. Every time a muscle pulls some skin into a fold when an expression is made, elastin allows that skin to go back to being smooth. Not surprisingly, less elastin means skin has less of an ability to return to its starting position.
All of these molecules are made naturally in the body, and collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid in particular are replenished as necessary. Ultraviolet radiation breaks key molecules down, however, as does the regular passage of time. Sometime in a person’s 20s, their ability to replace these vital molecules begins to decline. This leads to a gradual reduction in their presence in the skin, which is why wrinkles begin to form.
Juvederm® and related fillers are designed to fill the role collagen and hyaluronic acid play in the skin, and many are thought to stimulate production of collagen and other components. Contact New Jersey’s South Jersey Skin Care & Laser Center to find out more. Visit sjskincare.com or call (856) 810-9888.