SHAPE YOUR FACE

LIEU WEI NING nds out what causes our facial contours to sag, and tries the solutions.

The myth: The more slender you are, the smaller your face. The truth? Your jawbone structure determines your face shape, says Dr Wendy Chuah of Dermacare Aesthetic & Laser Clinic.

Other factors affecting your face shape include water retention, poor blood circulation and weight gain – these can cause your face to look less defined over time. Even bruxism, the excess grinding of the teeth and/or clenching of the jaw (usually while sleeping), can cause jaw muscles to become bigger, says Dr Chuah.

Another culprit is ageing. Cheryl Lee, marketing communications and public relations executive of Clarins Singapore, says that this causes skin to slacken.

You see, the key elements that ensure skin stays firm are fibroblasts, which produce collagen and elastin fibres in the dermis layer. The fibroblasts, collagen and elastin have to be “held” tightly together to keep skin firm, which in turn gives you the appearance of more defined contours.

“Ageing causes these elements to loosen and our skin to sag. This is when our facial contours become less defined,” explains Cheryl.

As a result of ageing, the five fat pockets located on your face – two on the cheeks, two under the jaw and one under the chin – sag and make your face, particularly the chin area, look undefined.

While you can’t stop the ageing process or stop skin from sagging, there are products and treatments that are said to firm up skin, especially around the chin and jaw areas, giving the appearance of a lifted and more defined face.

We put them to the test.