The Triangle of Youth & Pyramid of Ageing

Volume is lost from the face as we age, due to shrinking of the facial bones and the gradual loss of fat pads. This means there is less support for the skin and muscles of the face, causing lower facial sagging and flattening of the face.

You can see the Triangle of Youth shows the widest part of the face is the middle, level with the cheeks. This gives the youthful face its triangular appearance. Whereas the Pyramid of Ageing shows the widest part of the face is now at the jawline, causing the face to look more pyramid-shaped.

I always say the cheekbones act as a kind of  ‘coathanger’ on which to support the face. A facial rejuvenation programme with me will usually have replacement of lost cheek volume as the starting point.

It is now known that loss of cheek volume is a main cause of those pesky nose to mouth lines. If we address the area around the cheekbones first, the appearance of nose to mouth lines can be softened.

We can then move on to areas of facial hollowing such as under the eyes (tear troughs) and the chin area.