Our faces take a lot of abuse during our lifetime. While we wear long pants and sleeved shirts to work quite often, we rarely cover our faces. They take the brunt of everything we do every day. Of course they’re going to look older than they really are. Here are some specific reasons, however, for why our faces can look 50 when we’re really much younger.

External Factors

External factors – what happens in the world around you each day – contribute greatly to our facial aging. You wouldn’t necessarily think that how you sleep could be an issue, but it is. How you lay in bed when you are asleep can cause facial wrinkles over time.

The biggies, smoking and being in the sun without sunscreen, can age your skin really fast. Even good old gravity wears away at the elasticity in your skin and helps pull it in a less-than-flattering southerly direction. Blemishes, discoloration and those cute-when-you-were-three freckles are all visible signs of damage done from living your life each day.

Internal Factors

How quickly our faces age is also affected by what happens on the inside of our bodies. Just getting older is the main internal factor to looking older but genetics is a close second. Hereditary conditions can easily change normal bone density, cell structure and basic body functions. Naturally, serious health conditions can leave the skin depleted, too.

If you’re wondering about menopause and other hormonal changes, you are right. Hormonal changes are key contributors to facial aging. Of course, menopause only effects women, but men can also experience hormone changes that can, in turn, change the look, feel and health of their skin.

In general, our faces lose their plumpness and elasticity and the surface layer of skin gets thicker. We are left with jowls that droop like a hunting dog, dry skin, droopy eyelids and lots of wrinkles and fine lines.

There is, however, a happy side of all this droopy, saggy, dryness. There are lots of surgical and non-surgical alternatives that can help restore a natural, healthy appearance to your skin. When you find the right cosmetic surgeon, discuss options and determine what procedure will provide the results you want, you can rest easy knowing your 30-year-old face can look young again – and you can still look like you.

Aging isn’t really all that bad. But the key ingredient is taking care of yourself no matter how old you and your face are. Start now and use sunscreen when you go outside, drink lots of water to keep your skin hydrated and use the proper skin care products. Men and women alike can improve their skins overall health by using a good moisturizer. Check with your cosmetic surgeon and see what he or she recommends for your skin type. Your skin will thank you.