Can you fix a Diet Face?

[AntoinetteSatterwhite]

Ugh, I didn't even know 'Diet Face' was a thing that existed until I googled - thank you, Daily Mail Femail section - but the incredibly annoying truth is, it's my face right now.

I'm in my early 40s and I've lost 40lb over the past year, going from an overweight BMI to a healthy one. I'm back in my pre-kids clothes! It's been a slog, I should feel great - and I do! - but above the neck, it's like I've aged a decade over the past couple of months. I've lost volume in my face to the point where I look gaunt and lined, especially around my eyes.

Will putting on a little weight restore volume? Or maybe those collagen supplements all over FB? Or should I just accept this is my face now?

Someone IRL suggested I look into Botox and fillers, but I've never had them before and I'm giving them the (crinkly) side-eye.

Sadly I'm sure I am not the first person to lose a load of weight, pat themself on the back then look in the make-up mirror and feel deflated in more ways than one. If you have been in this position, has anything worked well for you?

do some face yoga, some fasting to induce autophagy (which tightens loose skin), eat the right supplements, and some daily face massage!

Fillers will add volume, Botox paralyses muscles, which won’t help much.

Putting on a bit of weight will help though.

I lost nearly 30lb at 50 and felt my face suffered a little. The wrinkles and lines did improve by themselves over about a year, as did the crinkles on my thighs and arms (stomach not so much!) However, the game changer was filler, with a light hand, to replace the fat I'd lost. I showed my doctor what I'd looked like before as a guide as I only wanted to go back to that, not look puffy, and she did the rest. I was very pleased.
And yes, putting on weight would address it too. But the consensus of opinion is that I look ten years younger at this weight. I also feel great, light and sprightly, so filler was the right choice for me.

Well done for losing the weight, please don't keep seeking out things to be unhappy about with your looks. Be proud of the achievement you have accomplished and get on with enjoying your healthier body.

Oh OP! Congrats on your weight loss.

Out of the things suggested, here are my thoughts:

Botox - doesn’t fill the sagging space, only prevents new wrinkles due to ageing.

Fillers - yes possibly, but from someone reputable. Throw money at it if going this way.

Massage - no, anything which moves/stretches the skin will worsen laxity.

Collagen supplements - no, these are a scam.

Under the eyes - how about caffeine eye masks/creams for a (very) short term fix?

They say you need to choose between arse and face when it comes to weight loss!
I bet you don't look half as bad as you think. I remember thinking I looked gaunt a few years ago when I lost a couple of stone but looking back now at photos of me then I looked perfectly healthy! A lot of it is what you've trained yourself to think seems familiar.

Up your skincare game - retinol, vitamin C and a good moisturiser are the basics. Retinol will eventually thicken your skin which is really helpful as we age. Vitamin C will give you a glow and moisturiser will give you some elasticity back.

Agreed if you go down the filler route ( no shade from me - I have botox and lip filler) to throw money at it and go to someone with a good rep who does a lot of middle aged women

I lost 3 stone and looked gaunt, sunken cheeks etc, I gained one back and now look fine, I am in the middle of a healthy bmi though I wouldn't recommend to become overweigh (no idea where you are sitting weight wise).

I think part of it is getting used to it, part of it will be the fact you have actually aged in the last year too.

I have lipfillers so have nothing against procedures but do lots and lots of research, I see so many women with strange faces after filler. make sure you like the work they do and be prepared to pay.

Look at HIFU.

Great another thing to beat women with and make them worry about their looks!

I’ve had to change both my haircut (shorter) and my makeup (less and warmer) as I’ve got older. I haven’t had any Botox and fillers but haven’t ruled it out.
But agree with people saying not to be critical of yourself. I told someone I look more like a horse as I get older and they laughed and told me I’m ridiculous and their reaction has really cheered me up.

It's just your new face, it's a perfectly good face, and in time you'll get used to seeing it. Well done on the weight loss, that can't have been easy.

I agree with PP on accepting the way you look. I was trying to be helpful with my practical suggestions, and I hope I didn’t come across as age-phobic. An ageing face can be beautiful and elegant in it’s own way.

Give yourself some time before despairing. Your body has shifted lots of fat around. Give it a year to see if your face gets a bit fuller - I bet it will. It did for me. After a year if you still don't like it and have the cash, get some filler.

I think what we need to get rid of is this rhetoric. You did the right thing for health losing weight from an overweight BMI to a healthy one. Thing is being overweight is so normalised (and so are fillers) now people can lose sight of how a normal healthy face actually looks. I think the journalists that accuse people of 'diet face' quite frankly have their own agendas and for some reason want to sabotage others achieving a healthy BMI.

Thank you all for being so nice. There are plenty of helpful and practical suggestions here: I must admit, I am particularly keen on the idea I should just sit back a bit and give this poor ol' face some time to fill out again. That's the kind of low-maintenance fix I like

I disagree that diet face is the same as having a slim face. After I lost weight I looked like I'd been ill. Hollow eyes, just wonky and washed out. But it came back OK.

I will accept we should not all be so self obsessed as long as we are healthy. But at the end of the day, if someone doesn't like the way they are ageing and they have the cash to go to a decent doc or dentist who does non surgical intervention, I can't really see the harm.

But at the end of the day, if someone doesn't like the way they are ageing and they have the cash to go to a decent doc or dentist who does non surgical intervention, I can't really see the harm.

Societal expectations have a huge affect on the way we see ourselves. Look at the different 'interventions' that are normalised across different cultures. From foot binding to extending neck length.

So it is my conclusion that health is a major consideration when looking at interventions even non surgical ones.

The health risks of a qualified doc sticking some filler in a cheek are pretty non existent.

Foot binding permanently and painfully disables women and girls for life.

The two are so different that it is pretty disrespectful to compare them.

Do I think societally we should pressure women in to thinking they have to stop themselves ageing? No, of course not.

Do I get het up if an individual woman wants a harmless procedure to make herself feel better? Nope.

Is it like footbinding? Of course it damn well isn't.

A little bit of filler by a qualified practitioner will give you heaps of confidence, it doesn't really hurt and lasts ages.

Put on 3 or 4 lbs. Do it eating foods like avocado, salmon, nuts, and eggs. Eat a bunch of orange food while you're at it: pumpkin, sweet potato, carrots, etc. That will work better than fillers.

Maybe try a moisturising skin tint to give you a bit of glow. Bit of mascara, under eye concealer and lipstick/gloss will give you a lift. Cheaper than filler, and will give you time to get used to your “new” face.
It’s a real shame to not like your face after not liking your body.

Diet face is totally a thing. Not something I would bring arsed about though. But it works in the same way as excess skin on your body. Its like a deflated balloon that doesnt return to the original shape. The only thing that 'fixes' excess skin is surgery to remove it or putting weight on again to fill it back up. No amount of avocado oil or whatever nonsense you can buy in a bottle will tighten up excess skin. Fillers work by pumping 'stuff' back into your face to inflate it back up again.

It depends where you gain the weight. Unfortunately when I gained 4 lbs over Xmas it missed the memo that it should go directly to my face and decided to stop off at my stomach, where it liked it so much it took up residence until I lost it again.

duckduckgo.com/?q=peta+face+exercises&t=iphone&iax=videos&ia=videos&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D83CYiw9crQQ

Face exercises if you have a spare 10 mins in the morning.

I have diet neck - it looks a good 10-15 years older than the rest of me!