WRINKLES

WHY DO WE GET WRINKLES, AND WHAT ARE THE CAUSES?

If you’re sitting there wondering “Why do we get wrinkles?”, It might help to understand some of the more common causes. In addition to a loss of muscle power, and a reduction in your collagen and elastin, lifestyle factors and genetics play a role.ultraviolet rays (skin, sun, UV)

EXPOSURE TO TOO MUCH UV LIGHT

One of the more natural causes of wrinkles is exposure to UV light. Whether it’s spending too much time in the sun because of your job or topping up your tan with a sunbed before your next holiday, UV light is the most common cause of early ageing.UV light permeates through the upper layer of your skin, the epidermis, into the lower layers, which is called the dermis. Once there, it breaks down your collagen and elastin fibres, which in turn provides less support to the skin above. As a result, you’re more likely to encounter wrinkles.Wrinkles on the face

REPEATING CERTAIN FACIAL EXPRESSIONS

Have you noticed that your forehead is wrinkled? Forehead skin often features, wrinkles due to frowning and raising your eyebrows. Similarly, you might start to see wrinkles around your eyes because you’re smiling and laughing a lot. Or, they will settle around your mouth from smiling, pouting, or forming a sulky expression.

SMOKING AND WRINKLES

Smoking is terrible for many areas of your body, and your skin is one of them. With each cigarette you smoke, you speed up the ageing process. Medics believe this is because the nicotine in your cigarettes causes your blood vessels to narrow. When the blood vessels are serving your face narrow, you start to encounter skin wrinkles.

WHO IS AT HIGHER RISK OF THE CAUSES OF WRINKLES?

Whether it’s due to the way they live their lives or hereditary factors they can’t control, certain people are more at risk of wrinkles than others.

Your Genes Play A Role

Unfortunately, if your parents developed wrinkled faces at an early age, you’re more likely to. Of course, this depends on whose genes you’ve inherited. Dermatologists believe this is more likely if your mother aged early.

Eating A Bad Diet Will Increase Your Risk

When you eat food that’s low in antioxidants, you’re not providing your body with the weapons it needs to combat pollutants. Whether you live in an urban or rural area, you come into contact with pollutants daily. Not incorporating enough fruit and veg into your diet leaves the free radical pollution forms to create wrinkles. Similarly, not adding enough lean protein to your diet makes it difficult for your body to produce collagen and elastin.

Having A Poor Skin Care Routine

Whether you want to know how to get rid of under-eye wrinkles or how to get rid of wrinkles around the mouth, you may find that having a poor skin care routine accelerates the process. Examples of a poor skin care routine can include not removing your makeup at night, using the wrong products, or taking an inconsistent approach.

Leading A Stressful Life, With Little Sleep

Today, many people lead busy lives that cause them to feel stressed. At the same time, either their stress will cause them to struggle to sleep, or they actively sleep less to fit in more work. Sleep is the time when your skin has an opportunity to rejuvenate. If you’re not getting enough, your cells don’t have a chance to heal from the day’s activities, causing wrinkles to settle in. Similarly, exposure to too much stress releases a hormone called cortisol, which speeds up cell death.

HOW CAN YOU PREVENT WRINKLES?

Unfortunately, you can’t stop the ageing process, and factors such as your genes are uncontrollable too. However, you can take some of the lifestyle factors that have been mentioned above and change them to prevent wrinkles.

TAKE A SENSIBLE APPROACH TO UV RAYS

Seeing as UV ray exposure is a leading cause of wrinkles, you need to limit your exposure to them. Spending half-an-hour a day in the sun is enough to get your daily dose of Vitamin D. If you spend longer outdoors, try using sunscreen and sunglasses that protect the skin around the eyes. Finally, switch using a tanning bed for a fake tan.

TRY FACIAL EXERCISES

While the jury is still out on whether facial exercises will help reduce skin wrinkles, some cosmetic experts swear by them. You may want to mimic the actions of a professional on YouTube.

EAT A BETTER DIET

Adding more lean protein to your diet helps your body produce collagen. As for fruit and vegetables, some dietitians like to use the expression “eat a rainbow.” In simple terms, this means eating a variety of colours, so you introduce a broad range of skin-protecting antioxidants to your diet.

REDUCE STRESS LEVELS

Although many people see stress as unavoidable, there are ways you can reduce your stress levels. First, try recognising what the stressful situation is and see if there are ways to change it or remove yourself from it. You might also want to try breathing exercises, daily meditation as a prophylactic measure, and exercising to burn off excess cortisol.