You can shield your skin from damaging chemicals or the sun, but you cannot fight Mother Nature. As you age, skin loses elasticity, underlying fat disappears, and bones shrink and pull away from the skin, Skin Care Physicians website says. Add the effects of gravity and the result is often droopy eyelids or eye bags, jowls, a double chin or a whole face or body full of sagging skin.
Facelift
Facelifts aim to live up to their name by firming and lifting an entire sagging face, Women Fitness says. The procedure starts with a cut that runs down the front and then in back of the ear on each side of the face. The surgeon then goes below the surface of your facial skin to pull it taut, cut off the excess skin at the edges and stitch your lifted face back into place.
Liposuction
Liposuction works by removing fat deposits from beneath the skin with a minimally invasive method called tumescent liposuction often used on the face, the American Academy of Dermatology explains. Unlike early liposuction procedures that required large incisions and large hollow needles called cannulas to remove the fat, the Consumer Guide to Plastic Surgery notes tumescent liposuction uses a series of small incisions and micro-cannulas that target specific areas. Sagging jowls, double chins and faces framed by fatty deposits often benefit from the procedure.
Laser
One of the least invasive procedures, laser only works for slightly sagging skin, American Academy of Dermatology notes. Ablative laser procedures tighten the skin by removing small columns of facial tissue. Your skin reacts by instantly tightening and producing new collagen for about a year following the procedure. Non-ablative lasers target skin beneath the top layer, inducing it to produce collagen and become tauter.
Blepharoplasty
Blepharoplasty is an eyelid surgery meant to fix puffy upper eyelids, droopy lower eyelids and bags beneath the eyes, MayoClinic.com states. The procedure involves removing sagging skin and excess fat around the eye area through a small incision. Surgeons cut inside the lower lid or directly below the eyelashes, following the natural contour of your eye. Once surgeons remove the excess skin and fat, they stitch up the incision to create a tauter, firmer eye area.
Warning
All procedures come with some risks, the American Academy of Dermatology cautions. Temporary side effects of any facial rejuvenation include bruising, swelling, redness and discomfort. The more invasive procedures, such as the facelift, sometimes result in scarring, recurrent redness or even permanent changes in skin color or tone. Blood clots, bleeding and nerve damage are also possible risks.
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