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It's just the way the tissues of your face fold. Anything you try to do will look weird, because you'll be fighting the basic underlying anatomy of your facial muscles.
So if you want the "Mommy made the braids too tight" or "I washed my face with poison ivy extract" look, go right ahead.
Try losing weight. The less fat on your face, the less there is to droop.
It's just the opposite. Skin sags more after losing weight, because it stretched from gaining weight. Skin doesn't shrink so much, once you're an adult. Once it's stretched out, it stays stretched out. Without so much fat underneath to fill it out, it sags. (That's why people who have had that weight loss surgery try to get excess skin removed, and formerly preggers women try to get tummy tucks sometimes.)
But I'm normal weight, to begin with. I'd have to starve myself to weigh much less; it's not worth it. My chubby cheeks run in the family and aren't related to being overfat. I'd have them, no matter what I weighed. (Think Goldie Hawn, Olivia Newton John, Paul McCartney, Angela Lansbury, and others, none of whom were overfat. Just chubby cheeks.)
It's just the opposite. Skin sags more after losing weight, because it stretched from gaining weight. Skin doesn't shrink so much, once you're an adult. Once it's stretched out, it stays stretched out. Without so much fat underneath to fill it out, it sags. (That's why people who have had that weight loss surgery try to get excess skin removed, and formerly preggers women try to get tummy tucks sometimes.)
But I'm normal weight, to begin with. I'd have to starve myself to weigh much less; it's not worth it. My chubby cheeks run in the family and aren't related to being overfat. I'd have them, no matter what I weighed. (Think Goldie Hawn, Olivia Newton John, Paul McCartney, Angela Lansbury, and others, none of whom were overfat. Just chubby cheeks.)
When I went to a dermatologist for IPL treatments for my rosacea, there were ads for fillers for those folds.
But not at my regular dermatologist. He only did medical things, not cosmetic things.
My suggestion is you ask your primary care doctor who they recommend and check them out. Not all derms do injectables and you want to be in good hands.
And I get it. IPL was strictly cosmetic, but the difference it made for me was amazing. And frankly, one of the differences wasn’t. My cheeks felt like they were on fire constantly. After the redness went away, so did that feeling.
And I’ve been able to keep the rosacea under control for some time. Years.
Had that done last year, OP. My best advice is to first do your homework on the quality of the fillers as well as the cost, which can get a little steep but is still MUCH cheaper than a face lift. I had 2 syringes (1 in each side) of the folds then split a syringe at the corners of my mouth and a half syringe each at the cheekbones to add "lift". I would do it all again in a heartbeat and hoping to have it redone this Fall. I won't have to have half as much done though this time, just a bit at the cheekbones.
Juvederm is the best but Restylane is also excellent and slightly less expensive, which is what I opted for. Over a year later I still look better although I've noticed in the last month a slight sag around the lip corners. I feel 100% better about my appearance after doing it. You will have some puffiness the first 2 days then everything settles nicely. Even puffy I thought I looked better!
Imo, part of aging gracefully is maintaining your self esteem too. If it will help you feel more confident in your own skin again, go for it.
Last edited by Miso Blu; 08-26-2019 at 02:37 PM..
Reason: length
Had that done last year, OP. My best advice is to first do your homework on the quality of the fillers as well as the cost, which can get a little steep but is still MUCH cheaper than a face lift. I had 2 syringes (1 in each side) of the folds then split a syringe at the corners of my mouth and a half syringe each at the cheekbones to add "lift". I would do it all again in a heartbeat and hoping to have it redone this Fall. I won't have to have half as much done though this time, just a bit at the cheekbones.
Juvederm is the best but Restylane is also excellent and slightly less expensive, which is what I opted for. Over a year later I still look better although I've noticed in the last month a slight sag around the lip corners. I feel 100% better about my appearance after doing it. You will have some puffiness the first 2 days then everything settles nicely. Even puffy I thought I looked better!
Imo, part of aging gracefully is maintaining your self esteem too. If it will help you feel more confident in your own skin again, go for it.
Thank you! That was very helpful. Yes, you get it. I'm not trying to look 30 years younger (although there's nothing wrong if people want to do that).
I'll do my research on these injection substances. It's hard to get a handle on costs, because it's very different from region to region, and I suppose dr to dr.
Your description of your results is what I was hoping to get, if that would be possible for me.
Part of what is disturbing, besides the hound dog cheeks, is that the tiny folds @ corners of my mouth turn my corners down a bit and make me look unhappy, when I'm not. I can't count the times people have asked me "What's wrong?" because I wasn't smiling.
Your post gives me some encouragement. Thanks so much.
One thing I've read about fillers (and I am not 100% sure it's true) is that they eventually stretch out the skin (because older skin does not bounce back once the fillers wear off) and cause more sagging, so you'll need more and more filler to make a positive difference. Thus leading to the infamous pillow-face look. Again, not sure if it's true for everyone, it may just apply to a minority.
Two years ago I had some fillers before starting a new job. I don't remember what they were (it might have been juvederm, could have been restylane) but it only lasted about 6 months. It was $3000. I loved the look, but I can't afford $6000 a year.
I found this out quite by accident, while researching why so many complain that they have no family doctors and doctors have a 50-patient cap, yet the medical cosmetic clinics are mushrooming all over the city.
One of the procedures done at these medical cosmetic clinics which may be what you are looking for, is Smoothlase. It is a facial rejuvenation procedure that utilizes the Fotona LightWalker® ATS system. The treatment comes in a set of 3, 5 or 10 sessions, and can cost up to 3, 5 or 10k depending on the client's package. These doctors would be making only $30 per consult if they remain on the healthcare system. No injections.
Try losing weight. The less fat on your face, the less there is to droop.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GiGi603
That would actually make it worse. When one is older the skin does not "go back, tighten back up". I lost 80 pounds eight years ago (54 years old). The excess skin, without the fat, drooped quickly. Not that I have any regrets with the weight loss--but it was depressing aging quickly on my face.
Exactly...the old saying was to lose 10 pounds for your body to look better but keep the 10 pounds to help your face - that applies when you're middle-aged or older.
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Solly says — Be nice!
