Skin Wrinkle Explainer: What’s the Actual Reason for Creases and Lines?

Everyone develops wrinkles at some point in life, but where do they come from? Although getting older brings more wisdom and experience, facial lines are one of the aspects of aging that most of us feel we could do without. Depending on when they appear, these seemingly harmless lines in the skin can make you look older before your time and cause you to seem unfriendly, angry, sad, or tired—even if this isn’t a true reflection of your personality. At the first sign of horizontal lines on your forehead or vertical creases between your eyebrows, you might be tempted to rush out and put on as many anti-aging products as you can, but wrinkles aren’t all bad. In fact, many people believe that lines give character to the face, signifying the many times you’ve smiled or frowned. There’s little doubt that small crow’s feet can make your smiles look warmer. If you do want to get of your wrinkles, however—or at least make them less prominent—note that topical products like creams can only do so much to keep skin in shape. A more effective strategy is BOTOX®. The injectors at New Jersey’s South Jersey Skin Care & Laser Center injectors explain why this is the case by laying out a full breakdown of how wrinkles are formed and what you can do to soften them:

Aging is often thought of as being synonymous with wrinkles. In fact, people around the world spend billions of dollars each year on anti-aging products in an attempt to preserve a youthful appearance. Unlike humans, animals aren’t typically known for getting wrinkled skin with age. Some creatures, like elephants, are born with loose skin, and some have wrinkles that are used for other purposes, such as temperature regulation or to make movement easier. We must admit that they also look adorable on some dog breeds. Humans eventually wrinkle because we tend to live longer than many animals, and our skin is very susceptible to damage, whether from external elements or from our own physiological changes.

Below the thin outer layer of skin called the epidermis lies the dermis, which contains large amounts of collagen and elastin proteins. These molecules, along with moisture and fat content, are what keep the skin strong and elastic. Your childhood skin is virtually flawless because of the high levels of collagen it contains. Some researchers believe that the thickness of your skin is determined by genetics, which may explain why some people seem to age more slowly than others. In any case, we all lose a small amount of collagen and these other substances starting from our 20s, which is why older skin is thinner and offers less protection against harmful sun rays.

Dynamic wrinkles often occur in the earlier stages of aging due to the muscle motions involved in making facial expressions. Whenever you move your face to talk, blink, laugh, chew, or express various emotions, you’re causing the skin to be pulled out of its resting state and into different positions. Skin is normally able to bounce back easily to its initial position, but after years of making the same facial expressions over and over, wrinkles known as “expression lines” begin to appear in areas where there’s a lot of muscle activity. These include crow’s feet beside the eyes and horizontal lines on the forehead. Once the skin has become more fragile and less elastic because of aging, it can’t go back to its resting state as easily, so these lines become more pronounced. BOTOX® is a very quick and straightforward method for treating such wrinkles, because its active ingredient temporarily blocks muscle contractions.

Pronounced, static wrinkles develop due to causes that aren’t related to muscle activity, such as intrinsic aging, sun damage, the pull of gravity, pollution, excess sugar consumption, smoking, and alcohol. These depressions sink permanently into the skin’s surface. For treating static wrinkles, you’ll need fillers that increase volume under the skin, either by providing the volume themselves or stimulating collagen production.

Learn more about cosmetic treatments, including BOTOX® and other injectables, at South Jersey Skin Care & Laser Center. To talk with the New Jersey-based team, call (856) 810-9888 or visit their website to submit a contact form.