Reversing the Clock: Top Strategies for Restoring Facial Volume
The aging process brings a grab-bag of unpleasant realities. Not least among these is the inevitable fact that as we age, our faces — cheeks, jowls, lips, even foreheads — grow thinner and more tired-looking.
The root cause of this is the loss of collagen and elastin, the subsurface materials that lend structure and definition to our skin. The clearest path to facial rejuvenation, then, is stimulating collagen production (and elastin too).
How to Fight Facial Volume Loss: Top Treatments
There are several proven, clinical solutions for facial volume restoration. Most are nonsurgical and temporary.
Plastic surgery is an option for longer-lasting results. There are several techniques that fall into the “surgical” bucket. They’re generally riskier and more expensive than nonsurgical alternatives, but if you’re seeking dramatic and durable results, they’re the better way to go.
With that out of the way, here are the top five treatments to restore volume in the face.
Dermal Filler Injections
When we talk about dermal fillers, we’re often talking about one specific type: hyaluronic acid filler, or HA.
HA filler is the most popular and affordable type of dermal filler. Broadly speaking, it’s great at obscuring fine lines and wrinkles while adding volume to relatively small areas of the face. Depending on the formulation, dosing, targeted area, and issue being treated, its effects can last anywhere from six to 18 months.
Like the other facial volume treatments described here, HA filler should always be administered by a licensed provider who has completed an accredited training course.
Biostimulator Injections
“Biostimulator” can describe several different cosmetic products, but here we’re talking about filler-type biostimulators like poly-L-lactic acid (brand name: Sculptra®).
These types of biostimulators are effective in treating serious facial lines, such as nasolabial folds, as well as noticeably sagging skin. They’re often used elsewhere on the body, including the buttocks. Because they stimulate collagen and elastin production, their effects last longer than HA fillers.
RF Skin Tightening
This is a noninvasive procedure that uses targeted radio waves to stimulate collagen production and tighten loose, sagging skin. The effects tend not to be as dramatic as biostimulator injections, but the noninvasive nature makes it a good option for patients who want to avoid surgery or needles.
Microneedling
This increasingly popular treatment also qualifies as noninvasive — the needles are so tiny as to be barely perceptible. Often, microneedling is combined with a PRP facial that utilizes a platelet-rich bioproduct to stimulate the body’s natural healing response and stimulate durable volumization.
Fat Grafting
This surgical treatment transfers a fat pad from elsewhere on the body (sometimes facial fat, but often buttock or abdominal fat) to low-volume areas of the face. While it’s not as invasive as abdominal surgery, the recovery time is significantly longer than any of the other procedures on this list. And because fat grafting must be performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon in a hospital or private surgical facility, it’s more expensive as well.
