Runner’s face is a term used to describe a condition in which the skin on your face sags due to the loss of underlying fat tissue as a result of excessive running. This is a growing concern, as a tenth of Americans run or jog for exercise a hundred days in a year.

Plastic surgeons believe that runner’s face is also common among people who spend most of their time outdoors. A closer look at this condition reveals that the gaunt look is not caused by the exercise, but by loss of facial fat, and excessive exposure to sunlight. Thus, patients with sagging faces can be a concern for any Portland plastic surgeon.

The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) noted how this condition can result from free-radical damage on skin. When not hindered by any kind of ultraviolet radiation protection, sunlight bombarding the skind can cause healthy cells to split, resulting in the creation of free radicals. These unstable cells can steal precious energy from healthy cells, which may result in wrinkles and other afflictions.

Even if exposure to sunlight is healthy at the wee hours of the morning, surgeons say the skin will still take some damage from the exposure. One plastic surgeon even remarked this as “a downside of running”. Especially when unprotected, runners often get sunburns on their faces, increasing skin cancer risk.

However, you must never trade the benefits of running for timeless beauty. If you must run in the daylight hours,, never forget to put on sunblock with a Solar Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 30. It’s also advisable to lose no more than two pounds a week so that the skin has enough time to adjust to the reduction in cutaneous fat. Likewise, formulate your diet to include food rich in lycopene and carotenoids.

In fact, it’s not just running you need to be concerned with. Runner’s face can also occur from brisk walking, biking, mountain climbing, and other activities. Have your sunblock handy if you are the outdoorsy type.

A visit to a Portland Oregon cosmetic surgery facility, like the Portland Face Doctor facility, may also be in order. Practitioners can use a simple filler to restore the youthful look to sagging areas.. Even fine lines can be made to disappear with this treatment.