Does the Face Really Get Longer as You Age?

Hello, I’m Lim Seong-yoon, a board-certified plastic surgeon at Just Plastic Surgery, here to talk about everything related to anti-aging.

During consultations, many people say, “I feel like my face is getting longer.” In many cases, they can actually see that change in the mirror. To put it simply, the face does not literally get longer. However, there are definitely changes that make it look as if the face is getting longer.

If you understand this part, it will also become easier to understand why the midface is important and what direction of improvement makes sense.

Table of Contents

▷ Bone changes and midface hollowing

▷ Fat movement and changes in the center of the face

▷ Ligament laxity and the overall appearance of a longer face

▷ The key to solving it is restoring the midface

A view explaining the structure of the maxilla

1. Bone changes and midface hollowing

As we age, not only the skin changes but the facial bones also change. In particular, as the maxilla that forms the midface is resorbed backward, the center of the face becomes hollow.

That is why many people feel that their face has become sunken even though they have not lost weight. In such cases, it is better to understand it as a structural change rather than simply a loss of volume.

For this part, rather than simply filling, it seems better to approach it by understanding the position of the midface.

A longer face due to aging

2. Fat movement and changes in the center of the face

Many people think fat is simply lost, but in reality it is more common for fat to move downward.

As the fat in the upper cheeks descends, nasolabial folds and jowls appear, while the upper area looks hollow. In the end, the center of the face shifts downward, and the feeling of a longer face becomes stronger.

From my examinations, it is often not that there is simply a lack of fat, but that its position has changed. So rather than filling it unconditionally, it seems better to use an approach that lifts it back into position.

Structure of the skin layers

3. Ligament laxity and the overall appearance of a longer face

The face is supported by ligaments and the SMAS structure, but over time this structure becomes loose.

As a result, the tissues overall descend, and the face appears longer. As this process repeats, the midface drops further and the lower face becomes more pronounced, making the face look even longer.

At times like this, rather than improving only the skin, it seems better to also consider structural lifting.

Before and after thread lifting treatment Before and after thread lifting treatment Before and after thread lifting treatment Before and after thread lifting treatment

4. The key to solving it is restoring the midface

The key to a youthful-looking face comes down to one thing.

👉 A state in which the midface remains short and maintains its volume.

The longer-face appearance that develops with age is ultimately

“the upper part hollows out and the lower part drops.”

So when performing a lift, it is not simply about pulling upward.

👉 It is important to restore the midface upward.

What I have noticed clinically is that when this area improves properly, the facial length itself looks different. That is why I think setting the right direction is extremely important.

Conclusion

The feeling that “my face has gotten longer” is not just a matter of perception, but the result of structural changes.

As the bones, fat, and ligaments change together, the longer-face appearance emerges, and the midface is always at the center of it.

If you understand and approach it based on this principle, you can achieve results that are much more natural and satisfying.

This has been Lim Seong-yoon, director of Just Plastic Surgery, with everything about anti-aging. Thank you.