Is it normal for your face to get wider as you age?

According to dermatologists and plastic surgeons, changes in facial bone structure, fat pads, and soft tissue are a normal, inevitable part of the aging process. For many, this contributes to the perception that their face is getting wider as they age, especially around the lower half.

Quick Summary

It is normal for your facial proportions to change over time, and the appearance of a wider face is a common part of this process. This transformation results from a combination of bone remodeling, shifting fat pads, decreased skin elasticity, and the constant effect of gravity, rather than the face physically expanding.

Key Points

• Normal Aging Process: It is normal for facial shape and proportions to change, leading to the perception of a wider face over time.

• Underlying Bone Structure: The facial skeleton undergoes remodeling with age, including the widening of eye sockets and reduction of bone in the cheeks and jaw.

• Fat Redistribution: Facial fat pads shift and lose volume, with fat moving from the upper face downward, creating a heavier look in the lower face.

• Loss of Elasticity: Reduced collagen and elastin production causes skin to thin and lose its firmness, leading to sagging and drooping that can contribute to a wider appearance.

• Gravity's Effect: The constant pull of gravity, combined with weakened tissues, pulls facial structures downward over time.

• Lifestyle Influence: Factors like sun exposure, smoking, and nutrition can accelerate or slow down the rate of facial aging.

• Treatment Options: Aesthetic treatments like fillers, neuromodulators, radiofrequency, and facelifts can help address and reverse age-related facial widening.

Understanding the Complexities of Facial Aging

Many people are surprised to learn that facial aging involves more than just wrinkles and sagging skin. The entire facial structure, including the underlying bone and fat layers, changes over time. While a youthful face is often described as a 'triangle of youth' with high, full cheeks and a narrow jawline, aging reverses this proportion. As we age, the face can appear more square or bottom-heavy due to a combination of volume loss in the upper face and tissue descent in the lower face.

The Impact of Bone Remodeling

Contrary to the belief that adult bones are static, the facial skeleton undergoes a continuous process of resorption and remodeling. Around the mid-30s, this process changes, contributing significantly to alterations in facial shape. Specifically:

• Orbital changes: The eye sockets expand and widen, which can make the eyes appear more hollow and lead to puffiness in the lower lids.
• Cheek flattening: The cheekbones, or zygomas, experience bone loss and rotation. This reduces mid-face projection and volume, contributing to a flatter, less defined cheek area.
• Jawline changes: The jawbone, or mandible, also remodels, particularly around the chin and jaw angle. This can cause the jawline to lose its sharp definition and contribute to the formation of jowls.

Shifting and Loss of Facial Fat

Facial fat is not one uniform layer but rather several distinct pads that provide contour and fullness. Aging causes these fat pads to change in two key ways:

• Volume loss: The fat pads in the upper face, including the temples, cheeks, and around the eyes, diminish in volume, leading to a sunken or deflated appearance.
• Downward migration: With weakened ligaments and the constant pull of gravity, the remaining fat pads shift downward. This causes fat from the cheeks to accumulate near the mouth and jawline, contributing to the perceived 'wider' or heavier look of the lower face.

Loss of Skin Elasticity and Muscle Tone

Below the surface, changes to the skin and muscles also play a critical role in facial widening. The skin’s supporting matrix, composed of collagen and elastin, breaks down over time. This leads to a loss of elasticity and firmness, allowing the skin to sag and droop.

• Decreased collagen and elastin: Starting around age 25, the body's collagen production decreases by about 1% per year. This makes the skin thinner and less able to resist the pull of gravity.
• Muscle weakening: Facial muscles, like all muscles, weaken with age. The descent of muscles and surrounding tissues exacerbates sagging and alters facial contours.

A Comparison of Youthful vs. Aged Facial Features

Feature	Youthful Appearance	Aged Appearance
Face Shape	'Triangle of youth' (wider top, narrower chin)	More square or bottom-heavy (wider jawline)
Cheeks	High, full, and defined	Flatter, hollowed, and descended
Jawline	Sharp, well-defined, and contoured	Softer, less defined, with prominent jowls
Eyes	Framed by smooth, even contours	Hollowing under the eyes, widened sockets, bagginess
Skin	Tight, firm, and elastic	Thinner, looser, and prone to sagging

Lifestyle Factors that Influence Facial Aging

While genetics and natural aging are the primary drivers of these changes, lifestyle choices can significantly accelerate or mitigate their effects. Adopting healthy habits is a crucial part of a comprehensive anti-aging strategy.

