Volume loss.

The face ages in all layers: bone recedes at the eye socket, cheekbone, upper jaw and jaw angle, the deep fat compartments shrink, the connective tissue loses tone. In the end the skin is often 'too big' for the scaffold underneath – it folds not because it is lax but because it lacks support.

Typical signs: shadows in the tear trough, flatter cheeks, more pronounced nasolabial and marionette lines, a softer jawline, thinner lips and a receding chin. Depending on face shape they start in the mid-thirties and accelerate in menopause.

That is why modern treatment replaces volume precisely where it was lost – deep, in small amounts, over several sessions – rather than filling lines at the surface. One to four millilitres per session are realistic; 'eight millilitres at once' are not.

This lexicon entry is general information and does not replace the medical consultation required under German law (§ 630e BGB).