What Causes Face and Skin Wrinkles?
While no product can give you
wrinkle-free skin, the first step in finding the right anti aging products for
your skin to minimize wrinkles is to understand what causes wrinkles.
For many of us, the most common
anti aging skin care concern is the formation of wrinkles and the need to find
an appropriate anti wrinkle treatment. However, the best cream, serum or
treatment to help you reduce fine lines and wrinkles may actually depend on the
cause of your wrinkles. Once you know that, you can help prevent these signs of
aging.
Genetic factors can lead to fine lines, wrinkles and even deep lines. This
process typically begins during the 20s, so it’s best to start using anti aging
and anti wrinkle products when you’re younger to prevent the signs of aging and
keep skin youthful-looking. With age, the body’s collagen production slows;
elastin, the substance that causes skin to be able to “snap” back into place
from a furrowed or wrinkled state, begins to lose some of its flexibility; and
cellular turnover rate decreases. All of these changes—along with the skin’s
decreasing ability to combat the damage from UV rays, which we’ll discuss in
the section on fading age spots–are unavoidable as we age. Together, these
changes cause the skin to sag and look less full, which makes wrinkles more
visible. Of course, your genetic makeup has a great deal to do with how you
age. But using a complete skin care regimen, leading a healthy lifestyle and
finding an effective anti wrinkle treatment at the first signs of aging can
make a big difference.It’s a safe bet to take a look at your family. If their
skin is still smooth at an older age, you likely have a great genetic makeup
for younger looking skin. If you do, then it’s about making wise decisions
about skin care and lifestyle to preserve the skin that your genes already want
to keep looking young.
The hormonal changes that occur before and during menopause have a significant
impact on the skin and contribute to the development of lines and wrinkles
on the face and body. That’s true for women who aren’t genetically
predisposed to the signs of aging and wrinkles early on, as well as for women
who use an effective anti wrinkle skin care regimen. Estrogen is the key to
this process. Estrogen is the hormone that encourages and controls collagen
production, which keeps the skin firm, soft and supple. During the years that
lead up to menopause (the late 20s to the mid-40s), the body continues to
produce skin-enhancing estrogen. However, it produces it in lower and lower
quantities. After menopause, collagen production begins to decrease
significantly. In fact, in some studies, skin has been shown to lose up to a
full 30% of its collagen in the first five years after menopause.
When estrogen decreases and a
dramatic drop-off in collagen production accompanies it, skin can become more
fragile and thin with increased wrinkles and sagging. Acne breakouts and facial
hair growth may even occur as a result. Because the face has a high
concentration of estrogen receptors, skin changes due to hormonal shifts may be
the most visible on the face, primarily in the form of deep creases, dull tone
and a “crepe-like” texture. While women can’t avoid menopause, living a healthy
lifestyle and using products that hydrate and strengthen the skin can help
minimize its effects. When the signs of Hormonal Aging do begin to appear, look
for products that hydrate and firm the skin, which is specifically formulated to address the signs
of Hormonal Aging.
Environmental Factors and Free
Radicals Can Cause Wrinkles
Every day when we go out into the world, we’re exposed to pollutants and UV
rays that form free radicals in our bodies. Free radicals are unstable oxygen
molecules that are missing an electron. Because free radicals have only one
electron, they scavenge them from other molecules, causing a chain reaction.
This battle between free radicals damages cell functions and, more importantly,
activates the metalloproteinases that break down collagen. While minimizing
exposure to UV rays helps, it’s nearly impossible to avoid free radicals
altogether since most of us are exposed to pollution and toxins on a daily
basis. But antioxidants like Vitamin C and Vitamin E, which are nature’s
warriors against free radicals, can counteract their effects. Eating foods that
are rich in antioxidants and using antioxidant infused skin care products, can help fight the impact of enviromental aging on the skin.
Smoking Can Causes Wrinkles
Smoking cigarettes is obviously detrimental to your health on many levels. In
addition to all the side effects you’ve already heard about, cigarettes contain
over 400 types of toxins that trigger biochemical changes in the body that
accelerate and intensify aging. In fact, studies have shown that a person who
smokes ten cigarettes a day for ten years or more is more likely to develop
deep wrinkles and leathery skin than a nonsmoker. In one pinnacle study,
researchers were able to identify smokers simply by looking at the wrinkle
patterns on their faces. If you smoke even a little, you’re doing an immense
amount of damage to your body. For the sake of your skin and your overall
health, it’s best to quit smoking entirely. If you have trouble kicking the
habit on your own, there are many forms of medical assistance available to
help.
Repetitive Facial Patterns Can
Cause Wrinkles
A lifetime of making the same facial expressions over and over again can cause
lines and wrinkles. Each time you use a facial muscle, a groove forms beneath
the surface of the skin. For example, repetitive squinting causes frown lines
on the forehead and crow’s feet around the eyes. As the skin ages and elastin
decreases, the skin stops “springing” back to its original, line-free state, and
the grooves that were once below the skin become fine lines and winkles in the surface of the skin. To
minimize wrinkles caused by squinting, wear sunglasses or a hat whenever you’re
outside during the day. And be sure to minimize stress—which causes frown
lines–whenever possible to help prevent your facial expressions from becoming
permanent lines and wrinkles.
Gravity Can Cause Wrinkles
Gravity has been pulling on your skin for your entire life, and when elastin
production breaks down in your 50s, the signs of gravity’s effect on your skin
become even more evident. While one of the most obvious effects of gravity on
your skin is an overall drooping of the skin on your face, the deepness of your
wrinkles will increase as well.
While time and age
eventually cause wrinkles to form on your face, there are a number of
preventive lifestyle choices that you can make to minimize this impact. These
include limiting sun exposure and preventing sun damage; living a healthy,
smoke-free, low-stress lifestyle; and incorporating antioxidants into your diet
and skin care. When the inevitable signs of aging do begin to appear, using
skin care products that combat and compensate for the decrease in collagen
production and the declining effectiveness of elastin can help keep your skin
youthful-looking, healthy and firm.