Lifestyle Choices for Healthy Facial Aging

1. Sun Protection: Up to 90% of visible skin aging is caused by sun exposure (photoaging). Wearing broad-spectrum SPF daily helps prevent collagen breakdown and maintains skin health.
2. Hydration and Nutrition: Drinking plenty of water keeps skin plump and springy. A diet rich in antioxidants and vitamins (especially C) supports collagen production.
3. No Smoking: Chemicals in cigarette smoke weaken collagen and elastin, dramatically accelerating skin and facial aging.
4. Stress Management and Sleep: Chronic stress and lack of sleep can increase inflammation and degrade skin quality. Prioritizing rest and managing stress levels is beneficial.
5. Weight Management: Significant weight fluctuations can stretch the skin and contribute to sagging. Maintaining a stable, healthy weight can help preserve facial volume and structure.

Addressing the Appearance of a Wider Face

For those concerned about age-related facial widening, a range of aesthetic treatments can help. These options target the underlying issues of bone loss, fat migration, and skin laxity. It's important to consult a qualified professional to determine the best course of action for your specific needs.

• Dermal Fillers: Injectable fillers, such as hyaluronic acid, can restore lost volume in the cheeks and temples. By adding support to the mid-face, they can lift sagging tissues and restore a more youthful contour.
• Botox/Neuromodulators: In cases where a wider lower face is due to an enlarged masseter (jaw) muscle from teeth grinding or clenching, neuromodulators can relax this muscle, leading to a slimmer jawline.
• Radiofrequency Treatments: Non-invasive treatments use energy to heat the deeper layers of the skin, stimulating new collagen production and tightening sagging skin.
• Facelifts: For more dramatic and long-lasting results, surgical facelifts can reposition sagging skin and muscles, and remove excess fat, effectively reversing the effects of gravity.

For further reading on the comprehensive process of facial aging, consider consulting authoritative sources like the American Academy of Facial Esthetics (AAFE) and its resources on facial aging causes and treatment options.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the perception of a wider face with age is a natural and normal phenomenon. It is caused by the intricate interplay of several factors, including the subtle but significant reshaping of the facial skeleton, the migration and loss of underlying fat pads, and the gradual decline of skin elasticity and muscle tone. While we cannot stop the passage of time, understanding these changes empowers us to make informed lifestyle choices and explore modern aesthetic treatments to manage and mitigate their effects, helping us age gracefully and confidently.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it normal for your face to get wider as you age?

Yes, it is a normal part of the aging process. The perception of a wider or squarer face is caused by changes in the underlying bone structure, shifting fat pads, and loss of skin elasticity over time, not actual expansion.

What specifically causes my face to appear wider?

The main causes include bone resorption and remodeling, where bones like the cheekbones and jaw change shape; the downward migration of fat pads; and the loss of collagen and elastin, which leads to sagging skin and jowls.

Does everyone's face get wider as they age?

While facial aging affects everyone, the specific changes and their severity can vary widely based on genetics, lifestyle, and other factors. Not everyone will experience the same degree of perceived facial widening.

Can I prevent my face from getting wider with age?

You can mitigate the effects of aging with a healthy lifestyle, including sun protection, a balanced diet, and stress management. Aesthetic treatments like fillers and skin-tightening procedures can also help restore a more youthful contour.

Are there exercises to prevent a wider jawline?

For a wider jawline caused by an enlarged masseter muscle from grinding, neuromodulator injections are often more effective than exercise. While facial exercises can improve muscle tone, they cannot reverse underlying bone or fat changes.

How do facial fillers help with a wider-looking face?

Fillers can restore lost volume in the mid-face (cheeks and temples), which lifts and supports sagging tissues. This counteracts the bottom-heavy appearance by re-establishing the youthful 'triangle' shape of the face.

Is a wider face with age purely genetic?

Genetics plays a significant role in determining how your face ages. However, lifestyle choices such as sun exposure, smoking, and overall health also heavily influence the rate and extent of facial changes.