Wrinkles and Aging: What to Know

Wrinkles and aging seem like they go hand in hand, but they don’t have to happen together. Learn what causes wrinkles and what you can do about them.

How Do They Form?

According to Cleveland Clinic, wrinkles form largely due to aging. While there are many contributing factors listed and explained below, just getting older makes them more likely. As you get older, your skin cells start dividing more slowly. The middle layer of your skin, known as the dermis, starts to thin, reducing elastin and collagen. This results in depressions on the surface of the skin.

The Types of Wrinkles

Healthline reports that there are generally only two classifications of wrinkles:

Dynamic: These happen from facial movements that get repeated. For example, you might wind up with lip lines if you frequently pucker up around a straw in your drinks.
Static: These happen from elasticity lost over time while gravity takes over. Jowl wrinkles are usually static.

What Causes Them?

According to WebMD, there are multiple causes of wrinkles:

Aging
Facial expressions repeated too much
Heredity, as certain families are just known to wrinkle more than others
Skin type—individuals who have blue eyes and light-colored skin are at higher risk of damage from the sun
Smoking
Sun exposure, which can affect everyone to some degree

How to Prevent Them

As you can tell, you have absolutely no control over some of the factors. However, there are steps you can take to manage your risk. Mayo Clinic advocates for the following actions:

Avoid smoking, but if you are a smoker, quit now if you can while there’s still time for improvements to your skin texture and tone
Enjoy a healthy diet, since certain vitamins in fruits and veggies seem to offer human skin protection through nutrition
Moisturize your skin to trap water inside to prevent lines, creases and wrinkles
Use skin-care products that have at least SPF 15, but a sun protection factor of 30 is even better
Consider that sun protection involves more than sunscreen: you should also wear protective clothing when you spend time outdoors midday

How to Treat Them

Wrinkles might seem like an unavoidable part of aging, but according to Medical News Today, treatment options are possible:

Medications include topical retinoids derived from vitamin A to increase collagen production inside the skin
Dermabrasion and microdermabrasion are procedures using technology to remove wrinkles and other skin imperfections
Botox blocks chemical signals that make muscles contract
Chemical peels make dead skin both shed and peel off, causing smoother, regenerated skin
Facelifts, also known as rhytidectomies, can improve the appearance of wrinkles
Fillers can be fat, hyaluronic acid or collagen to plump and smooth out deep skin depressions

Each of these options has risks and potential side effects.

Bottom Line

Having read this article, hopefully you know quite a bit more about wrinkles than you did before. Use this information in your own life to address any wrinkles you may have or prevent ones you don’t want.