Wrinkles in Women and Men | Crow's Feet, Laugh Lines and Frown Lines

Wrinkles

The main thing people think about when you mention aging skin or mature skin is wrinkles. Wrinkles occur when our skin doesn't snap back into shape the way it used to. All of us will develop wrinkles but each of us will develop them differently and for different reasons. Some of the earliest wrinkles people tend to develop are the so-called crow's feet or laugh lines around the eyes. People can also develop frown lines between the mouth and nose. We also tend to get deeper wrinkles on the face, for example, what are called glabellar lines - the lines that develop between the eyebrows.

There are two basic things that effect how our skin handles aging. Dermatologists use the terms intrinsic and extrinsic aging. Intrinsic aging is controlled by the genes we inherit. It is the natural aging process. Extrinsic is caused by the environmental factors we encounter as we age. It involves things such as sun exposure and smoking.

Intrinsic Aging Factors

Even though our skin actually starts to age in our mid-twenties, it takes years for the results to start to show up. It starts when our bodies produce less collagen and elastin. Those are the substances that give our skin fullness and let our skin snap back into place. We also slow the turnover process. We don't produce new skin cells as quickly and as a result don't get rid of old ones as fast.

Intrinsic aging results in many things as we age, they can include:

• Dry itchy skin
• Sagging skin
• Fine wrinkles
• Less sweat
• Thinner skin

Intrinsic aging is controlled by the genes we inherit.

Extrinsic Aging Factors

There are a number external forces we encounter, and things we do in our lives, that speed up the aging process. The one at the top of the list is sun exposure. Others include:

• Smoking
• Gravity
• Squinting and other facial expressions
• Sleeping positions

All of these things can have an affect on your face. Diet may also play a role. For example, a study found that people who ate a lot of vitamin C-rich foods had fewer wrinkles compared to people whose diets contained very little Vitamin C. This study also found that people who ate diets rich in the omega-6 fatty acid linoleic acid also tended to have less skin aging, less dryness and less thinning of the skin.

Sun Damage and Wrinkles

The American Academy of Dermatologists uses the term photoaging to describe the damage done by the sun. The damage that is done over the years depends on a number of factors from how dark our skin is naturally to how often and how much sun exposure we get. The more sun we get the more damage that is done and the less ability that the skin has to repair itself. People who have gotten a lot of sun exposure when they are young may look prematurely aged. The skin can take on a leathery look with deep wrinkles. Sun damage can result in age or liver spots, freckles, reddish patches of skin called actinic keratoses (which are considered precursors to skin cancer) and skin cancer. This is why sun protection is so important.

Smoking and Wrinkles

The chemicals in cigarette smoke cause numerous changes in our bodies. Studies have shown that people who smoke develop older skin sooner and develop more wrinkles than people who do not smoke. Also, studies have shown that people who smoke tend to develop a yellowish tinge to their complexion.

More wrinkle causes

Gravity isn't something you can do a lot about and it does tend to affect everyone equally. But it is an external force that is acting on our skin. As our skin loses elasticity things start to fall. We can develop jowls and our eyelids can droop.

Facial Expressions and Wrinkles

Remember when your mother said, "Some day your face is going to freeze that way." Well there is some truth to that. Facial expressions we constantly use result in grooves beneath the skin. When we get older and our skin doesn't bounce back as easily those grooves become permanent, resulting in wrinkles. So the earlier you stop squinting and furrowing your brow the better.

Sleeping Position and Wrinkles

We spend about a third of our lives sleeping. The position we sleep in affects the skin on our faces. We can develop what are called sleep lines, the result of our faces lying on the pillow for hours each night for years. Sleep on your side and you can develop them on your chin and cheeks. Sleep on your stomach and face and you'll probably develop them on your forehead. Sleep on your back and you'll avoid sleep lines.

Wrinkle treatments

There are many anti-aging treatments that can be used to prevent or reduce the appearance of wrinkles and help give you younger looking skin. Some, like liposuction or face-lifts, don't work on wrinkles. But others can. These include:

• moisturizers - moisturizers can help to plump up the skin to reduce the appearance of fine lines
• exfoliants - exfoliants such as alpha hydroxy acids and tretinoins such as renova can be used to treat fine lines
• Botox - Botox can be used to relax the muscles to treat deeper wrinkles
• dermabrasion and micro-dermabrasion - these procedures basically sand away the topmost layer of skin, resulting in a fewer fine lines
• plasma skin regeneration - uses nitrogen plasma energy to stimulate the skin
• augmentation - augmentation with comestic fillers such as Restylane, Juvéderm, ArteFill, Radiesse and other treatments can help to fill in wrinkles and fine lines
• laser resurfacing - which uses a laser or high-intensity light to vaporize superficial layers of facial skin
• facial plastic surgery - this type of surgery can include a face lift, forehead or brow lift and eyelid lift
• Thermage - which applies radiofrequency heat to the skin

You can read more on these topics in aging skin treatments.

We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information:

verify here.

Thank you for visiting. Be sure to tell a friend and bookmark this page so you can return.

Updated May 2008

Site Map | Skin Care Resources