What is happening to my face??

[OnTheRoll]

I am in my early 40s and my face appears to be changing in a weird way. I have quite a good skin, very few mimic wrinkles, no sagging - so it's not aging signs as such. But the face shape seems to have become wider, rounder, my eyes are smaller and my nose bigger. I haven't put on weight, my BMI is 20,5 so I have no idea where it is coming from!

I compare my current photos to 4-5 years ago and it's almost like a different person. On zoom calls I can barely see my eyes, they look so narrow and small and my face is huge.

Has anyone come across anything like that? I have no idea what to do! I have been making an effort to try delay looking older - but now instead I am looking uglier.

Could be water retention. Lower salt use, see if it makes a change.

I am quite fond of salty foods so this may be it. I exercise a lot though so would have thought that all extra water gets out via sweating

Have your efforts to delay looking older included botox? In the past I've noticed that using too much left me unable to lift brows as much which then made my eyes look much smaller (and the rest of my face look bigger in comparison).

Particularly noticeable in photos.

Green tea helps with my water retention 😊

Have your thyroid checked.

You're not taking steroids are you?

You're starting to look like your mother?

How is your general health? Cushing's syndrome changes face shape. Not sure if other illnesses do the same.

Apparently noses do get bigger as we age - not sure if they just look bigger due to collagen/fat pad loss as we age or if the bone itself changes.

No, I don't take anything like that

I wish, my mother was much more beautiful than I have ever been!

cushings Disease

General health is good, no complaints. I looked up Cushing's syndrome faces, need to read more

I do use botox (no other injections, no fillers, etc.), about twice a year, don't know if it's too much

Only suggested as I found it did it with me (I have quite heavy brows). It might be a factor if you've started using it between the previous photos and now. Botox makes me look less wrinkled but my features less attractive (unless a very light touch).

As your current batch starts wearing off, leave it a bit longer before redoing and see if it makes a difference (unless you find another cause in the meantime).

My eyes and lips have got smaller and I have what I call "cheek dents".

I am fat but if I lose weight, my face will collapse like a souffle. Scary stuff.

Thanks for sharing Stoic123.
I have had forehead wrinkles all my life, since I was about 20. They were just a facial feature then but with age they became aging hence the botox.* *So I don't think I will give it up. But yes, will observe any changes as it wears off

This is what has happened to me with steroids. I can't even recognize my own reflection at the moment.

This is what I have. I want to cry when I look in the mirror and I am not remotely vain, I just don't recognise myself. Thankfully tapering steroids and I think I am seeing the first signs of it going down now

Under-active thyroid symptom! Get it checked

I have noticed the exact same thing re my face in the last two weeks op. My mum has thyroid issues so I'm going to get tested to be on safe side.
I've just looked at the other symptoms listed and I've got loads of them!

It's really depressing looking in the mirror at the moment.

Our noses and ears continue to grow as we age, so yes, your nose will be getting bigger.

This!

Hi there,
I just happened to see this and wanted to mention an illness called acromegaly. It is caused by excessive growth hormone produced in the pituitary gland.

Acromegaly can cause a wide range of symptoms, which tend to develop very slowly over time.
Early symptoms include:

• swollen hands and feet – you may notice a change in your ring or shoe size
• tiredness and difficulty sleeping, and sometimes sleep apnea.
• gradual changes in your facial features, such as your brow, lower jaw and nose getting larger, or your teeth becoming more widely spaced
• numbness and weakness in your hands, caused by a compressed nerve.

If you have these symptoms you want to see an endocrinologist and have your IGF1 levels checked. It’s probably not this. Acromegaly is a rare disease. Unfortunately that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. It’s worth checking if you have any concerns. The earlier it is caught the more likely it is to be curable!