How to Reduce Wrinkles: Preventions and Treatments

Wrinkles probably make it to one of the most dreaded “W” words. The loathing even worsens when they appear on the skin. However, having wrinkles is natural in the skin-aging process. They develop due to the skin losing its elasticity and getting thinner over time. You now have more alternatives than ever to help smooth out wrinkles or make them less noticeable if they concern you.

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What are wrinkles?

Wrinkles resemble folds and lines on your skin. Wrinkles can appear everywhere on your body, but they are most frequently found on your face, neck, and arms.

What causes wrinkles

Everyone gets wrinkles due to skin aging. However, several variables, some of which you can control and others that you cannot, may also cause them to develop too early.

Aging

Your skin naturally becomes less elastic and more delicate as you age. In addition, because collagen production slows down with aging, skin loses suppleness. The loss of natural oils also dries out your skin and accentuates wrinkles.

Loss of collagen and elastin

The dermis, the second deep layer of the skin, comprises blood vessels, fat, nerves, elastin, and collagen fibers. The skin’s suppleness is provided by the elastin and collagen fibers.

The dermis layer produces 1% less collagen annually beyond the age of 20. Intrinsic aging is the term for this process of normal aging.

As we age, the collagen and elastin fibers grow progressively thinner and looser, making our skin less elastic and eventually leading to wrinkles and drooping.

Exposure to sunlight

Early wrinkling is mainly brought on by ultraviolet light, which has the effect of speeding up natural aging. This is because the connective tissue in your skin, composed of collagen and elastin fibers located in the deeper layer of the skin, is destroyed by UV radiation exposure (dermis).

Movement on facial muscles

Small muscular contractions cause lines to form on your forehead, between your brows (frown lines), and protruding from the corners of your eyes (crow’s feet).

The appearance of wrinkles is increased by routine facial emotions like smiling, frowning, squinting, and others—these facial expressions and gravity cause wrinkles to develop over time.

Diet and lifestyle factors

Lifestyle choices like smoking, eating a diet low in nutrients, being exposed to the sun without protection, and not drinking enough water can all hasten the appearance of wrinkles.

Smoking

Smoking can accelerate the skin’s natural aging process, causing wrinkles and other changes to your face. As a result, you are more prone to wrinkles and other aging-related changes to your face if you smoke more cigarettes and for more extended periods.

Premature aging of the skin may be caused by nicotine, other compounds in cigarettes, smoking habits, and other factors.

Types of wrinkles

Although wrinkles can form everywhere on the body, there are several areas where almost everyone will experience the effects of age. There are several different kinds of wrinkles because of this.

Forehead lines

These horizontal lines on your forehead are frequently the result of raised brows. But once more, it is influenced by heredity, habitual facial expressions, and skin tone. Some people even furrow their brows because they believe they have a large forehead.

Worry lines

“Worry lines,” which are natural face creases and lines, belong to a larger class of wrinkles that doctors sometimes call dynamic wrinkles.

High-movement areas of the face, such as the mouth, the forehead, the space between the eyebrows, and the corners of the eyes, are where dynamic wrinkles develop.

Bunnies

Although they may have a cutesy name, they don’t look anything like it. Instead, these creases, often called bunny lines or wrinkles next to the nose, are frequently brought on by repeated facial movements in the region.

Bunny lines are either straight or diagonal. When someone smiles or laughs, they are typically the most obvious.

Crow's feet

The tiny lines in the corners of your eyes are called crow’s feet. Crow’s feet are so named because they resemble tiny, imprinted crow’s feet.

They are tiny wrinkles created when the periocular muscle contracts during facial emotions. Crow’s feet are noticeable in this region, where the skin is fragile and prone to collagen deterioration.

Laugh lines

Laugh lines are facial wrinkles that start at the border of your nostrils and run down to the corner of your mouth. People may also refer to them as “nasolabial folds” or “smiling lines.” Laugh lines develop from repeated activation of the Orbicularis Oris muscle, which helps humans talk.

Lip lines

Lip wrinkles, also known as lipstick lines, smoker’s lines, or lip lines, are tiny vertical lines that develop on the lips of older people. They appear as a series of thin vertical lines on the lips, frequently extending from one side of the mouth to the other. In addition, vertical lines extend from the lip upward toward the nose above. Unlike the ones on your lips, these wrinkles are often deeper and more apparent.

Marionette lines

The lines that run vertically between the chin and lips are called marionette lines, which can cause sagging in the lower region of your face because it’s thinner than the rest of your face. Therefore, the skin surrounding your mouth is particularly prone to wrinkles.

How to reduce wrinkles

Although skin aging is inevitable, today’s information and technologies help people age gracefully. Here are different ways to reduce wrinkles:

Reduce sun exposure

Put on sunscreen if you must be outside in the sun. In addition to helping you avoid wrinkles, it will protect you from skin cancer.

