All you need to know about wrinkles.
How are wrinkles formed?
Their appearance is influenced by factors such as solar radiation, genes, hormones, the passage of time, fat, and bone loss. Wrinkles are the first sign of skin aging.
They appear around the age of 25, and over time there are increasingly of them.
But why exactly wrinkles appear?
Wrinkles are a breakdown of the skin structure and the underlying “skeleton” formed by collagen and elastin fibres. Young skin has no wrinkles, because it is rich in collagen and elastin, which create an ordered, elastic structure, which is a kind of scaffolding for the skin responsible for its proper tension.
It also has enough hyaluronic acid, a natural subcutaneous “filler”. But over time, these substances decline, their quality also deteriorates, and there are also fewer ingredients that stimulate their natural production – for example, vitamins A, E and C.
When the amount of hyaluronic acid under the skin decreases, and collagen and elastin are degraded (thus gradually diverge), they stop supporting the skin, which begins to collapse at this point.
The rate at which it depends primarily on your genes, but it is also influenced by other factors – exposure to UV radiation, lifestyle, care, and even skin type. Dry and sensitive skin ages faster than oily and combination skin (dryness promotes wrinkles), wrinkles also appear faster in slim women, who have little reserves of adipose tissue.
When do wrinkles appear?
The skin begins to age at around 25 years of age. However, earlier expression lines (not related to the aging process) may appear.
Around the age of 30, “crow’s feet” can form in the corners of the eyes, a decade later – wrinkles between the eyebrows, on the forehead, as well as furrows running from the mouth towards the wings of the nose. 50-year-olds may already have drooping cheeks, wrinkles will also appear on the neck. Flaccid skin with a visible net of wrinkles (which is related to the atrophy of the subcutaneous tissue) is observed by women aged 55 and over.
Due to the cause and rate of formation, wrinkles are divided into:
Mimic wrinkles
Otherwise, dynamic – they appear most quickly and are the result of movements of the facial muscles. When we express any emotions (e.g., laugh) the muscles alternately contract and relax.
At first, wrinkles are visible only during facial expressions, but with time (and subsequent smiles or grimaces) the skin loses its ability to fully relax, and the lines of expression become permanent. The areas of the mouth, eyes, eyebrows, and forehead are most vulnerable to this type of wrinkles – that is, all those that wrinkle when expressing any emotions.
This type of wrinkle is not related to the natural aging process of the skin.
Gravitational wrinkles
Their causes are the gradual aging of the skin and the action of gravity. These are deep lines that appear when the skin loses its elasticity and firmness. They form around the eyelids, on the neck and on the cheeks.
Structural wrinkles
In other words, sun wrinkles. They appear in people who like to expose their face to the sun (or use the solarium) and are usually accompanied by pigmentation disorders. Each type of wrinkle can be further divided depending on the depth they reach. Superficial wrinkles do not exceed half a millimetre deep and are most often located around the eyes. Deep wrinkles, on the other hand, are horizontal or vertical lines on the forehead, cheeks, lower face, and neck.
Sleep wrinkles are caused by squeezing the skin of the face during sleep. They are most often asymmetrical and appear near the eyes, at the temple, on the cheeks, forehead, as well as on the neck and décolleté.
During the day, sleep wrinkles become smoother in people with firm and elastic skin. With age, however, lines and creases become permanent.
What accelerates the formation of wrinkles?
The rate at which the skin ages depend both on genes (which are beyond our control) and on many other interrelated external factors. The most important ones are UV radiation, stress, tobacco smoke, because they create free radicals in the skin, i.e., unpaired, active oxygen molecules, responsible for many destructive processes, including the destruction of lipids and proteins in the skin cell membrane.
As a result of this process, cellular enzymes that affect the work of collagen and elastin are damaged, which in turn accelerates the destruction of both fibres. Skin exposed to free radicals ages faster than genes would suggest.
Irritation (e.g., with aggressive, drying cosmetics) can also accelerate aging. There are losses in the lipid coat, and then the skin is exposed to the sun and free radicals.
Stress destroys the skin in another way – it releases cortisol (also known as the stress hormone), which damages collagen-producing fibroblasts, which also contributes to the degradation of this fibre. And cigarettes – nicotine and toxins contained in the smoke mean that the supporting fibres of the skin cease to form an ordered structure, and in addition, estrogens break down, which makes the skin more flaccid than it would appear from the metric. In addition, from the constant inhalation of smoke, radial wrinkles, so-called wrinkles, form around the mouth. smokers’ wrinkles, crow’s feet also appear faster as a result of squinting.
When it comes to internal factors, sex hormones, apart from genes, play the greatest role in the formation of wrinkles. This is especially true in menopausal women: when the ovaries stop working, the production of estrogens, the female sex hormones, decreases. These hormones work, among others on the skin, specifically on collagen-producing fibroblasts. When their level decreases, the amount of collagen also decreases, so the skin becomes less elastic and its density decreases.
What are the treatments for mimic wrinkles?
In the case of shallow, fine mimic wrinkles, chemical peels can bring good results, intensively exfoliating the skin with a carefully selected mixture of chemical compounds, i.e. acids with a certain concentration. However, it must be remembered that the main application of peels is to stimulate the skin to rebuild.
