When Dr. Rahi and other medical cosmetic providers speak of facial aging, they are referring to the ways in which the appearance of one’s face begins to change as they age. Things like wrinkles, fine lines, skin laxity, lost volume, and various blemishes are all considered signs of facial aging. Facial aging is generally caused by a decrease in collagen production as we get older. Collagen is a fibrous protein that your body naturally produces to keep your connective tissues (which includes your skin) strong, healthy, and firm. It is also essential to any healing process in your body. Thus, the decrease in collagen production as we age results in a parallel reduction in the structural quality of our skin. As a result, the signs of facial aging we just listed begin to appear more frequently. However, there is another culprit that is instrumental in facial aging signs, and that is muscle contractions. Whenever we make a facial expression of any kind, whether it is squinting, smiling, or frowning, it creates a lot of work for the muscles, nerves, and skin fibers in those areas and requires a lot of collagens to maintain the structural quality of our skin. As a result, wrinkles and fine lines develop at the site of those repeated muscle contractions (i.e., facial expressions) as your skin gradually loses its ability to bounce back into form effectively.