Does your face get less puffy as you get older?

Author: Oral Franecki  |  Last update: Thursday, January 22, 2026

Aging: As you age, the skin loses elasticity, and the underlying muscles weaken. This can contribute to a more puffy appearance in the morning. Lymphatic Drainage: The lymphatic system helps drain excess fluid from tissues. Sometimes, issues with lymphatic drainage can lead to facial puffiness.

Will my face get less chubby as I get older?

As we age, we lose some of the fat beneath our skin, which also contributes to a loss of structure as well as making skin thinner and more translucent. So yes, we lose facial fat naturally.

How do you stop your face from puffy with age?

Preventing a puffy face
  1. stay hydrated throughout the day.
  2. avoid consuming foods high in sodium, especially late at night.
  3. limit alcohol.
  4. elevate the head slightly during sleep.
  5. identify and avoid allergens, where possible.

Does your face get flatter as you age?

Loss of muscle tone and thinning skin gives the face a flabby or drooping appearance. In some people, sagging jowls may create the look of a double chin. Your skin also dries out and the underlying layer of fat shrinks so that your face no longer has a plump, smooth surface.

Does aging cause a puffy face?

As you get older, your face can get puffy due to changes in fat distribution, muscle tone loss, and fluid retention. Aging skin becomes less elastic, which can cause sagging and puffiness. Additionally, factors like diet, sleep, and overall health can contribute to this puffiness.

The #1 Reason for a PUFFY and BLOATED Face (How to Fix it)

At what age does your face change most?

In your 40s, your ageing skin can become drier, making lines and wrinkles more pronounced. You continue to lose subcutaneous fat, but not equally from all areas. Fat pads around the cheeks and above the mouth are generally the first to go, followed by fat from around the sides of the mouth, chin and jawline.

How long does it take for puffy face to go away?

Facial swelling can range from mild to severe. If you have slight puffiness upon waking that goes away in a few hours, it's probably not a cause for concern. But facial swelling that lingers or gets worse over time could mean there's something else going on. Random facial swelling always warrants medical treatment.

What ages your face the most?

Exposure to light is a top cause of premature aging: Sun exposure causes many skin problems. Ultraviolet (UV) light and exposure to sunlight age your skin more quickly than it would age naturally. The result is called photoaging, and it's responsible for 90% of visible changes to your skin.

What age do you lose the most face fat?

Love or hate your facial fat, time will eventually whittle it, without your input or permission. In fact, after age 30, we lose around three cc's of facial fat per year, Chang says. This isn't always a bad thing, mind you.

What age do women's looks fade?

On average, women were found to have a decline in attractiveness by 10.4 points per decade and a decline in femininity by 7.59 points per decade. The most precipitous drop was found over the age of 40 for women.

Why do I suddenly look so old?

Sun exposure - UV radiation from the sun is the #1 cause of premature aging. It damages collagen and elastin in the skin, leading to sagging, wrinkles, and age spots. Poor skin care - Not properly cleansing, moisturizing, and protecting your skin can accelerate aging.

What does cortisol face look like?

The swelling can make your face look round and puffy. Moon face is a common side effect of corticosteroid use and a symptom of certain health conditions. Although harmless, the condition can affect your self-esteem. The medical term for this is moon facies, but other people call it cortisol face.

What makes a woman look older than her age?

Skin: Things like excessive sun damage, liver spots, and enlarged pores are common foes that age our skin quicker than we'd like. Another thing that may affect your skin and make it look older is an uneven complexion caused by loss of collagen and elastin.

Why do women's faces get wider as they age?

As the face ages, the tissue and bone changes create more of an upright triangle, with a wider jawline, instead of an inverted triangle, with wider cheekbones and narrower chin—the traits of a youthful appearance.

Can you regain fat in your face?

It is not possible to specifically target the face when gaining extra weight naturally. However, gaining weight overall can help people achieve a fuller facial appearance. Working out the facial muscles can make them stronger, which may make the face appear fuller.

Can sunken cheeks be reversed?

If the sunken cheeks are caused by a medical condition, treating the underlying condition may help improve the appearance of the cheeks. If the sunken cheeks are caused by ageing or genetics, treatments such as dermal fillers, fat transfer, and facial implants may be recommended.

Will my chubby cheeks go away when I get older?

Youthful skin has fat compartments evenly distributed balancing the cheeks, temples, forehead, eyes, mouth, jawline and chin areas. As we age, we lose fat in the deep fat compartments. This results in facial volume loss and a sliding shift downwards on your face.

How can I restore the volume of my face naturally?

Making specific lifestyle changes, such as protecting your skin from the sun, quitting smoking, maintaining a healthy diet, staying hydrated, and getting enough sleep, can help support long-term facial volume restoration.

How to slim your face?

This article outlines seven effective tips that may help prevent and reduce excess facial fat.
  1. Practice cardio exercise. Share on Pinterest Marco Govel/Stocksy. ...
  2. Reduce alcohol consumption. ...
  3. Drink more water. ...
  4. Get more sleep. ...
  5. Improve overall diet. ...
  6. Reduce salt intake. ...
  7. Perform facial exercises.

What face shape ages the slowest?

Round cheeks (round face)

“Round-faced people tend to look younger for longer than others as they store fat in the cheeks and keep it there for a youthful appearance. “Therefore, dull and sagging complexions will take longer to develop on round faces.”

What age looks best?

For the U.S., the average for men and women came a bit older than the mean, with 31 being the most beautiful age for women, and 34 for being the most beautiful for men.

How can you tell if you are aging well?

  • You have strong social connections. ...
  • Physical activity is part of your lifestyle. ...
  • You eat a Mediterranean diet. ...
  • You engage in meaningful activities. ...
  • You sleep at least seven hours a night. ...
  • You have a positive outlook. ...
  • You are conscientious. ...
  • You are doing the right things for your brain.

Does drinking water reduce puffy face?

There are lots of things that you can do to try and reduce facial swelling, ranging from drinking plenty of fluids, especially water and green tea, rollering your face, splashing your face with cold water and sleeping on your back.

Why is my face puffy as I get older?

With age, that fat loses volume, clumps up, and shifts downward, so features that were formerly round may sink, and skin that was smooth and tight gets loose and sags. Meanwhile other parts of the face gain fat, particularly the lower half, so we tend to get baggy around the chin and jowly in the neck.

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