[News] Facial aging that begins in your 30s is not a skin issue, but a matter of “biological traits”

Facial aging that begins in your 30s is not a skin issue, but a matter of “biological traits”

Dr. Kim Hak-young’s Aton column

After entering your 30s

some people hear that they “look older than their peers.”

Even in actual clinical settings,

quite a few patients visit with similar concerns.

Many people think this is simply an issue of skin elasticity or

wrinkles,

but in reality, more fundamental factors are at work.

It is often described as “structure,”

but a more accurate term is “biological traits.”

This does not simply refer to the shape of the facial bones.

It includes skin thickness, elasticity, the amount of soft tissue,

the distribution of fat, and even the strength of the tissues

that support them.

Ultimately, each person is born with different conditions,

and these differences

begin to become noticeably apparent after the age of 30.

Genetic traits are often

compared to a “loaded gun.”

Which traits a person is born with

is already determined,

but the timing and intensity

with which they actually become apparent

are determined by lifestyle habits and the environment.

For example, exposure to ultraviolet rays, sleep, diet,

whether or not one exercises,

and other factors affect hormonal balance and tissue condition,

creating completely different impressions even among people of the same age.

One of the questions patients frequently ask is:

“Is this a skin problem,

or a structural problem?”

In clinical practice,

these distinctions generally do not function as completely separate concepts.

In most cases, multiple factors are intertwined.

Therefore, what is important

is not a simple either-or distinction,

but the process of accurately determining

which factors are the primary causes for each individual.

Depending on the case,

resolving just one key cause

may significantly improve the overall impression,

but when several factors act simultaneously,

meaningful change may require approaching each one step by step.

Ultimately, the direction of care

depends on how precisely the causes are analyzed,

and based on this analysis,

it is important to establish a realistic range of possible improvement.

Many people also expect to improve elasticity through cosmetics or home care,

but this too has clear scientific limitations.

To produce a meaningful change in the human body,

a certain level of stimulation—

in other words, a range in which an effect can appear—

is necessary.

However, products or devices generally available on the market

must meet safety standards,

so in most cases they cannot exceed this range.

In other words,

it is difficult to expect changes on the level of restructuring the tissues themselves

through everyday care alone.

Nevertheless,

the importance of basic care remains substantial.

Sun protection, moisturizing, a balanced diet,

sufficient sleep, and regular exercise

are not ways to reverse aging,

but are the most reliable ways to slow its progression.

Ultimately, aging is not the result of a single factor.

It is the result of innate biological traits combined with lifestyle habits.

Understanding these complex factors

will be the first step toward choosing a more realistic approach to improvement.