Throughout a person's life, his facial features, shape and contour are not static. A small child grows, his face gradually matures, in adults the aging process begins, the structure of the skin and muscles changes, their elasticity decreases, body weight increases or decreases. Many factors are reflected on a person’s face: his health, lifestyle, alcohol and drug use, smoking.
One of the most common changes in this part of the body is loss of volume. At the same time, those around him note that the face seems to have become haggard, has become less rounded, and its contour has changed. Naturally, a person’s appearance also changes somewhat as a result.
What is loss of volume in the face?
With loss of volume in the face, a person experiences a state of intense decrease in tissue turgor in this area, as well as in the neck area. In fact, the face seems to “deflate” and dry out, its volume disappears, the soft noticeable cheeks disappear and become sunken, flabby, depressions (recessions) are formed, the skin almost sticks to the protruding parts of the facial bones of the skull. With severe volume loss, the appearance of a person’s face begins to resemble a skull covered with skin. Pronounced pits appear under the eyes in the shape of the eye sockets. Drying of the skin and atrophy of subcutaneous fat and facial muscles also occur.
Content:
- What is loss of volume in the face?
- Why does loss of facial volume occur, what are its signs?
- Aging processes affecting a person’s appearance
- Dehydration as a cause of a haggard face
- Side effects of losing weight: loss of facial volume
- Why does the face lose volume in diseases of the endocrine system?
- Fighting loss of facial volume: is it possible to stop the process?
This condition is not always associated with the aging process, although it is very noticeable in aging and elderly people. Loss of volume in this part of the body can also be observed in children, in which case they look unnatural, painful, and exhausted.
In a person with the described symptom, not only the volume of the face changes, but also its shape; it becomes somewhat flatter. The elasticity of the skin disappears, the skin turgor is lost. If previously there was an oval face shape, due to the degradation of subcutaneous fat, it takes on a square shape.
It should be noted that a thin face can be a feature of a person’s anatomical structure. In this case, this is the norm for him. A situation that should cause concern is when a loss of volume occurs in an apparently healthy child or adult, or if in an aging person the condition occurs abruptly and rapidly, if the face turns from normal to haggard in less than a month.
Massage
An extremely useful aesthetic procedure that, thanks to its drainage effect, can tighten and strengthen the oval. With its help, it will be easier to lose weight in your face, and the results will appear faster.
I offer you several techniques.
Towel
We wet a small towel with boiled water or a decoction of herbs and, pulling it sharply each time, pat the edge on the chin and cheeks.
For an herbal decoction, it is best to brew a couple of bags of calendula in the evening.
In addition, they suggest doing this procedure with a saline solution, but this is not suitable for every skin type. If you have dry or sensitive skin prone to dryness, it is better not to use salt - this can dry it out even more.
The option with a towel tones well and relieves swelling, so I recommend doing it in the morning - it is very refreshing. In the first few sessions, until the face gets used to it, we massage for 3-5 minutes. In the future, the time can be increased to 10–15 minutes.
We repeat the procedure every 2 – 3 days for two weeks, then take a break for a month.
Hands
It’s not difficult to learn self-massage, the main thing is to master the basics. There are several main massage lines, located from the center of the face to the periphery. Just imagine that a vertical line runs through your forehead, nose and chin. From here and slightly upward you should apply cream and massage.
This procedure is good in the evening. We remove all makeup from the face and apply cream to clean, tonic-treated skin. We will give him a massage. It doesn’t matter what we have in our arsenal – a light gel or a thick balm, the main thing is that there should be more of it than usual so that your fingers don’t stretch the skin.
To begin, apply the product using stroking movements, and then, moving symmetrically from the center of the face, gently massage the face with both hands. You can do this with your fingertips or with your knuckles. Movements should be light and non-traumatic.
If there is any excess left, blot it with a napkin. This type of massage can be practiced after 1 - 2 days for 10 - 14 days, then the person should also be given a rest for a month or a month and a half and the procedure should be resumed.
Why does loss of facial volume occur, what are its signs?
Doctors and scientists, considering the condition of a haggard face, identify the following reasons for the onset of the symptom:
- normal and natural aging process, loss of skin and muscle elasticity;
- dehydration of the body;
- sudden weight loss;
- some diseases of the body's endocrine system.
Also, the face may become haggard due to excessive physical activity and poor nutrition, with chronic pancreatitis, intestinal lymphomas, bile duct obstruction, Crohn's disease, diabetes mellitus, leukemia, depression, tuberculosis, heart failure, cirrhosis of the liver, and with other diseases and conditions that provoke severe unhealthy weight loss.
