What an Aging Face Is Supposed to Look Like

In recent years, the quest for eternal youth has reached unprecedented levels. The notion that we can sculpt and chisel our faces to perfection, defying time itself, is no longer just a pipedream but a tangible reality. Cosmetic procedures like Botox, fillers, and facelifts have rewritten the fabric of aging.

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, between 2019 and 2022, the prevalence of Botox and similar neuromodulators increased by 73 percent. Fillers were not far behind, with younger patients increasingly seeking them out. This obsession with age-neutral beauty raises questions about our society: is it merely a desire to look younger, or is it something more profound?

Vivian Diller, psychologist and co-author of Face It: What Women Really Feel as Their Looks Change, notes that the pressure to transform one’s face has shifted from the 40s and 50s to a much younger demographic – late 20s. But what drives this desire? Is it simply a fear of aging, or is it something more fundamental?

Clare Chambers, University of Cambridge professor of political philosophy, suggests that our fixation on age-neutral beauty stems from a deeper issue: the search for authenticity. We tend to romanticize past selves – the post-college glow-up, the pre-baby body, the pre-menopause face. When we fail to appreciate and accept the present moment, we fall into an existential crisis.

The irony is that in our pursuit of perfection, we may be losing sight of what truly makes us who we are. By constantly striving for a more youthful appearance, we risk erasing the very essence of our identity. We become trapped in a never-ending cycle of self-reinvention, unable to reconcile our inner selves with the outer world.

The consequences of this obsession are far-reaching. We risk losing ourselves and perpetuating an unrealistic and unattainable beauty standard. The constant pressure to conform can have devastating effects on mental health, body image, and self-esteem. Yet we continue to chase the unattainable.

Perhaps it’s time to redefine what it means to be beautiful – not just in appearance but also in substance. As Chambers notes, “If you identify as young and beautiful or a parent or an athlete or a career-oriented professional, and the outer shell of that identity changes, you can fall into an existential crisis.” We must begin to reevaluate our priorities.

As we hurtle towards an uncertain future, one thing is clear: our obsession with age-neutral beauty has far-reaching consequences. Will we learn to accept and appreciate ourselves as we are, or will we continue down the path of self-reinvention? The choice is ours, but the outcome is far from certain.

The face is a canvas, and we are the artists. But what happens when our brushstrokes become more about erasure than creation?