Facial rejuvenation is a cosmetic treatment (or series of cosmetic treatments), which aims to restore a youthful appearance to the human

face The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect th ...

. Facial rejuvenation can be achieved through either

surgical Surgery is a medical specialty that uses manual and instrumental techniques to diagnose or treat pathological conditions (e.g., trauma, disease, injury, malignancy), to alter bodily functions (e.g., malabsorption created by bariatric surgery ...

and/or non-surgical options. Procedures can vary in

invasiveness Minimally invasive procedures (also known as minimally invasive surgeries) encompass Surgery, surgical techniques that limit the size of incisions needed, thereby reducing wound healing time, associated pain, and risk of infection. Surgery by d ...

and depth of treatment. Surgical procedures can restore

facial symmetry Facial symmetry is one specific measure of bodily symmetry. Along with traits such as averageness and youthfulness, it influences judgments of aesthetic traits of physical attractiveness and beauty. For instance, in mate selection, people have be ...

through targeted procedures and facial restructuring and skin alterations. Non-surgical procedures can target specific depths of facial structures and treat localized facial concerns such as

wrinkles A wrinkle, also known as a rhytid, is a fold, ridge or crease in an otherwise smooth surface, such as on skin or fabric. Skin wrinkles typically appear as a result of ageing processes such as glycation, habitual sleeping positions, loss of bo ...

, skin laxity,

hyperpigmentation Hyperpigmentation, also known as the dark spots or circles on the skin, is the darkening of an area of Human skin, skin or nail (anatomy), nails caused by increased melanin. Causes Hyperpigmentation can be caused by sun damage, inflammation, or ...

and

scars SCARS or S.C.A.R.S. is an acronym that may refer to: * SCARS (military) (Special Combat Aggressive Reactionary System), an American combat fighting system * Severe cutaneous adverse reactions Severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs) are a gr ...

. Surgical (invasive) facial rejuvenation procedures can include a

brow lift A forehead lift, also known as a browlift or browplasty, is a cosmetic surgery procedure used to elevate a drooping eyebrow that may obstruct vision and/or to remove the deep "worry" lines that run across the forehead. History The first documente ...

(forehead lift), eye lift (

blepharoplasty Blepharoplasty (Greek: ''blepharon'', "eyelid" + ''plassein'' "to form") is the plastic surgery operation for correcting defects, deformities, and disfigurations of the eyelids; and for aesthetically modifying the eye region of the face. With ...

facelift A facelift, technically known as a rhytidectomy (from the Ancient Greek () 'wrinkle', and () 'excision', the surgical removal of wrinkles), is a type of cosmetic surgery procedure intended to give a more youthful facial appearance. There are ...

(rhytidectomy), chin lift and neck lift. Non-surgical (non-invasive) facial rejuvenation treatments can include

chemical peels A chemical peel is a treatment used to improve and smooth the texture of the skin. The skin on the face is most commonly treated, but peels can also be performed on the body. Chemical peels are intended to remove the outermost layers of the skin ...

, neuromodulator (such as

botox Botulinum toxin, or botulinum neurotoxin (commonly called botox), is a neurotoxic protein produced by the bacterium ''Clostridium botulinum'' and related species. It prevents the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from axon endi ...

), dermal fillers,

laser resurfacing Photorejuvenation is a skin treatment that uses lasers, intense pulsed light, or photodynamic therapy to treat skin conditions and remove effects of photoaging such as wrinkles, spots, and textures. The process induces controlled wounds to the sk ...

photorejuvenation Photorejuvenation is a skin treatment that uses lasers, intense pulsed light, or photodynamic therapy to treat skin conditions and remove effects of photoaging such as wrinkles, spots, and textures. The process induces controlled wounds to the ski ...

radiofrequency Radio frequency (RF) is the oscillation rate of an alternating electric current or voltage or of a magnetic, electric or electromagnetic field or mechanical system in the frequency range from around to around . This is roughly between the upper ...

, and

ultrasound Ultrasound is sound with frequency, frequencies greater than 20 Hertz, kilohertz. This frequency is the approximate upper audible hearing range, limit of human hearing in healthy young adults. The physical principles of acoustic waves apply ...