Quit smoking

Studies prove that smoking ages skin, primarily by releasing an enzyme that damages collagen and elastin, two vital skin proteins.

Sleep on your back

Sleeping on your side increases wrinkles on your chin and cheeks, while sleeping face-down causes your brow to furrow. In addition, the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) advises that sleeping in certain positions night after night results in “sleep lines,” wrinkles that become etched into the skin’s surface and don’t disappear once you’re up.

Use moisturizer

Dry skin shrinks supple skin cells, which can cause fine lines and wrinkles to form earlier than they should. When you moisturize, your skin absorbs more water, which helps hide fine lines and wrinkles.

However, before you see any difference in your skin, it can take a few weeks of consistent application of the lotion.

Eat a healthy diet and drink plenty of water

Some proof says that specific vitamins in your diet help keep your skin healthy. Despite the need for more research, eating many fruits and vegetables is a good idea. Another critical step in moisturizing your skin is to drink enough water to sustain your body.

Get enough sleep

Lack of sleep causes the body to overproduce cortisol, a hormone that damages skin cells. Getting enough sleep can increase your body’s production of HGH, making your skin thicker, more “elastic,” and less prone to wrinkles.

Manage stress

Numerous research has looked into how emotional stress affects the skin. For example, chronic stress causes your body to “switch on” receptors that trigger the release of hormones like cortisol and corticosterone, excessive oil production in the skin, and other inflammatory processes.

Treatment options for wrinkles

There are various treatment options for wrinkles. Team Dermatology is one of the best places to go that can help you. Here are treatment options you can and, some of which can be done in Team:

Retinoids

Retinoids, which include retinol, retinal aldehyde (Retin-A), retinyl esters, adapalene, tazarotene, and tretinoin, are substances derived from vitamin A that help improves the texture, pigment, and moisture levels of your skin.

Micro-needling

A device with multiple tiny needles is used to create a tiny wound in the top layer of your skin; this facial rejuvenation process is known as micro-needling. This wound closes in a few minutes, and while your skin recovers, new collagen and elastin are produced.

Team Dermatology offers this cosmetic service for skin tightening but can also be for reducing wrinkles and fine lines.

Microdermabrasion

The thick or uneven outer layers of your skin are gently removed or sanded away by microdermabrasion. Scarring, stretch marks, skin discoloration, and sun damage respond best to this therapy.

Dermabrasion

Your skin’s layers are removed through dermabrasion; this helps target wrinkles or uneven skin depressions—this also aids in giving your skin a smoother, younger appearance.

Chemical peels

Team Dermatology’s Light Chemical Peels is a simple procedure that removes the skin’s outer layer. It can treat dryness and uneven skin tone and eliminate fine wrinkles and acne.

Laser skin resurfacing

Face wrinkles and irregularities brought on by acne or sun damage are lessened with laser skin resurfacing. Short, focused, pulsating beams of light are directed at specific areas of your skin using the laser procedure.

Botulinum toxin type A

Botulinum toxin-derived medications, such as Botox®, are known as neuromodulators or wrinkle-relaxing therapies. This is because they block the chemical signals that drive your muscles to contract.

Fillers

To fill in or lift skin with deep wrinkles, it may need to be filled with filler. The most frequently treated folds are around your lips, nose, and chin. Team offers dermal fillers that can help with your wrinkles. Our dermatology clinics are in Houston and Sugar Land.

Facelift

During a facelift, your doctor will perform surgery to remove extra skin and fat from your face and neck. To minimize the appearance of wrinkles, your healthcare professional will also tighten the layers of muscle and connective tissue.

How long does it take for wrinkle treatment to work?

The time for wrinkle treatment to work depends on the specific treatment done. You might also be required to have several sessions to achieve and maintain your desired results, depending on the severity of your wrinkles and your treatment objectives.

Team Dermatology will assist you in tailoring a treatment plan that should work quickly and according to your goals.

Who gets wrinkles earlier?

Smoking, using tanning beds, and exposure to the sun are all lifestyle choices that can hasten the skin’s aging process. Therefore, people who practice these habits without taking prevention to avoid wrinkles get them faster.

Are wrinkles a health risk?

Additionally, wrinkles can provide some health-related information. Specific indicators of wrinkling may indicate a potential health issue. For example, a potential indicator of a higher risk of high blood pressure is wrinkled.

Don't look your age with Team Dermatology

Wrinkles are a natural part of aging, but you can’t prevent them from showing up to the party too early, and you can even kick it out through treatments when it has already arrived.

Team Dermatology offers treatment options tailored to fit your needs and goals. It may be expected for aging skin, but you don’t have to look your age, especially with the available information and treatments.