Are you young enough, But Still get wrinkles on your skin? Well, no doubt, the occurrence of wrinkles on the skin is a natural phenomenon which shows signs of aging but do you know that there are other reasons too for getting wrinkles and in fact, it may affect your skin at your young age making you look more aged than your actual age. Due to lack of some useful information and facts regarding wrinkles or due to some of the unhealthy lifestyles people develop wrinkles at their early age.
Wrinkles actually appear in that area of the face where the skin of a person folds naturally. It may be due to facial expressions (like frowning, smiling, etc.), or it may occur at a young age too as a result of dehydrating skin, or skin losing or reducing its essential nutrients, oil or moisture, or due to the skin becoming thinner which makes the skin losing its elasticity causing the skin to get folds and crease formations on the skin.
Let’s study more about what wrinkles are? Why do they occur? What are the causes of getting wrinkles on the skin? How to avoid wrinkles and many more things about wrinkles through this article.
What exactly wrinkles are?
Wrinkles also named as “rhytide” are small and thin folds or ridges or creases which are formed on the skin as a result of contraction or shrinkage of the muscles beneath the skin primarily because of aging.
At a young age, skin leaps back to its original position but as a person attains age, their skin is likely to become loose, thinner, and drier and starts losing elasticity. This means that with growing age skin becomes less liable to defend itself from damage.
Fibroblast cells produce new elastin and collagen which are responsible for constantly healing and repairing the structure of skin but, over time, skin loses its flexibility due to decreasing amount of collagen in the middle layer of skin or dermis and a dropping amount of fat in the deepest skin layer. With continued and regular exposure to unhealthy or damaging factors, the connective tissue of the skin becomes disordered which ultimately leads to a decline in the ability of the skin to self-renew. With deteriorating skin’s strength, wrinkles begin to appear on the face and other body parts.
People with varying skin tones are affected differently by wrinkles. This is because with varying skin tones structure and functioning of skin vary too. Scientific researches have proved that Asian people and Black people have thick compact dermis which is more likely to fight against facial wrinkles.
Types of Wrinkles
Many of us are well aware of laugh lines, crow’s feet, deeper fold, and fine crinkle lines. But, there are four categories in which wrinkles and creases can be categorized:
Expression Lines / Dynamic Lines
As the name suggests, these wrinkles are the cause of facial expression such as frowning, smiling, and can be observed in the form of laugh lines, crow’s feet, etc. like the muscles of other body parts which are connected to bones, the muscles on face are not connected to bone instead they are connected to the skin tissue.
When any facial expression (say smile) is made these muscles lying under the skin expand and contract which results in the formation of a temporary crease.
Crinkle Lines / Atrophic Crinkling Wrinkles
Crinkle lines are also known by another name called “Atrophic Wrinkles”. This kind of wrinkle appears like deep vertical parallel lines in the middle of eyebrows on the forehead usually while furrowing the eyebrows.
Gravitational Folds
As a person attains age, the loss of elastin and collagen makes the skin losing its flexibility as a result skin begins to appear saggy. This Sagginess and wrinkles go hand in hand i.e., they are accompanied together.
These folds and lines prominently appear on the chin, neck, and lower part of cheeks- jowls. Since wrinkles are associated with exposure to the sun, the body parts which receive sun rays more suffer the wrinkle lines the most.
Permanent Elastotic Creases / Elastic wrinkles
These wrinkles are the result of excessive time being spent in the sun. Due to exposure to the sun, the ultraviolet rays deplete the layer of skin making it thin which causes the formation of deep and fine lines. These lines usually occur at those points where creases on the skin form naturally.
How Wrinkles affect appearance?
Wrinkles are generally related to growing over age and to some extent this is a reality and scientifically proven too as wrinkles are a result of decreasing strength and elasticity of skin due to loss of collagen and other essential fat from the skin over a period of time. These creases give an older and aging appearance to the face, giving a look of saggy and loose skin making a person look older than the actual age.
But sometimes these creases to certain facial points adds beauty while giving certain facial expressions like crow’s feet which are also known as “Joy lines” adds charm to the face and smile lines adds beauty to the smile. Eye crinkle adds a feel of something genuine to the looks of a person.
Causes of wrinkles
Aging is what we thought of is the cause of wrinkles. But is aging the only factor which causes wrinkles to appear on an individual’s face? There can be many other causes that lead to early crease lines and wrinkle development.
The tendency to be affected by wrinkles in the future also depends upon genetic, biological, and environmental factors too. It varies from body to body such as heavily weighted people tend to develop fewer and much later wrinkles than slimmer people because they have a sufficient amount of fats stored beneath their skin layer which makes it a bit strenuous for the skin to get folds and crease line formation.
Here are some factors which can cause your skin to become more vulnerable to acquire wrinkles at an early age.
Exposure to the Sun
The ultraviolet radiations radiated from sun lead to the breaking down of the elastin fiber and collagen inside the skin. These fibers act as connective tissue and support the skin. As the fibers break down, the skin loses its strength and starts drooping down causing wrinkles and folds in the skin.