Visual appraisal of facial youthfulness

Human

visual perception Visual perception is the ability to detect light and use it to form an image of the surrounding Biophysical environment, environment. Photodetection without image formation is classified as ''light sensing''. In most vertebrates, visual percept ...

is notable for its sensitivity and accuracy in estimating our perceived age by instant

pattern recognition Pattern recognition is the task of assigning a class to an observation based on patterns extracted from data. While similar, pattern recognition (PR) is not to be confused with pattern machines (PM) which may possess PR capabilities but their p ...

of facial features. Often, human faces with no measurable difference in

facial geometry A facial recognition system is a technology potentially capable of matching a human face from a digital image or a video frame against a database of faces. Such a system is typically employed to authenticate users through ID verification ser ...

and appearance are perceived as having different ages. This mechanism is not yet entirely understood, but there may be a relation to the subtle changes in facial bone structure related below.

Golden ratio

Facial symmetry Facial symmetry is one specific measure of bodily symmetry. Along with traits such as averageness and youthfulness, it influences judgments of aesthetic traits of physical attractiveness and beauty. For instance, in mate selection, people have be ...

has a direct relationship to perceived beauty. A guiding approach to facial rejuvenation and balancing facial symmetry is through an application of the

golden ratio In mathematics, two quantities are in the golden ratio if their ratio is the same as the ratio of their summation, sum to the larger of the two quantities. Expressed algebraically, for quantities and with , is in a golden ratio to if \fr ...

. Artists and architects have been using this ratio to create works that are pleasing to the eye for centuries.

Aesthetic medicine Aesthetic medicine is a branch of modern medicine that focuses on altering natural or acquired unwanted appearance through the treatment of conditions including scars, skin laxity, wrinkles, moles, liver spots, excess fat, cellulite, unwanted hair, ...

and facial rejuvenation techniques has adopted this mathematical approach to facial restoration and enhancement.

Influence of changes in bone structure

More recent research has pointed out the influence of changes in the facial

skeleton A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of most animals. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is a rigid outer shell that holds up an organism's shape; the endoskeleton, a rigid internal fra ...

with age on the appearance of aging, especially in the mid-face area and the lower part of the

orbit In celestial mechanics, an orbit (also known as orbital revolution) is the curved trajectory of an object such as the trajectory of a planet around a star, or of a natural satellite around a planet, or of an artificial satellite around an ...

s around the

nose A nose is a sensory organ and respiratory structure in vertebrates. It consists of a nasal cavity inside the head, and an external nose on the face. The external nose houses the nostrils, or nares, a pair of tubes providing airflow through the ...

. Quantitative study with

CAT scan A computed tomography scan (CT scan), formerly called computed axial tomography scan (CAT scan), is a medical imaging technique used to obtain detailed internal images of the body. The personnel that perform CT scans are called radiographers ...

s of the faces of men and women in several age brackets has revealed that there is an appreciable amount of

bone A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, ...

tissue loss in these regions with age, leading to changes in angles, lengths and volumes, and also decreasing the distance between the

eye An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system. In higher organisms, the ey ...

s. It has been hypothesized that skin sagging and wrinkles may occur not only because of loss of soft tissue and fat, but also because bone retraction creates an excess of skin which is no longer flexible. Many of the facial manifestations of aging reflect the combined effects of gravity, progressive

bone resorption Bone resorption is resorption of bone tissue, that is, the process by which osteoclasts break down the tissue in bones and release the minerals, resulting in a transfer of calcium from bone tissue to the blood. The osteoclasts are multi-nuclea ...

, decreased tissue elasticity, and redistribution of subcutaneous fullness. Future facial rejuvenation techniques may take into account these findings and restore bone lost by aging processes.

Trends in facial rejuvenation

According to the

American Society of Plastic Surgeons The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) is a professional society that represents plastic surgeons in the United States and Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces a ...

