Fat loss near the skin’s surface could be the reason why your face is sagging

No matter the creams you use or foods you eat, sagging skin still comes as an unwanted part and parcel of ageing. We all believe that sagging happens when facial soft tissues yield to the effects of gravity over time. But what if we tell you that there is another theory? That perhaps the real culprit behind facial ageing is the loss of fat—both near the surface of the skin and in deeper areas.

In a new study featured in the February issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), Aaron Morgan, MD, of the Medical College of Wisconsin and his colleagues studied 19 patients who underwent computed tomography (CT) scans of the head on two occasions at least a decade apart.

Although the patients weren’t undergoing facelift surgery or any other cosmetic procedure—the scans proved useful for measuring changes in fat deposits in the mid-face (the area between the eyes and mouth) over time. The patients averaged about 46 years at the time of their initial scan and 57 years at follow-up.

Here’s how fat loss from the face and sagging are connected

While the findings varied among patients, the results showed a “definite and measurable loss of mid-face fat volume.” The total volume of facial fat decreased from about 46.50 cc (cubic centimetres) at the initial scan to 40.8 cc at the follow-up scan: a reduction of about 12.2%.

However, the amount of reduction wasn’t the same at all levels. Fat volume in the superficial compartment, just under the skin, decreased by an average of 11.3%. That compared to an average 18.4% reduction in the deep facial fat compartment.

The findings provide direct evidence to support the ‘volume loss’ theory of facial ageing—and may help in understanding some of the specific issues that lead patients to seek facial rejuvenation. “In particular, we think that deep facial fat loss removes support from the overlying fat,” Dr Morgan explains.

“That causes deepening of the nasolabial fold, which runs from the nose to the mouth. Meanwhile, fat loss closer to the surface makes the cheeks appear deflated,” he added.

Variations in fat volume loss can also explain ageing-related hollowing around the eyes and heaviness of the jowls. “The upper face has less fat, to begin with, so fat loss is more apparent,” said Dr Morgan.

“In contrast, the cheek or buccal area has relatively little fat loss, so that area appears fuller as changes occur in other areas of the mid-face,” he concluded.