How Do We Get Lines & Wrinkles?

Wrinkles are a natural part of the ageing process and are usually found on sun-exposed skin such as the face, hands and neck. We all know that if we could look ten years younger; we would, and often lines and wrinkles can be a telltale sign of your actual age!

I’ll run through some of the causes of lines and wrinkles on the face and what you can do about them.

Types of Wrinkles

There are four types of wrinkles; dynamic, atrophic crinkling rhytids, permanent elastic creases and gravitational folds.

1) Dynamic Wrinkles

These wrinkles are formed through your daily expressions and facial movements. The movement of the facial muscles causes the overlying skin to move which results in creases and lines forming on the skin. So, whenever you’ve squinted your eyes, frowned or grinned for the camera; you are contributing to the formation of these dynamic wrinkles.

These are usually found on the forehead, nose, eyes and mouth.

2) Atrophic Crinkling Rhytids

Atrophic Crinkling Rhytids are small lines on the skin (usually the neck and body), which disappear when the skin is stretched. They are caused by the loss of collagen and elastin in the body.

3) Permanent Elastic Creases

These are permanent lines, which do not disappear when the skin is stretched taut. They are common around the upper lip and cheeks. A big cause of these is smoking. Pursing your lips together to smoke a cigarette can cause characteristic signs of smokers lines around the lip.

4) Gravitational Folds

Gravity plus age minus collagen and elastin equals sagging and wrinkling. These lines are more obvious on leaner faces with thinner skin and can be attributed to pulling forces of gravity, which cause the skin to sag.

What Causes Them?

A few of the common offenders are UV exposure from sunlight, smoking, gravity and movement of the facial muscles:

• It’s difficult to control certain factors such as gravity and you cannot stop moving your face completely but smoking and sun damage can be avoidable.
• UV exposure activates the free radicals within the skin to break down the collagen and elastin, which provide the scaffolding for plump and firm skin structure.
• Smoking can cause an immense amount of damage to the body but focussing on the skin; it can cause deep wrinkling and a dull complexion in general.
• The nicotine in cigarettes causes narrowing of the blood vessels in the outermost layers of your skin and therefore impairs blood flow to your skin. With less blood flow, your skin doesn’t get as much oxygen and important nutrients. Oxygen and nutrients are required for skin cell growth and turnover, which means a lack of it can cause a dull and unhealthy appearance.   

How Do I Prevent Them?

To prevent wrinkles it always best to ensure a good skincare regimen which consists of Vitamin C + E products, Retinols and an SPF cream (SPF 30+). 

These are all essential for the prevention of UV damage and the maintenance of collagen and elastin. Other habits such as stopping smoking and avoiding peak daylight hours are also crucial for wrinkle prevention.

Below is a list of methods, which could help prevent the formation of wrinkles:

• Prescription topical vitamin A retinoids
• Prescription topical antioxidants (Vitamin C and E)
• Over the counter wrinkle creams
• Laser skin resurfacing
• Chemical peels
• Microdermabrasion
• Microneedling

How Do I Treat Them?

Once wrinkles are formed it is a case of treating them as the damage has already been done.

Botox is a great way to eradicate or soften lines and wrinkles on the face. They work best of dynamic wrinkles, as their main mechanism of action is to freeze the facial muscles. If the muscles are less active it means that the overlying skin is also static.

Blog Post by Dr Hemani Gill

To return to the main site, simply click here.