Wrinkle Round Up
Though all wrinkles may look the same to the average person, skin is actually a lot more complicated than that. Being able to identify the different types of wrinkles isn’t just a way to show-up your friends with fun trivia, it can also be essential in learning how to prevent the development of each of these wrinkles.
For many years it was believed that there were only 2 categories of wrinkles. Although we now know that’s not true, most wrinkles can still be separated into these 2 categories:
This category of wrinkles is caused by repeated movement due to the expressions that we make. When we’re young and our skin is firm and full of elastin, these wrinkles appear temporarily as we move our face into certain expressions, such as frowns, smiles, or looks of concentration. As the skin loses elasticity these once temporary expressions become permanent, and can lead to wrinkles like crow’s feet, the horizontal creases in the forehead, the vertical creases between the brows, and all manner of other expression lines.
This category of wrinkles can appear all over the face and are caused by gravity and the folds caused by a decrease in plumpness in the skin. Static wrinkles typically appear as fine lines running parallel to each other, and as the skin ages they tend to display themselves as permanent folds around the lips, cheeks, neck, and even the chest.
5 Types of Wrinkles:
1. Atrophic crinkling rhytids
Atrophic crinkling rhytids are categorized as a static wrinkle and is simply a group of wrinkles (i.e. crinkles) that has developed because the skin has weakened. These wrinkles typically appear as fine lines running parallel to each other, and 1 way of identifying them is by stretching the skin where they appear to see if the crinkles go away. Stretching the skin makes these crinkles go away because they are caused by a loss of collagen and elasticity. The best way to prevent atrophic crinkling rhytids from developing is to avoid things like sun damage and harsh environments, as these are big contributing factors to the loss of collagen. Use sunscreen and keep your skin moisturized, or even add lotions containing AHA or BHA to your skincare routine to help stimulate cell turnover.
2. Dry Wrinkles
Dry wrinkles refer to the dry, thin wrinkles that that appear in fine, parallel lines on the forehead and chest. As the name suggests, these wrinkles appear due to a lack of moisture caused by decreased activity of the epidermal glands, which are responsible for oil secretion. This happens as we grow older, and the lack of oil makes it harder to keep the skin hydrated. The best way to prevent these wrinkles from appearing is to keep the skin moisturized with creams and lotions that will help stimulate the skin’s own ability to produce moisture. You may also be a good candidate for mesotherapy treatments, which injects essential vitamins and nutrients back into the skin.
3. Permanent Elastic Creases
Permanent elastic creases are wrinkles that appear after years of repeated crease lines in the skin. These develop primarily due to a loss of collagen in the skin and most often appear on the cheeks, upper lip, and the horizontal lines at the base of the neck. The appearance of these creases is accelerated by continued exposure to the sun and other factors that attack the production of collagen, such as smoking. The best way to prevent these wrinkles is to avoid sun exposure and to be vigilant about applying sunscreen, even if your skin has a lot of melatonin.
4. Dynamic Expression Lines
Dynamic expression lines, as the name suggests, are those wrinkles that appear due to recurring expressions and facial movements, such as frown lines and smile lines, or crow’s feet that appear at the corner of the eyes. When we’re young, these lines only appear as we make an expression, but as we get older and the skin loses density, they become permanent. A way to help prevent them is to use topical creams that include different types of vitamin A, such as from the ZO skincare range.
5. Gravitational Folds
Gravitational folds are wrinkles that are caused by gravity. As the skin ages it begins to sag, and these lines and creases become more obvious and permanent. The most obvious of these lines are nasolabial folds, the lines that appear from the corner of the nose to the corner of the mouth, and marionette lines, the lines that run from the corner of the mouth down either side of the chin. As these lines are caused by gravity, they are pretty much inevitable, but maintaining the plumpness and integrity of the skin can help hold off their appearance. Though anti-aging cream won’t help, a diet of healthy fats like omega-3 fatty acids will help maintain the suppleness of the skin, and once again sunscreen can help by slowing down the loss of collagen. As well, certain dermal fillers, such as Radiesse, are specially formulated to plump the skin to effectively smooth out the appearance of these folds.
Tips to Prevent Wrinkles:
- Prevention Over Correction: It is always much easier, not to mention less expensive, to be vigilant in preventing wrinkles from occurring in the first place than it is to try to correct them once they’ve appeared.
- Dermal Fillers: The only way to truly prevent wrinkles is to maintain the integrity of the skin, which means helping the skin stay hydrated and producing the proteins that keep it firm. A great way to do this is to have dermal filler injections. Many dermal fillers on the market work because they stimulate cell functionality, either by replacing important substances that have been lost (such as hyaluronic acid) or by using ingredients that promote cell regeneration and collagen production.
- Sun Care: Sun exposure is a harmful external factor that contributes to dehydrated and haggard looking skin. Always use sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or more, and keep your skin covered as often as possible when out in the sun.
- Lifestyle: Lifestyle can also be incredibly influential when it comes to the state of your skin. Smoking can be incredibly damaging to the skin, as can high-sugar diets and excessive alcohol consumption. Skin integrity starts from the inside out, so what we put in our bodies plays a huge role in helping us prevent signs of aging from appearing.
Are there any other treatment option for wrinkles?
Chemical peels and masks:
Though chemical peels and masks cannot replace lost volume under the superficial layers of the skin, they can be very helpful in treating the surface skin. These treatments not only rid the skin of excessive oil and dirt that adversely affect the skin, they also help stimulate cell production, making the skin look youthful and radiant as old skin cells are sloughed off and new ones take their place.
Thread lifts are an effective and long-lasting treatment for wrinkles, and these procedures are much easier and less expensive than getting more permanent surgeries. Like all other treatments, this is more effective before wrinkles become too advanced, as they are primarily recommended for skin that has minimal sagging.
Though aging is an inevitable part of life, there are many things we can do to delay and prevent the appearance of wrinkles in our skin. The most important part is to be vigilant and to make your skin health a priority instead of an afterthought. This includes speaking to a dermatologist about options such as dermal fillers and thread lifts before you start to notice the signs of aging, as these treatments are all more effective in preventing wrinkles as opposed to making them disappear when they are already pronounced.