The main signs of a haggard face:
- the skin acquires a greyish, faded, unhealthy tint;
- wrinkled and dry skin of the face and neck;
- hollow cheeks, muscle atrophy, especially noticeable during facial movements;
- changing the shape of the face;
- loss of skin elasticity, change in its texture.
A set of muscle exercises
Gymnastics for the face in pictures
It is recommended to reduce the weight of a specific area by speeding up the circulatory system. What can I do to improve it? It is good to massage by patting your cheeks and chin with your palms. We knead problem areas with massage movements. Correct movements help smooth out wrinkles and promote weight loss. All prescriptions recommended by folk methods must be done regularly, otherwise the desired effect will not be achieved.
- We take a pencil in our teeth. We try to write a long letter, a word.
- Stretch your neck upward, first crossing your arms over your shoulders.
- Pull your lips out into a tube shape. Pronounce vowels.
- Clench your teeth and pull your lower lip as far as possible.
- Tighten your neck muscles, lower the corners of your mouth, then release.
- Tilt your head, touching your chin alternately to your right and left shoulder.
Your face can lose weight in a few months if you follow all the instructions.
Aging processes affecting a person’s appearance
The characteristics of the aging process in the body are, to some extent, determined by heredity, as well as a person’s lifestyle, whether he plays sports, what foods he eats, and whether he has chronic or acute diseases.
Internal aging factors are combined with environmental influences, the harmful effects of the sun, polluted air and water. As people age, certain processes slow down and the production of certain substances decreases, which causes aging.
A decrease in facial volume with aging is primarily associated with thinning of the skin and a decrease in the number of its cells. The loss of volume, together with wrinkles and loss of shine and density, gives the visual effect of an aging face. Loss of volume often changes the structure and shape of the head as a whole - this is due to sagging skin, loss of clarity of contours and features. Structural changes in the skin occur with each new year of a person’s life.
How to identify aging and a haggard face? There is such a thing as the “beauty triangle”. The triangle demonstrates how a decrease in volume leads to a change in appearance, when a person with age develops a sad, tense or unfriendly appearance on his face, which is in no way connected with the emotions he is experiencing.
In a young man, the volumes on the front part of the head are distributed relatively evenly, due to which a youthful, attractive appearance is noted. Young people boast high cheekbones, full cheeks, smooth skin, and a well-defined jawline. These factors together form the structure, image and shape of the front part, wider at the top and tapering towards the bottom.
Signs of loss of facial volume that occur with age lead to the fact that the triangle is visually inverted, as the jaw line becomes more blurred, flabby, the skin may sag in places, the cheeks are somewhat hollow, wrinkles appear on the forehead, and the corners of the mouth tend downward. A person's appearance becomes older. The wider part of the triangle moves down to the line of the lower jaw.
The loss of facial volume during the aging process is due to the fact that the skin gradually slows down or stops producing substances designed to make it more elastic, that is, substances that seem to fill it from the inside, giving it a smoother and more toned appearance. At the same time, the skin gradually sags, and the face takes on a characteristic aging appearance. This occurs in the epidermal layer of the skin, where the amount and rate of production of hyaluronic acid and lipids decreases. A normal amount of these substances makes the skin elastic and taut, while their lack is the main reason for the “weak” condition of the skin, its age-related roughness and dryness.
In the deeper layers of the skin, there is an annual loss of collagen and elastin fibers, which make up the internal “framework” of the skin and are responsible for its elasticity and strength. When the number of cells that give the skin volume and fullness from the inside decreases, the deeper layers of the skin begin to thicken, resulting in retracted cheeks and a sagging, sunken surface of the skin.
Age-related slowing of blood circulation also plays a role in this process, due to which the penetration of nutrients into the skin cells slows down.
Cosmetology procedures at home
In order to have plump cheeks, you need to take a responsible approach to skin care. After all, the beauty of the oval of the face depends on its firmness and elasticity.
Cold compresses are a fairly effective procedure for improving skin tone. However, it is better to avoid this technique for people with fragile blood vessels.
It is necessary to wrap it in a cloth and apply it to the cheeks and chin. After this, you should massage and apply the cream, patting your cheeks and chin.
Dehydration as a cause of a haggard face
The state of dehydration occurs due to significant loss of water and salts, disturbances in water-electrolyte balance. Water is a constituent of every cell in the body and is also a major constituent of blood and cerebrospinal fluid. A decrease in its normal amount leads to thickening of the blood, the transfer of remaining water from cells to the intercellular space, and disruption of cellular functioning.