, more than 133,000 facelifts and nearly 216,000 eyelid surgeries were performed in the US in 2013, a six per cent increase from 2012. Facial rejuvenation procedures experienced the most growth, as 2013 marked the highest number of botulinum toxin type A injections to date, with 6.3 million injections. A significant upward trend on the number of facial rejuvenation procedures is predicted, and could be due to the following factors: # Men have also started to perform these procedures at increasing numbers; # Emphasis on image of youthfulness by the

mass media Mass media include the diverse arrays of media that reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit information electronically via media such as films, radio, recorded music, or television. Digital media comprises b ...

and

fashion Fashion is a term used interchangeably to describe the creation of clothing, footwear, Fashion accessory, accessories, cosmetics, and jewellery of different cultural aesthetics and their mix and match into Clothing, outfits that depict distinct ...

; # Increasing numbers of senior people enjoying good

health Health has a variety of definitions, which have been used for different purposes over time. In general, it refers to physical and emotional well-being, especially that associated with normal functioning of the human body, absent of disease, p ...

and financial affluence at older ages; # Decreasing costs of surgery and other cosmetic procedures, making them affordable to all However, while surgical procedures are still preferred to achieve a more dramatic improvement, the current trend is towards less invasive procedures, such as injectables (Botox, fillers) and laser skin treatments. While these treatments achieve temporary results, they tend to be preferred because of their reduced cost and less intensive recovery period.

Procedures

Facial rejuvenation procedures can include (but are not limited to): *

Botox Botulinum toxin, or botulinum neurotoxin (commonly called botox), is a neurotoxic protein produced by the bacterium ''Clostridium botulinum'' and related species. It prevents the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from axon endi ...

injections *

Chemical peels A chemical peel is a treatment used to improve and smooth the texture of the skin. The skin on the face is most commonly treated, but peels can also be performed on the body. Chemical peels are intended to remove the outermost layers of the skin ...

Collagen injection Collagen () is the main structural protein in the extracellular matrix of the connective tissues of many animals. It is the most abundant protein in mammals, making up 25% to 35% of protein content. Amino acids are bound together to form a tr ...

* Cosmetic acupuncture * Dermal filler injections *

Electrotherapy Electrotherapy is the use of electrical energy as a medical treatment. In medicine, the term ''electrotherapy'' can apply to a variety of treatments, including the use of electrical devices such as deep brain stimulators for neurological disea ...

Facial toning Facial toning, or facial exercise, is a type of cosmetic procedure or physical therapy tool which alters facial contours by means of increasing muscle tone and facial volume by promoting muscular hypertrophy, and preventing muscle loss due t ...

Fraxel Fraxel Laser Treatment is a line of lasers developed by Reliant Technologies in 2004. It was developed from a US patent licensed from the Wellman Center for Photomedicine. R. Rox Anderson was the inventor. Fraxel lasers cause fractional photothe ...

Microdermabrasion Dermabrasion is a type of surgical skin planing, generally with the goal of removing acne, scarring and other skin or tissue irregularities, typically performed in a professional medical setting by a dermatologist or plastic surgeon trained spec ...

Photorejuvenation Photorejuvenation is a skin treatment that uses lasers, intense pulsed light, or photodynamic therapy to treat skin conditions and remove effects of photoaging such as wrinkles, spots, and textures. The process induces controlled wounds to the ski ...

Laser resurfacing Photorejuvenation is a skin treatment that uses lasers, intense pulsed light, or photodynamic therapy to treat skin conditions and remove effects of photoaging such as wrinkles, spots, and textures. The process induces controlled wounds to the sk ...

* Nd:YAG laser *

Permanent makeup Permanent makeup, also known as permanent cosmetics, derma-pigmentation, micro-pigmentation, semi-permanent makeup and cosmetic tattooing, is a cosmetic technique which employs tattooing techniques to replicate the appearance of traditional ma ...

Platelet-rich fibrin matrix method The "platelet-rich fibrin matrix" (PRFM) method is a cosmetic surgery procedure involving plasma needling. It is a way of extracting platelets from the patient's own blood and using them as a dermal filler – that is, as a substance injected unde ...

Visual appraisal of facial youthfulness

Golden ratio

Influence of changes in bone structure

Trends in facial rejuvenation

Procedures

See also

References

Further reading