Bones to blame for looking older

Blame your bones if you think you look older. The shrinking of facial bones plays a surprisingly significant part in aging, reports a study by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Arlington Heights, Ill.

"Many people believe that only gravity creates wrinkles; however, we have discovered the loss of volume in the face and changes in bone structure also contribute to making us look older," reports David Kahn, ASPS member surgeon and co-author of the study. "As we age, not only do we lose fat in our faces, but our bones actually change in contour, often making us look older than we feel."

Facial bones remodel themselves with time, dissolving, shrinking, and leaving empty spaces. In addition, people lose skin elasticity with age. As bones shrink, the skin cannot tighten around the skeleton, causing drooping and wrinkles.

The study also found that women had a significant decrease in facial bone volume at a younger age than men, causing them to see the signs of aging sooner. This earlier change in bone structure may be why many females seek facial cosmetic enhancement at a younger age than males.

"Our findings lead us to believe soft tissue augmentation will play an even greater part in facial rejuvenation in the future," predicts Kahn. "By using fillers, along with other cosmetic plastic surgery techniques--such as forehead lifts and soft tissue repositioning--plastic surgeons can re-create volume loss caused by dissolving of shrinking bone and lift the skin to create better, more refined results for patients."

More than 114,000 facelifts and nearly 55,000 forehead lifts were performed in 2004, according to ASPS statistics--the majority on women.

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