Why does dehydration occur? One of the reasons is prolonged exposure to the sun on hot days, and subsequent overheating. In children and adults, dehydration occurs against the background of infectious diseases, accompanied by vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and increased sweating. Children react to dehydration much more strongly because they have a more intense metabolism. If the body is unable to cope with dehydration, complications develop.
The symptoms of dehydration are very typical - a person begins to feel thirsty, has a dry mouth, a decrease in the volume of urine, which becomes sharp and dark in color. Weakness and increased fatigue are a direct consequence of water and electrolyte imbalance. In severe cases, the patient complains of blurred vision, dizziness, and confusion.
People around him notice the appearance of dark circles under his eyes, and due to a decrease in the elasticity of his skin, his cheeks become sunken. A haggard face is a typical sign of dangerous and rapid dehydration.
The condition is especially noticeable in the appearance of children. For them, severe dehydration can cause death.
Nourishment for filled cheeks
The condition of the subcutaneous fatty tissue has an important influence on the contours of the oval of the face. Because of this, she must be in good shape. To do this, you need to eat as many vegetables and fruits as possible. It is also worth excluding foods that cause the destruction of fiber, such as coffee, sweets, tobacco, and alcohol.
Often, even with a satisfactory condition of subcutaneous adipose tissue, a grayish tint to the skin gives a visually excessive thinness to the face.
To avoid this unpleasant factor, you should take a course of vitamins and minerals.
Skin dehydration has a negative impact on the condition of the oval face. In order to avoid this, you need to drink about 2 liters of clean water a day.
When choosing drinks, it is better to give preference to green tea and natural juices. Sweet and carbonated drinks should be excluded from the diet.
Side effects of losing weight: loss of facial volume
As it turns out, simply getting rid of excess weight is only the first step towards beauty and attractiveness. When the scales' needle finally stops at the desired number, and the waist and hips become slender, the loser will have to face another problem - a haggard face.
In addition to the loss of facial volume and hollow cheeks, after losing weight, dark circles under the eyes, pronounced expression wrinkles, and a dull complexion appear in the mirror. This situation is especially familiar to people who have lost weight sharply and intensively, as well as to those who have lost a large amount of excess weight, for example, from 120 to 70 kilograms.
Strict, inadequately formulated diets, and especially fasting, have a very negative effect on the body, including on the face. This happens due to the fact that with an unbalanced diet, the body does not receive the required amount of nutrients, carbohydrates, fats, proteins necessary for building adipose tissue. It is on the face under the skin that fat reserves are loose, so they are primarily subject to destruction. There are often cases when, during a diet, the overall weight and volume have not decreased, but the face has already begun to look emaciated, and as if it has aged dramatically. After intensive weight loss, wrinkles on the face become especially visible, the skin loses tone and sags.
After 30 years of age, people are advised to be wary of weight fluctuations and strive to stabilize it within normal limits.
It should be noted that loss of facial volume accompanies any cases of noticeable loss of body weight, not only with targeted weight loss, but also if a person loses weight due to illness, cancer, depression; in women, changes are noticeable after childbirth, in some - after feeding chest. Sometimes even those around you notice that a person begins to look exhausted and sickly.
What to do in this case? How to restore a healthy appearance? For children and young people, if the cause of weight loss is eliminated by successful treatment or correction, restoration of facial volume is a matter of several months. The older a person gets, the more difficult it is for him to return to his previous state, however, in any case, the skin will gradually renew itself and tighten over time. This is also true for those who were on a diet to lose weight, of course, if the diet did not cause pathologies or diseases.
The change in facial volume in people suffering from drug addiction is very noticeable. After amphetamine, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and some other drugs, a person over time becomes like a living skeleton, he experiences general poisoning of the body and disruption of absolutely all processes in all organs, cells, and tissues. Drug addicts usually lose weight dramatically, as the body devotes all its strength and resources to fighting the incoming poisons. In addition to losing weight, drug addicts' teeth decay, ulcers appear on their faces, and wrinkles become very noticeable. At 25 years old, the patient may look like a 50-year-old.
The influence of emotional overload
It is believed that representatives of the stronger sex are much easier to cope with traumatic events in life than women.
