Wrinkles: Types, Causes, Precautions, Treatment, & more!

Over time, our television and film industry has shaped our thoughts on beauty and its standards. The perspective has aligned more toward beautiful faces, as it is our face that leaves the first impression on others. Beauty standards are a diverse and inconstant subject and keep changing with time. 

Our face depicts a lot about us, and we never want to see anything bad in it. But despite our efforts and will, our faces can’t stay the same and still all the time. It undergoes a lot of processes and changes eventually. Some things happen to our faces as we grow, like wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, acne, facial hairs, and so on. We can’t battle each and everything and control it but we can try to surpass it. 

Do wrinkles trouble you too? You don’t know how to fight wrinkles? Not to worry, we are here to help you.

In this blog, we will discuss an alarming subject “WRINKLES”, about its types, factors contributing to it, how we can prevent it, and what are the treatment options available.

What are “Wrinkles”?

Wrinkles are creases or folds or ridges that develop on your skin over time due to multiple factors like aging, genetics, environment, dietary habits, and so on. They take the form of fine lines or deeper grooves and generally occur on parts of the body that are often exposed to sun such as the face, neck, hands, and arms. 

As we grow older, our skin becomes less elastic and thinner, which in effect could fail to spring back into a correct position after every stretch or contraction. Bountiful wrinkles are part of the processes involved in natural aging. However, they are subjected to influences caused by the environment and their behavior; thus, treatment options are always available to diminish their appearance.

Types of Wrinkles

Throughout our lives, we witness a variety of lines and wrinkles, including lip lines, wrinkle folds, crow’s feet, forehead lines, dynamic wrinkles, worry lines, laugh lines, marionette lines, bunnies, and so on. 

Skin experts have grouped all these into these broad main categories:

• Dynamic Wrinkles

Dynamic wrinkles are also known as expression lines as they are majorly caused by our facial expression. Squinting, frowning, and other repetitive facial movements are the root cause of these wrinkles. They are typically located near the lips and eyes (crow’s feet).

• Gravitational Folds

Another factor contributing to the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines is gravity. Age and gravity continue to drag everything down, including our skin, as it loses structure and collagen. The skin sags and forms folds on our faces. It especially occurs in face jowls, brows, and upper eyelids of the lower face. 

• Static Wrinkles

Static wrinkles also referred to as wrinkles on the face, are a particular kind of wrinkle that develops even when the face is not moving. These wrinkles usually occur on the forehead and eyelids, but can also be seen on the chest and other areas of the body. Sun damage, repeated facial movements over time, the natural loss of skin elasticity, and the breakdown of collagen and elastin are some of the causes that contribute to these wrinkles.

• Permanent Elastic Creases

Permanent elastic creases or wrinkles appear due to long-term exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. These creases are often seen on the face, around the neck, and on major body parts exposed to the sun for a prolonged time. Apart from exposure, smoking intensifies wrinkle folds. 

Factors that Contribute to Wrinkles

Certain factors are responsible for the development of wrinkles on the skin and need to be considered to be avoided. They are:

• Aging: As we become older, we are more tend to develop wrinkles due to our skin losing elasticity and becoming thinner. 

1. Sun Exposure: The collagen and elastin fibers in the skin are responsible for elasticity and firmness. UV rays from the sun damage it and lead to premature aging.
2. Facial Expressions: Repeated facial expressions can lead to the formation of wrinkles in the facial muscles, which are also known as dynamic wrinkles.

• Genetics: Genetics plays an important role in the development of creases, it determines the pace of aging and how vulnerable you are to developing wrinkles.

1. Smoking: Smoking paces up the process of aging by damaging collagen and elastin and people who smoke are more tend to have fine lines and creases on their skin rather than non-smokers.
2. Lack of Skincare: Poor skincare routine leads to the formation of creases on the skin. Not moisturizing and stepping out in the sun without sunscreen will lead to wrinkles.

• Environmental Factors: Premature aging and wrinkle production can also be caused by exposure to pollution, severe weather, and other environmental stresses.

1. Diet and Hydration: Poor diet and dehydration can lead to the formation of ridges.
2. Skin Type: Dry skin loses its ability to hold moisture and is more vulnerable to harm. Thus it is more prone to creases and wrinkle folds than oily or combination skin.
3. Sleeping Positions: Sleep wrinkles may appear on your face from sleeping in specific positions, especially on your stomach or side with a pillow against it. They can cause sleep creases and cleavage rhytides.

Prevention 

You may desire to have skin that is wrinkle-free but it is not possible to have completely wrinkle-free skin, as it is a part of aging process. However, certain prevention may help you slow down the process.

• • Keep your skin hydrated by regular use of moisturizers and lotions. Make a skincare regime, that includes cleansing, moisturizing, and exfoliating and all.
  • Regular facial exercises will help strengthen the facial muscles and the circulation process which in turn could reduce fine lines and wrinkles.
  • Sun protection is very necessary. High exposure to the sun will lead to ridges, apply sunscreen regularly to avoid it. 
  • A healthy lifestyle plays an important role. Include all nutrients in your diet and stay hydrated. Besides, avoid smoking, and limit alcohol consumption.

• Manage stress to avoid creases. Take a stress-reduction approach like exercises, Yoga, and meditation, or pursue your hobby to relax your mind. 

Medical Treatments

Now you can say BYE! to your wrinkles with certain treatments that are now available owing to the developments in the healthcare industry. Few treatments are permanent but temporary also work in reducing your skin folds. 

1. Prescription creams and serums: You may consult your doctor for lotions, creams, and serums that help reduce fine lines. Your physician might recommend an anti-aging product containing prescription-strength retinoids.
2. Botox injections: With botox injections, wrinkles from repetitive facial expressions can be temporarily lessened in appearance.
3. Chemical peel: Chemical peel is a process in which a solution is applied to the skin, causing it to exfoliate and shed the outer layer, revealing an even and tight skin.
4. Laser: This procedure produces smoother, inflexible skin by using lasers to remove the outer layer of skin and encourage the creation of collagen in the deeper layers.
5. Facial fillers: Some of the most common dermal fillers are JUVEDERM and RESTYLANE. Facial fillers are injected into the skin to smoothen the wrinkles and plump up the skin.

Summary

To conclude, we can say that wrinkles are a part of aging and can develop in different forms. It is impossible to completely avoid wrinkles or fine lines. As the popular saying is “Prevention is better than cure”, you can take precautionary measures like proper skincare, a healthy diet, and exercises, you can reduce it. Still, if you want to have medical treatments for it, there are a lot of options available. Consult your doctor for the best treatment considering your skin type and side effects, and the number of sessions required.

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