Why does Face Swell with age ?


Invisible jaw-line and double-chin comes with age, but sometimes "facial weight gain" might be something else. Being conscious about your appearance is a good thing and and make changes in your lifestyle to look better can also make your healthy. Our looks are usually directly proportional to our health. In this article betterhealthfacts.com will try to explain the possible causes behind face-swelling with age or facial weight gain.

Age has its own effects which comes due to our diet, stress, sleep and external factors like sunlight, pollution and gravity. Fat is not always the reason behind changes in the shape of face. Following are some of the reasons.

Excess Fat

Excess fat in the body which usually happens due to obesity, poor diet, lack of exercise or genetic conditions is the primary cause behind facial weight gain. Cheeks, jowls, under the chin and neck are the primary regions where obesity related fat usually get deposited.

Impact of Ageing on facial fat

Excess fat shows its impact on face as we age. Fat compartments in our face are usually maintained by ligaments joining our facial skin to facial bones. As we loose some facial muscle strength due to ageing the fat in those areas shrinks downwards. The more we are the more it descends.

  • Fat from eyelids settles into eye sockets.
  • Cheek fat collects underneath the nose and above the lips, which makes nasolabial folds, making cheekbones less defined.
  • Platysma, a muscle that goes from chin to neck, spreads apart due to ageing and form bands. As fat descends from these muscle compartments, it gives a “turkey-gobbler” appearance.

Masseter muscles

These muscles between jaw and cheeks are usually helpful in eating, but some they overdevelop and changes the shape of face and make it fuller. Habitually clenching and grinding teeth or constantly chewing gum can cause this condition.  

Facial Bones

Our facial skeletons undergoes regular remodeling. As we age our facial bone don't rebuild themselves, which reduces the bone density and mass. It causes the difference in shape of face. Some of these changes are:

  • Enlarged eye sockets
  • Lower jaw decreases in height and length
  • Changes in the angle of connective tissues in nose, make the nose appear larger.

Side effects of Medicines

High doses of some medicines such as prednisone or corticosteroid can cause facial swelling, known as moon face. In case of such side effect, you doctor may prescribe some other medicines to get rid it.

If your face is swelling due to fat, then you should follow the following tips get the shape back.

How to loose face fat

  • Lose weight
  • limit your sugar and salt intake
  • get more sleep
  • drink plenty of water
  • eat more vegetables
  • exercise regularly

Final note : Our skin looses elasticity with age and thus our facial muscle sags, but keeping the fat content in your body under control can reduce the impact of ageing on face. Regularly massaging the face and maintaining a workout routine can save you from age related facial changes.

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