These treatments are not recommended as typically anti-wrinkle treatments.
The most popular method that effectively reduces mimic wrinkles is botox. The injection of a small amount of botulinum toxin into selected facial muscles causes their relaxation, which smooth the mimic wrinkles on the forehead, the “lion’s wrinkle” between the eyebrows becomes shallower, and the so-called “crow’s feet” around the eyes are reduced.
Treatments for gravity wrinkles
In the case of gravitational wrinkles, regular Natural Face Lift Massage is an effective alternative or complementary treatment to cosmetic surgery and injection procedures. It combines acupressure, Indian and Japanese facial massage as well as lymphatic drainage. It is also known as Facial Rejuvenation.
An effective treatment for Structural wrinkles
Exceptionally good results in reducing sun wrinkles can also be achieved with the use of Laser therapy or CPL. These are recommended especially for people with the first signs of photoaging, with shallow wrinkles and superficial skin discoloration.
An effective treatment For the Sleep wrinkles
Microneedle treatments will help in combating this type of wrinkles.
This method improves the elasticity and density of the skin and activates the natural regenerative processes.
Types of wrinkles by depth
The types of wrinkles can also be classified according to their depth. According to this division, we can distinguish surface wrinkles, the depth of which does not exceed 0.05 mm, and deep wrinkles – more than 0.05 mm deep.
The surface wrinkles are mimic wrinkles in the initial stage, and deep wrinkles – vertical wrinkles and horizontal furrows. Of course, it should be remembered that neglected surface wrinkles can turn into deep wrinkles over time.
That is why it is so important to use preventive anti-aging treatments, such as laser or CPL skin rejuvenation, Microneedling, and chemical peelings that regulate the regenerative processes of the skin.
The skin is aging naturally.
The ongoing changes are genetically determined, but also depend on many external factors, including excessive exposure to solar radiation, inadequate care, or the use of stimulants. Fortunately, many changes can be slowed down or even undone (e.g., remove discoloration, smooth wrinkles), and anti-aging treatments are a fantastic way to regain a youthful appearance and self-confidence.
Anti-aging – what are rejuvenating treatments?
Anti-aging treatments are one of the most dynamically developing areas of aesthetic medicine.
Their main goal is to slow down the aging process and minimize its effects.
Not everyone is aware of the fact that the first wrinkles appear on the skin after the age of 25. Therefore, proper care and prevention at an early age is very important. Specialists emphasize that the way you care for the skin of 20-year-olds often determines their appearance in their 50s.
Of course, the rate of aging is influenced by many factors, including lifestyle, health problems (e.g., hormonal disorders) or unhealthy diet. Regardless of the cause of the deterioration of the skin condition, anti-aging treatments are an effective way to revitalize the skin.
What exactly are the treatments mentioned?
Their task is primarily to stimulate natural regenerative processes. Anti-aging treatments have a positive effect on the synthesis of collagen and elastin – proteins that constitute the “scaffolding” of the skin.
Anti-aging treatments are most often performed in the area of the face, neck, and cleavage, but also hands, breasts, arms and abdomen, leading to smoothing the skin, firming it and rejuvenating it.
Anti-aging treatments – an overview of the most popular treatments
The number of anti-aging treatments is huge. At my salon clients can choose, among others, laser treatments, CPL skin rejuvenation, microneedle, chemical/fruit peels, Natural Lifting Massage, or treatments with the use of revitalizing and lifting threads. Below we discuss the most popular of these treatments.
Laser treatments that stimulate regeneration
The action of laser treatments from the anti-aging group comes down to causing microdamage to the skin. For this purpose, a fractional laser is used, the light of which reaches the deep layers of the skin and heats up in a controlled manner and damages cells.
The result of the treatment is the stimulation of the natural regenerative processes of the skin and its reconstruction. As a result, the patient can enjoy a rejuvenated, smooth skin with a delicate lifting effect.
Chemical peels for skin reconstruction
Chemical peels used in anti-aging treatments contain mainly acids in appropriately high concentrations. The most commonly used are glycolic, lactic, and almond acids, but also retinol, a substance with proven anti-wrinkle properties.
Treatments of this type consist in exfoliating the top, callous layer of the epidermis. The treatment also initiates the process of skin reconstruction. The effect of using peels is to improve the skin tone, remove discoloration and minor imperfections. The improvement in skin elasticity is also visible.
The effects of anti-aging treatments
Many people ask how long the effects of anti-aging treatments last. You should know that it is influenced by numerous factors – lifestyle, nutrition, skin care (including sun protection), adherence to post-treatment recommendations, etc. Depending on this and the type of treatment, the results may be visible from several months to even a year.
You should also remember to treat your skin and facial muscles the same as with body exercises, a regular visit to the gym keeps the muscles in good condition, as well as with antiaging treatments, you should regularly care for the skin, exercise the facial muscles, and regularly perform treatments to support and slow down the aging process.
When it comes to choosing the type of treatments, it should be decided by a specialist based on an interview and examination.
For the best results, it is worth relying on a specialist who has experience and a proven offer of treatments.
If you think that I could help you with the condition of your skin, please contact me and arrange a consultation.