People who are more exposed to sun rays develop a high chance to get wrinkles before age. Though it varies from one skin tone to another skin tone.
Dark skin is rich in melanin which acts as a protection from many ill effects of UV rays.
Alcohol Consumption and Smoking
Alcohols dehydrate the skin and dehydrated skin is more susceptible to acquire wrinkles whereas cigarette smoking reduces the supply of blood to the skin leading to accelerating aging.
Dehydration
A reduced amount of moisture in the skin is one of the major causes for getting an early wrinkle as moisture holds the skin tightly and more firmly making it more elastic.
Repetitive Facial expressions and Movements
Repetitive and frequent facial movements and expressions like frowning, smiling, laughing cause contraction in the Skin. With time these muscles stop relaxing and continue to contract for longer leading to folds and creases in the skin.
Simple ways to avoid wrinkles
Adopting a healthy lifestyle and healthy choices
One can easily delay wrinkles by choosing a healthy and improved way to life such as:
- Consuming a healthy and nutritious diet.
- Reducing sugar intake.
- Staying hydrated.
- Giving up a cigarette and smoke intake.
- Exercise
- Reducing stress
- Giving adequate rest to the body.
Cutting on sugar, smoking and boozing, stress reduction, and physical exercise are the very small yet result-generating habits that will reduce the aging effects in the body.
Protecting and Repairing
One can avoid exposure to the sun as even incidental exposure to the sun too counts and adds. But, giving protection to the skin can work by making a habit of wearing hats, sunglasses, wearing on skin sunscreen lotions, and making it a part of our daily clothing to fight against harmful rays.
Many antioxidant creams and serums such as Vitamin C can help fight with everyday skin damages and in repairing the skin damages.
Avoiding Crease causing Postures
- Avoid the habit of squishing the face into the pillow.
- Don’t rub your eyes repeatedly.
- Avoid your chin, forehead, and cheeks to rest in your hands.
- Reduce unnecessary facial expressions which make creases on your skin.
Choosing the products as per your skin condition
Analyze your skin type and use products which satisfy your skin needs. For example- if you have started feeling sag commencing on go for Vitamin C-based serums and Retinoid to fight against sags. Similarly, if you feel your skin getting dry go for some good hyaluronic acid which moisturizes and boosts up the elasticity of the skin.
How to treat wrinkles?
Today, many techniques and treatments are available to assist you in lessening the fine line and crease formation on the skin. Below are some of the treatments to add youth to your face by reducing the wrinkly appearance.
Facelift
A facelift is also called “rhytidectomy”. It is basically a kind of surgery in cosmetics that helps people look young. This surgery removes some fat and facial skin which may or may not involve tightening the tissues beneath the skin.
Chemical Peels
Chemical peel treatment includes the application of the chemical solution on the required areas of the face or body which makes dead skin go shed-off from that specific area and peels the dead skin off. The newly regenerated skin is likely to be much smoother than the pre-existing old skin.
Medications
Retinoid also commonly called vitamin A is a nutrient that our skin eats which provides nourishment and reduces fine lines and wrinkles by leveling up the production of collagen in the skin.
Wrinkle creams vary in ingredients, type, and concentration. People may observe minute changes in the skin from some of the medications listed below:
- Kinetin
- Alpha hydroxy acids
- Anti-oxidants
- Copper peptides
- Retinol
- Coenzyme Q10
Fillers
Fillers are injections for filling soft tissues and these fillers involve collagen, fat, and hyaluronic acid. Many cosmetic professionals inject these fillers deeper into face wrinkles which smoothen and plump them out giving more volume to the skin.
Botox
Botulinum toxin of type A, also called Botox is a drug that is derived from a special toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. This toxin can prove to be life-threatening as it causes botulism- a kind of food poisoning. But, it is used by Doctors in small doses in the form of medicine which is used in treatment for reducing wrinkles.
Botox or Botulinum toxin obstructs those chemical signals which cause contraction of muscles. It is used as a treatment by Doctors in smoothing the wrinkles of the face giving a young appearance.
Botox is used by cosmetic professionals to lessen facial folds and wrinkles by giving small doses of it in the form of injections into the targeted or selected muscles. If the targeted muscles can’t be tightened anymore, it causes the skin to flatten which gives a smoother and less wrinkled appearance to the face.
Botulinum toxin is effective in decreasing the creases on the forehead, the crease lines between the brows, and even the “crow’s feet” near the eye’s corner.
Conclusion
It’s natural to get wrinkles on the body and face as a person shows signs of age. Many people get frustrated and tense about their appearance but remember it is a sign of getting more mature and wise too. The more the number of years you have lived, the more the knowledge and experiences you have accumulated.
One should be sure of taking care of their skin by adopting a healthy lifestyle, habits, and food which will automatically add strength, prolonged elasticity, and auto-replenishment of skin nutrients. But remember, wrinkles can be delayed but can’t be avoided. So embrace the changes which your skin undergoes naturally as growing older.
“Wrinkles can be viewed as an art rather than viewing it as an imperfection”.