Environmental Factors May Play Bigger Factor in Facial Aging Than Genetics

A recent study by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons suggests that despite a person’s genetic make-up, it seems external environmental factors play a much bigger role in adding years to one’s face. The study, appearing in the latest online ASPS medical journal, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, involved analyzing twins, their perceived age, and important environmental factors such as divorce, weight gain, stress, and the use of antidepressants. "A person's heritage may initially dictate how they age - but if you introduce certain factors into your life, you will certainly age faster. Likewise, if you avoid those factors you can slow down the hands of time," said ASPS Member Surgeon and study author Bahaman Guyuron, MD, professor and chairman, department of plastic surgery, University Hospitals Case Medical Center. "In this study, we looked at identical twins because they are genetically programmed to age exactly the same, and in doing so we essentially discovered that, when it comes to your face, it is possible to cheat your biological clock." It seems that the twin that were divorced, used antidepressants, and were under 40 years old and heavier of the two, looked significantly older than their double. Although the group that was 40 years or older, the heavier of the two looked younger. Researchers noted that losing abnormal amounts of weight not only have harmful effects on a person’s health, but on their appearance too.

Also, the use of antidepressants could account for the continued relaxation of facial muscles, and thus sagging of the facial skin. Overall, it seems as though stress seemed to be the common denominator of premature aging. Tampa Bay plastic surgeon Dr. Eric Egozi is an expert in facial rejuvenation. He has also acknowledged that stress factors play a major part in the aging of the face. He has stated that many of his Tampa Bay cosmetic surgery patients come in because they are sick of being asked if they are tired all the time. Though they may look exhausted, the effects of stress have taken their toll on their faces, even though they feel great. “Many patients simply want to look as young as they feel,” he said. Another concern of Dr. Egozi’s patients is after electing for plastic surgery procedures such as Tampa Bay facelift surgery, they do not want that overdone, “wind blown” look, that looks too obvious.

To that, Dr. Egozi suggests a variation of different facelift techniques which he has acquired over his many years as a surgeon, which are aimed at giving more natural-looking, as well as long-lasting. Another option for facial rejuvenation in Tampa eyelid surgery – or blepharoplasty – is one of the most popular procedures.. Lower eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) is often combined with upper lid blepharoplasty to get optimal results. Many times the lower lids sag and bulge adding to the tired or sad look patients complain about when coming in for an evaluation. The lower lid skin, fat, and sometimes muscle needs to be excised or repositioned to enhance the lower lids without giving a sunken or hollowed out appearance.

And another option still is the non-surgical, sometimes called the “liquid facelift.” This type of facial rejuvenation often involves any combination of injections, such as Botox, Radiesse, Restylane, Sculptra, or Juvedern, and sometimes laser skin resurfacing procedures. With these non-surgical facelift options, the recovery time is anywhere from an hour to a few days depending on what is chosen. Typically, most these methods can be done in about 1 hour or less. According to ASPS statistics, there were more than 1.5 million injectable filler procedures performed in 2007.