A new study in the June issue of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) journal, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery has debunked previously held beliefs on facial aging. According to the study, the “human face is composed of individual fat compartments which gain and lose weight at different rates”. This new finding has in effect made the long-held belief that facial aging was due to gravity is now passe.

These compartments according to the study’s lead author, Dr. Joel Pessa are like a “three-dimensional puzzle with fat partitioned around the forehead, eyes, cheeks and mouth”. It is the changes in the contours of these compartments due to aging, which leads to sagging and wrinkles.

This new information will aid plastic surgeons in locating the areas of the face that are more prone to tell-tale signs of aging. These areas would then be the target spots for dermal fillers.