Facial Fat Atrophy Prevention

Q: Dr. Eppley, I need a question answered about facial fat atrophy prevention. I am 29 years old and have been using tretinoin cream (0.05%) every evening and sunscreen with SPF 30 (Mexoryl) every morning since the age of 20.

Therefore my skin has visually not aged since I was 20 years old and looks even better, firmer and tighter.I would also like to prevent the age-related loss of facial fatty tissue. As a sunscreen from inside, I also eat 2 tablespoons of tomato paste together with olive oil every day, because lycopene is a powerful antioxidant. Now I have read that lycopene also accumulates very strongly in the fatty tissue.

Could lycopene prevent or slow down the age-related loss of facial fatty tissue, because of its antioxidant effect? Could it also protect the connective tissue of the deeper tissue layers of the face? What do you think? Thanks in advance for your reply!

A: I think there is no scientific evidence that taking or consuming lycopene is a useful compound for facial fat atrophy prevention. Such an approach is a theoretical one but no clinical or animal trial has ever proven it. But there is n harm in its ingestion so I would continue to make it as it appears to make you feel more comfortable in doing so.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana