We've been hearing the term "Runner's Face" on various talk shows a lot lately, but this condition has been around as long as people have been strenously exercising, running for fitness or extreme dieting for weight loss. Dr. Brian S. Glatt, a board-certified plastic surgeon in New Jersey, explains the skinny, Skeletor-esque look that often develops.

"Runner’s face generally occurs in both men and women ages 30+ who exercise to improve their body, and in doing so end up with a skeletal and bony face. When exercising, an athlete burns off fat beneath the layers of his/her skin. The marked loss of fatty tissue results in a loss of volume in the face which leads to a prominent appearance of the bones, accelerated development of skin laxity and deepening of wrinkles. Though you may look like a 20-year-old from the neck down—your face will easily give away your age".

Give it away or excellerate it for certain! But what can be done to prevent this horrific effect? The answer is a healthy diet, preventive care, and a specific facial exercise routine designed with "Dynamic Tension" to combat the affects of the constant and exaggerated gravitational pull experienced while running or during strenuous exercise.

The low fat or no fat diets that often accompany many of these athelete's exercise regimens, further exasperates the condition, as well. The body needs fat, preferably good fat in small amounts, daily to keep the skin looking healthy and the hair lustrious. Following a healthy well-balanced diet while exercising is essential in combatting this dreaded look.

And let's not forget that most runner's (and biker's for that matter) do so outdoors. Extrinsic aging is responsible for most of the visible signs of prematurely aged skin. With repeated exposure to the sun, the skin loses the ability to repair itself. Healthy, nourished, well protected skin, produces both collagen and elastin, but as we age this process slows down and is dramatically accelerated by repeated exposure to the sun's harmful rays.

It is essential to limit the skin's exposure and to protect it while it is being exposed by using protective clothing, and a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF (sun protection facor) of fifteen or higher that contain both a UVA and UVB protection applied liberally and often during excercise.

This may not be so easy while running or bikeing a marathon or long distance, and so reapplying is often overlooked.

Visit www.facialfitnesssystems for more information and tips on how to prevent and reverse the effects of "Runner's Face".

Author's Bio: 

Patricia Goroway is the founder and president of Facial Fitness Systems, Inc. A world-wide company devoted to the health, beauty and well-being of all woman and men who wish to improve their facial appearance naturally and safely without the use of harmful chemicals or risky surgery. She has been teaching facial exercise and massage techniques for nearly 15 years and is the author of the best-selling health and fitness books, "Facial Fitness" and "Facial Fitness Vol.2, Barnes & Nobel Publishing. Patricia has taught thousands of clients how and why to exercise the muscles of the face and neck, what to look for in all aspects of skin care and especially, what to avoid. She has hundreds of certified instructors around the globe spreading this message and teaching her techniques. From doctors to aestheticians, these instructors are professionals devoted to the goal and vision of her company and that is to educate as many people as possible to the wonderful benefits and rehabilitative properties of exercising and massaging the muscles of the face and neck, and for her clients to seek natural alternatives whenever possible in all aspects of their lives. For more information on how you can join their team as a certified instructor, please visit www.facialfitnesssystems.com.