The Most Common Causes of Wrinkles and How to Prevent Them

We all fear for that day – that day, we will start to show wrinkles on our faces. And we usually don’t have much time before that starts to occur. The average person starts to form wrinkles around the age of 25.

From a young age, we’re told to wear sunglasses to prevent squinting, not to frown so we don’t get frown lines and told to drink plenty of water to take care of our skin.

But why do wrinkles occur in the first place? Is there a way to reduce wrinkles and keep healthy skin forever?

Keep reading to learn about the root causes of wrinkles as well as wrinkle reduction and preventing wrinkles!

What Are Wrinkles?

Ah, the big question! What are wrinkles? We know they are lines on our faces and bodies, but what are they really? 

A wrinkle is a crease, a fold, or a ridge that forms on or in the skin. Many times, wrinkles first occur where there are natural folds or creases in the skin, like near your wrists and on your face where you smile.

Wrinkles begin to form as the skin becomes thinner over time. As you age, the skin’s elasticity also begins to fade, which means that the skin will not go back to its normal shape. Instead, the reduction in elasticity causes the skin to begin to wrinkle.

But what causes this reduction in elasticity? Let’s dive deeper.

The Loss of Elasticity 

When you are born, you have plenty of collagen and elastin in your body, which are both proteins that allow your skin to change and stretch (like when you smile or furrow your eyebrows).

As you age, you lose elasticity in your skin all around your body. That’s because hormonal changes affect our ability to produce these proteins, which leads to a reduction in skin elasticity. 

But that’s not the only reason you may experience a loss of elasticity! Depending on your lifestyle, you may have a reduction in the production of natural oils from the sun, smoking, pollution in your environment, and more!

What Are the Causes of Wrinkles, and Can They Be Prevented?

Now that you know what wrinkles are and how they scientifically form over the years as we age, you may be curious about what causes wrinkles.

While the loss of elasticity is a big cause of wrinkles, that is not the only thing that affects how our skin changes over time. Here are a few things to look out for.

Sun Exposure 

Too much exposure to sunlight throughout your life can prematurely lead to wrinkles.

The radiation from the sun speeds up the aging process because it breaks down your skin’s connective tissue (the collagen and elastin discussed earlier). This connective tissue lies deep within our skin, and without it, the skin loses strength and flexibility. That is when wrinkles begin to form.

While you can’t fully avoid the sun, there are steps to take that can reduce how the sun affects your skin. Here are a few tips to follow from a young age to reduce the effects of the sun on your skin:

• Wear a hat when you spend a lot of time outside in the sun to protect your face
• Wear sunglasses to prevent squinting from the sun (which can cause other wrinkles)
• Wear sunscreen
• Protect your skin with clothing that covers most of it, preferably SPF clothing

Smoking

Another common cause of wrinkles is smoking. Smoking causes a premature aging process to occur as well.

However, it also affects your body in other ways that can lead to wrinkles. For instance, nicotine in cigarettes causes the blood vessels in your body to narrow, which impacts the oxygen flow throughout your body. When this occurs, you are also preventing essential nutrients from getting to your cells.

Not only is that part of what causes the wrinkles, but the chemicals in cigarettes can also trigger events in your body that damage your natural processes that allow for collagen and elastin to repair your skin.

Smoking also involves lip pursing, which is a second-hand reason for wrinkles in the area around the mouth. The heat and the smoke that you are constantly around can also affect your skin by drying it out.

So how can you prevent this all from happening?

If you are a smoker, the best thing you can do is quit. It can be difficult to quit, so you can start slow and wean off. If you do not smoke, do not start!

Pollution 

Sadly, the more our world becomes polluted, the worse off our skin will be. Pollution has so many chemicals floating in the air that affect us in so many ways – including our skin which can cause premature wrinkles.

While you cannot do much for the pollution that is already here, you can do your part to help reduce pollution in your area as well as take trips (or even move if that is possible) to areas that have cleaner air.

Poor Nutrition 

Poor nutrition can lead to more wrinkles for several reasons. For starters, if you are not getting enough water, your body will be dehydrated. The drier your skin is, the more likely you are to get wrinkles over time.

Be sure to drink plenty of water per day – at least 8 glasses.

In addition, excess sugar and fats can wreak havoc on your body, like its ability to process through the chemicals you are putting into it. When this happens, your skin can have a bad reaction, like producing more harmful oils, breaking out in acne, and can cause general inflammation. 

Stick to healthy foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, organic meats and eggs, and avoid dairy.

Repetition of Facial Expressions

When you smile a lot or squint a lot, you are putting your facial skin in the same position that has creases and lines. You add grooves to your skin underneath every time you do this. While you may not see them when you are young, over time, they will continue to form as the elasticity reduces.

Our advice wouldn’t be to stop repeating these expressions because smiling is healthy! You can wear sunglasses to reduce squinting; however, for the most part, you can try to use natural supplements and skin treatments to reduce the likelihood that wrinkles will form from the repetition of expressions. 

Wrinkle Reduction Treatments

If you have taken all of these steps and still have wrinkles, there is still hope through wrinkle reduction treatments.

There are a few options you have to choose from.

Neurotoxins and Dermal Fillers 

For starters, you can choose to do a neurotoxin like Botox. If you do that, you would receive an injection on the site of the wrinkles to replenish the natural compounds in your body that smooth out lines and wrinkles.

Most of the time, hyaluronic acid is used as part of the injection for dermal fillers, and can sometimes stimulate the production of collagen as well.

This is a quick and easy way to reduce the look of wrinkles.

Plasma Pen

A plasma pen is a minimally invasive treatment that targets areas of the skin that have wrinkles. It tightens and smooths the skin around the area by stimulating the production of collagen. Another name for this would be fibroblasting.

This is most commonly done on the face and neck areas. 

Laser Treatments

Laser treatments do the same thing as the fillers and the plasma pen, however, it is instead done with a laser.

These treatments are able to get deep into the skin to stimulate collagen production to tighten the skin to reduce the appearance of wrinkles.

All About Wrinkles

After reading this article, you now know everything you need to know about wrinkles – the causes of wrinkles, how you can reduce the likelihood that wrinkles form, and what you can do for wrinkle reduction treatments for healthy skin.

Whatever you choose, it is important to talk to your doctor about your options!

Here at Zero Gravity Aesthetics in Northern Kentucky, we want to help you get back to your younger, healthier-looking skin! We have been around for over 5 years and only have the best team of doctors for you.

If you are ready to change your life and get back to looking (and feeling) like your younger self, it may be time to book an appointment for one of our services. Contact us today to get started.