Facial aging isn't caused by wrinkles

after all?

Written directly by Director Wi Young-jin of Beautyst Doctors.

💡 Before reading

please check first

Q. Facial aging = isn't it just skin sagging?

A. Skin sagging is only the 'result'.

The real cause is the loss of bony volume in places like the cheekbones, forehead, and temples

as skeletal volume decreases

and the tent poles collapse.

Q. Then is it not lifting,

but filling volume that is right?

A. The order matters.

You need to restore the structural support first

and then perform lifting for proper results.

"The cheekbones, forehead, and temples act as support pillars.

When volume is restored to these pillars,

the entire face becomes tight again."

— Director Wi Young-jin (Hongdae Beautystone Clinic)

What is facial aging?

Facial aging (Facial Structural Aging) is

not simply the appearance of wrinkles on the skin surface,

but a process in which bones, fat, muscles, and skin change simultaneously,

causing the face's overall 3D structure to collapse.

Unlike the conventional concept of reduced skin elasticity,

structural aging focuses less on "what sagged" than on

"what has been lost".

Think of a tent —

if the structure collapses,

the fabric sags too

Here's an analogy I always

give my patients.

Think of a tent.

The tent fabric stays taut

not because the fabric itself is rigid.

It's because the inner poles are holding it up.

But what happens if one pole is removed?

The fabric stays the same, but one side suddenly dips

creating wrinkles and sagging.

The face has exactly the same structure.

The cheekbones, forehead, and temples serve as the face's pillars.

When these three points are full and taut

the 'fabric' called skin is evenly pulled tight

making it look firm and elastic.

👨‍⚕️ Director Wi Young-jin's key takeaway

Facial aging is not a skin problem; it's a structural problem.

As the three supports—the cheekbones, forehead, and temples—collapse

all the skin above them sinks with them.

Just like when a tent pole falls, the fabric collapses too.

That's why I assess the volume support first

and then decide the order of lifting or skincare.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Can the temples or cheekbones hollow out even in your 20s or 30s?

Yes, it can. Rapid weight loss or

your natural skeletal structure

can cause volume loss even at a young age.

Q2. How often should volume-restoring procedures,

be done?

In general, fillers are done at 6-month to 1-year intervals,

and after the initial correction,

the maintenance amount needed is much smaller,

so they are relatively efficient in the long run.

Q3. I'm worried volume procedures

will make me look unnatural.

Unnatural results usually happen

when too much is placed in the wrong area,

not where the hollow actually is.

If you fill exactly where the sunken pillar is

people tend to say, "You look better somehow."

That was Wi Young-jin.

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