Do You Have ‘Runner’s Face’?
What is ‘Runner’s Face’?
Running is an excellent way to get in shape and stay healthy. Many people run daily as a way to unwind and relieve their stress. Although running is a great exercise, bouncing motion and exposure to the sun can cause your face to sag, making you look older. This is referred to as ‘Runner’s Face.’ And, while your skin’s appearance can alter due to various causes, running does not cause your face to appear saggy or gaunt. Other explanations, such as little body fat or too much sun exposure, are more probable.
When exercising, you are burning layers of fat beneath the skin. The loss of fatty tissue results in a loss of volume in the face, making facial bones more prominent. Younger patients might find their features more enhanced – their facial features, such as their cheekbones and jawline, are more contoured. Since younger skin has plenty of collagen and elastin, it still looks smooth. Older patients, however, have less resilient skin, resulting in skin laxity and deeper wrinkles on the face. Also, many runners do not protect themselves against sun damage, making them age faster.
Treatment
At Essential Aesthetics, we offer multiple procedures to help with the runner’s face.
- Dermal Fillers: Dermal fillers help to smooth out wrinkles and restore fullness in the face. Our practice offers 2 different types of fillers: hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers such as Juvederm and Restylane and Sculptra, a poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) filler. HA fillers are designed to immediately fill wrinkles and creases while Sculptra is a collagen stimulator. This means that the full effects of Sculptra take about eight weeks to become visible. By adding volume to sagging areas, these facial fillers help the skin to appear tighter and restore your youthful appearance.
- Radiofrequency (RF) Skin Tightening & Microneedling: RF skin tightening technology triggers the regeneration of collagen and elastin fibers, resulting in smoother and tighter skin. Our microneedling device activates the body’s natural healing process by applying RF-assisted ultra-thin electrodes to thermally ablate the epidermis and encourage the generation of new and healthy skin. This also helps to improve the texture of the skin.
- PicoFractional: This revolutionary skin treatment uses photoacoustic energy to eradicate pigmentation and tone and rejuvenate the skin. The photoacoustic beam initiates an enhanced inflammatory response, increasing collagen and elastin production. If you have sun damage and skin laxity from running, this treatment will help to treat both concerns. Also, since this procedure does not cause thermal injury, your skin will heal faster!
- ResurFX + IPL: If you suffer from lax or loose skin and age or sun spots, this combination of dual laser treatments will help you achieve healthier, radiant, and more youthful skin. ResurFX works by stimulating the production of new collagen and elastin fibers in the deeper layers of the skin. This causes new collagen production, which is crucial for tighter skin. IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) technology penetrates the tissue and creates heat, targeting pigments in the skin. The body’s natural process will remove this tissue, resulting in an improvement of pigment as well as skin tone.