A young face is a full face

A young face is a full face. No underlying bone structure is visible beneath the soft, fleshy areas. Hence, the expression, "the fullness of youth."

An aging face is one that is losing its volume. It becomes drawn. The progressive diminution of fat and muscle allows the bones to become visible. The skin has not completely lost its elasticity, although the loss of fat makes it sag as if there were too much skin for the face.

For many years, doctors thought that the loss of skin elasticity was the major cause of aging, and they proposed face lifts for their patients. Today, treatments have considerably advanced. Doctors prefer to restore lost facial volumes rather than systematically pulling and tightening the skin.

The best method for analyzing aging is to compare the same face at different ages

The big difference between the face at 20 and the face at 75 is the amount of fat that gradually disappears over time. This is why restoring facial volumes is the technique that ensures the most natural results.

On the upper part of the face, the areas most susceptible to the diminution of fat are:

• the cheeks
• the eye socket
• the temple and the tail of the eyebrow

Dr. Hayot's technique

The products

Depending on the diagnosis, we use:

A completely absorbable filler, hyaluronic acid.

Advances in this product now allow it to last for often more than a year. There are three different types of hyaluronic acid, each suited to a different diameter of needle. The objective is to deliver the gel through the smallest needle possible in order to diminish risks of hemotoma and discomfort while at the same time controlling the speed and amount of the injection.

Another long-lasting product is fat grafted from the patient's own body. This procedure is called lipostructure.

At what age?

The earlier the patient begins restoring facial volumes—usually in the 30s—the more the modifications are effected little by little without drawing attention to themselves. There is no spectacular transformation from one day to the next, but rather subtle touch-ups that maintain the "youth" in the face. Some faces, however, may require earlier intervention, due to premature wrinkles or other conditions.

Restoration of facial volumes is becoming more and more popular. It is, in fact, now viewed as a kind of aesthetic hygiene. It is also the surest way to avoid more complicated procedures in the 40s.

The benefits of the strategy are clear. The modifications do not draw attention to themselves, and the wrinkles, treated one by one from the moment they become visible, do not have the time to deepen in grooves.