What’s Really Happening to Your Face as You Age
Lines around the mouth aren’t just about aging skin: they’re often the result of volume loss, fat pad descent, and structural shifts happening underneath.
It’s not just one wrinkle. It’s an entire structural shift.
We’ve all been there: You look in the mirror one day and something feels… off. You can’t explain it exactly. You’re not evensure what changed. But your face looks different—tired, soft, maybe a little heavier, maybe a little hollow.
So you start to focus on that one thing:
“Maybe it’s my under eyes.”
“I think my lips are shrinking.”
“It’s probably just my jawline.”
But the truth is it’s never just one thing. Because aging doesn’t happen to one part of your face. It happens to the whole system underneath.
If your provider isn’t explaining that to you, they’re not doing their job.The Science of Facial Aging: What’s Actually Changing Underneath
From your early 30s onward, your face begins to change… but not just on the surface. The deeper layers are where the real shifts begin.
As you age:
Fat pad descent and depletion: Fat pads in your face shrink, shift, or separate. Some areas hollow (under eyes, temples), while others feel heavier (nasolabial folds, jawline).
Ligament laxity: Ligaments that hold your facial structure in place loosen, causing skin to sag or fall forward.
Bone resorption: The facial skeleton loses volume over time, especially in the jaw, cheeks, and midface, changing your overall shape.
Skin thinning and collagen loss: The skin’s surface becomes thinner, drier, and less elastic.
Muscle activity becomes more pronounced: With less volume, muscle movement can pull the face in harsher directions, causing deep lines and asymmetry.
It’s not that “your face changed.” It’s that your entire support system started shifting beneath the surface.
Typical Aging Patterns by Decade (And What Clients Start to Notice)
Early 30s
Start to see tired under eyes, early laugh lines, dull skin tone
Think: “I look tired”
Actually: Collagen decline and early volume loss in midface + skin dehydration
Mid-to-late 30s
Under eyes deepen, cheek volume shifts, smile lines form
Think: “Maybe I need filler here”
Actually: Fat pad loss + ligament weakening + skin texture decline
Early 40s
Hollow temples, lower face heaviness, softening jawline
Think: “I’m starting to look sad”
Actually: Bone loss, posterior volume loss, early jowl formation
Mid-40s to early 50s
Skin laxity, neck looseness, deep folds, loss of facial harmony
Think: “Everything is falling”
Actually: Global aging… bone, fat, skin, and collagen all declining together
Great facial results start with education. Our providers walk you through the anatomy of aging so you understand what’s really changing beneath the surface, and why we treat the whole face, not just one area.
Why Good Facial Rejuvenation Requires a Full Plan, Not Just a Syringe
The biggest mistake most providers make is trying to fix one area in isolation without addressing the full structure.
You think it’s your smile lines—but it’s your cheeks and temples.
You think it’s your jawline—but it’s your midface that’s collapsed.
You want more lip volume—but it’s your perioral structure that’s faded.
If you treat the wrong area, you create distortion, not balance. You get results that feel exaggerated, animated, or off, even if they’re technically “good work.”
That’s why at Core, we assess your full face: posterior and anterior, upper and lower, bone, fat, skin, and muscle. Structure matters more than surface.
What a Real Rejuvenation Plan Looks Like
Good results take time. They’re layered and strategic.
We often include a mix of the following:
HA Filler – For replacing structure and volume where it’s been lost
Biostimulators – For long-term collagen rebuild (especially in temples, midface, jawline)
Tox – To rebalance muscle movement and soften tension over time
Morpheus8 or RF – For tightening skin and rebuilding dermal structure
Lasers or CoolPeel – For skin tone, texture, pigment, and overall clarity
Skin health + post-care – To reinforce everything we’re building underneath
We phase treatments over time, tracking how your face adapts, heals, and restores. And most importantly: we say no when it’s not the right time or area.
Why So Many People Lose Trust in Medspas
Because most providers don’t explain any of this.
They:
Skip the anatomy
Ignore long-term planning
Say “yes” to every request
Overfill one area because it’s the only thing the client notices
Treat the symptom, not the cause
So the result? Faces that look animated, unhuman, or “done” without being improved. And clients who stop trusting that anything can be fixed.
That’s not your fault. It’s bad medicine and worse aesthetic integrity.
You Don’t Need a Quick Fix—You Need Someone Who Sees the Whole Map
If no one has ever explained what’s actually happening underneath your skin… you’ve been working blind.
The best aesthetic work is built on structure, not guesswork. And you deserve a provider who can show you the real picture (not just sell you a syringe).
At Core, we take the time to walk you through every shift, every layer, and every treatment that makes sense for your face… not just a trend.
Book your full-face consult at Core Aesthetic. We’ll tell you what’s happening underneath, and how to bring it back to balance.