However, the male body is also influenced by various mental shocks. And emotional stress is usually accompanied by loss of appetite. In this case, the human body is forced to make up for the deficiency of nutrients from its own reserves (fat tissue and muscle). A prolonged state of stress can provoke depression. This disease can be recognized if the following signs are present:
- discomfort in the chest area;
- headaches;
- nervousness;
- sleep disorders;
- increased blood pressure;
- decreased ability to work, memory impairment;
- loss of sexual desire;
- apathy and depression;
- disorders of the digestive system.
If the cause of a man’s sudden weight loss is emotional stress, he should consult a specialist. Anti-anxiety medications and anti-depression medications help cope with the problem.
Like most men, I lose weight from stress. Any stressful situations instantly burn off extra pounds. However, I began to notice the negative impact of emotional overload on my well-being, which worries and even scares me. I began to sleep restlessly, and when I fell asleep for a short time, I jumped up from nightmares.
Concerns from sudden weight loss while eating well made me undergo a medical examination, because I learned that a healthy male body is capable of coping with stressful situations. And my rapid weight loss indicates a hidden disease.
I advise all men who experience unreasonable rapid weight loss not to put off solving the problem, but to immediately seek advice from a medical institution. Taking care of your health does not tolerate delays!
Why does the face lose volume in diseases of the endocrine system?
Hypopituitarism develops in people when the pituitary gland completely or partially stops producing hormones and participating in the hormonal regulation of the body. The disease can occur if a person develops a brain tumor, there are vascular disorders, hemorrhages, if the person is infected with tuberculosis, syphilis, as well as due to meningitis, encephalitis and skull injuries.
If the pituitary gland does not produce a sufficient amount of hormones, the patient develops a secondary hormonal deficiency of the remaining glands, and all hormonal-dependent processes are inhibited, including sexual function. Therefore, one of the first active manifestations of the disease is a decrease in sexual function and libido, impotence in men, and menstrual irregularities in women. Such patients are characterized by loss of hair from the pubis and under the arms, as well as a pale, haggard appearance, and unhealthy skin color. Due to low temperature and lack of interest in life, a person may lose appetite, and the skin, especially on the face, may become thinner and flabby.
Thyrotoxicosis is a disease associated with disruption of the thyroid gland, if it begins to produce hormones too actively. In addition, the pathology can be caused by long-term treatment of hypothyroidism (hormone deficiency) with hormone-containing drugs, as a result of which there is an increased accumulation of hormone in the body.
Thyrotoxicosis is always accompanied by numerous changes in the psyche, behavior and appearance of a person, including causing a very sharp loss of appetite and weight. Rapid weight loss is reflected on the face, and the person looks sick, emaciated, he has sharply outlined bruises and pits under the eyes, his cheeks are deeply sunken and his cheekbones protrude.
Parasites
As a child, my mother scared me: “Don’t pet stray dogs, otherwise you’ll get worms!” However, parasites enter the human body not only from stray animals. A laboratory test of an anal smear or stool test will help detect their presence.
If you are losing weight for no reason, I strongly recommend listening to your inner feelings:
- a sharp decrease in appetite indicates the presence of unwanted guests in the body, represented by helminthic infestations;
- itching accompanied by discomfort around the anus indicates the same thing;
- parasites can cause constant weakness that does not go away even after many hours of rest;
- Digestive disorders accompanied by constipation or diarrhea are a sign of the presence of foreign substances in the body.
In addition to the above symptoms, the presence of helminthic infestations can be manifested by periodic causeless increases in temperature. If the laboratory gives a positive response about the presence of parasites in the body, doctors recommend taking anthelmintic drugs.
Fighting loss of facial volume: is it possible to stop the process?
Depending on the reason that provoked the loss of facial volume and haggard appearance, as well as the age of the person, the problem can be completely or partially eliminated.
If a person has become haggard after an illness, including as a result of drug addiction and alcoholism, in young people treatment will be aimed specifically at eliminating the disease itself. When a person recovers, over time his face will return to normal on its own. The same goes for losing weight. It is not always possible to completely restore the appearance, but the haggard appearance should disappear.
Oncology
The next thing that causes people to lose weight dramatically is a fatal disease caused by a malignant tumor. Unfortunately, even recognized luminaries of oncology have not learned to recognize this disease at an early stage. Only a thorough medical examination with a lot of tests can determine a dangerous disease.
A malignant neoplasm pumps out much-needed vitality from the body, causing loss of appetite, accompanied by rapid weight loss, loss of performance and other unpleasant manifestations of cancer. Timely recognition of an oncological tumor in the early stages makes it possible to take the necessary measures to cure it, including surgical intervention.
