Do you try to avoid looking in the mirror since menopause?
Sagging, wrinkles, and dullness. Your skin has never looked worse. Even more unwelcome is the gradual change you’ve noticed in your chin and jawline. Your chin looks weaker. You hate looking old, and it’s already changing how strangers treat you.
Accelerated aging is caused by menopause, and one of the most obvious places it shows is in the face – which can affect your confidence and the way you hold yourself. While more and more people opt for cosmetic surgery to correct these flaws, it’s not always the best solution – often calling more attention to your problem areas, or just looking unnatural.
Juvabite is an alternative to surgery that treats the underlying facial changes caused by menopause and aging. But it also helps improve both your sleep quality and your energy levels – both crucial to brightening your appearance. To understand how Juvabite works, it’s important to first understand how menopause causes you to look older.
What Causes Facial Changes in Menopause?
Menopause occurs when your ovaries begin to wind down their function and your menstrual cycle ceases. You may experience hot flashes, night sweats, disturbed sleep, mood swings, and some brain fog. But why does it also affect your looks?
Your ovaries were responsible for ripening an egg and releasing it once a month, but they also supplied the majority of the hormone estrogen. While estrogen is commonly known as a sex hormone – and it’s important in the regulation of your menstruation cycle – it’s responsible for a wide range of processes in the body.
Estrogen regulates your:
- Liver function
- Brain health
- Insulin sensitivity
- Cardiovascular health
- Ability to sleep
- Skin condition
- Bone strength
So a reduction in estrogen production brought about by menopause can have a wide-ranging effect on your body. And one of the most striking is the change in your appearance.
Beauty isn’t skin deep?
A loss of estrogen means that your skin is creating less collagen. Collagen is a vital structural protein that lines your connective tissue. It provides structure and strength to your skin – it’s responsible for skin looking plump and staying elasticated and hydrated.
As the collagen in your skin reduces, the skin on your face begins to look thinner and more papery. This is often most obvious around the lower lid of your eye – a loss of cushioning around your eye socket can lead to darker under-eye circles, wrinkles, and a drooping, tired appearance.
However, women following the menopause are often as concerned with the appearance of their chin and jawline. Although wrinkles and drooping of the skin are usually found in the lower third of the face, many of my patients are more worried about how their chins and jawlines seem to have regressed after menopause. And this has less to do with your skin.
Estrogen is responsible for regulating bone growth and healthy density. When your estrogen levels lower, you become more at risk of developing osteoarthritis. Your bone remodeling ramps up – so some of your bones can change shape. This includes your jawline – affecting the quality and quantity of the bone, and often giving the effect of a receding chin alongside weakening facial muscles. So, while your skin is looking less springy, it’s not helped by the foundations underneath – which can cause thinning of the lips and a weak chin, and wrinkles at the corners of your lips. It can also cause a narrower airway – which can have a negative impact on your health and your sleep.
What Is the Link Between Menopause and Sleep?
Estrogen is important to women in getting deep, refreshing sleep as it aids neurotransmitters such as serotonin. Serotonin synthesizes melatonin – a hormone responsible for regulating your sleep-wake cycle. Menopausal women can experience insomnia, restlessness, waking early, and disrupted sleep. These symptoms of poor sleep can be made worse by an airway sleep disorder, also known as sleep-disordered breathing.
One study recognized that progression through the menopause can increase the chance of developing sleep-disordered breathing. A link is made to obesity, which is a known risk factor associated with sleep apnea. But the leap in prevalence between women aged 30-49 and women aged 50 indicates that menopause is a notable obstructive sleep apnea risk. Postmenopausal women are 3.5 times more likely to have moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnea when compared with premenopausal women.
Your airway narrows as you age, and the bone remodeling of your jaw following menopause contributes further. Sleep-disordered breathing doesn’t just affect your sleep – it has an adverse effect on your overall health.
Airway sleep disorders can increase your risk of:
- Brain fog and poor cognitive ability
- Headache or migraine
- Irritable bowel syndrome or other gut issues
- Autoimmune disease
- Alzheimer’s disease
Fortunately, there is a way to open up your airway for better health and improve the appearance of your chin and jaw: Juvabite.
What Is Juvabite and How Can It Help Me?
The Juvabite system is a unique surgery-free treatment designed to restore the lower third of your face and create a more youthful appearance. Dr. Thomas Romo and I collaborate on your treatment, providing a removable oral appliance to expand your jaw and provide a fuller look, alongside injectable fillers. Juvabite can help you look younger in a more natural way than a standard face lift, as we correct the underlying issue of your rapid aging after menopause.
Juvabite can also help you breathe more easily at night, improving your sleep quality and contributing to a healthier lifestyle. A boost in your energy levels, refreshed sleep, and reduced headaches all help you feel younger and more vibrant.
Menopause doesn’t have to mean you accept all the changes your body goes through. It’s possible for you to feel and look younger – without going under the knife. You can also sleep well at night, without waking yourself or your partner up. If you’re interested in Juvabite, please get in touch – we’d love to help you out in feeling more confident.
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