Layers of the face

Our faces have a layered structure. Think of a face as of an onion or a cabbage, where each layer is different. The facial structure layers that are relevant to the ageing process, ageing appearance and key to restoring the youthful look, are:

  1. Skin- dermis and, at the very top, epidermis.
  2. Subcutaneous fat tissue, aka hypodermis – composed of superficial fat compartments.
  3. SMAS (superficial musculo-aponeurotic system) – connective tissue, called superficial fascia, that in most areas of the face is also closely embedded with the mimetic muscles of the face.
  4. Soft tissue spaces and retaining ligaments – the thickenings of the connective tissue; the retaining ligaments pass through the layers, attaching the soft tissue on top to the bone or to the deep fascia.
  5. Deep fat layer (compartments), present around the eyes, in the mid and lower face, and absent on the forehead.
  6. Deep fascia interwoven with periosteum.
  7. Bone.

Did you know?

The layers also slightly differ between these three regions:

  • The forehead
  • The eyes and the lip and mouth area
  • The rest of the face, lower and middle face.
Every layer changes differently, at a different pace, and so these three areas of the face will also age differently.