Wrinkles are probably one of the most obvious signs of aging. Although its appearance can be minimized by different types of treatments offered by professionals such as the Victorian Cosmetic Institute, no one is totally safe from wrinkles. But are you curious how wrinkles are formed on the skin? Do you have any idea why wrinkles look the way they are? The points below might help you come up with answers to these questions.
In order to paint a clearer picture of how wrinkles are formed, imagine your skin as a drape. When you’re still young, these drapes are smooth and tight. As you start to age, this drape becomes loose and shows creases and folds. As a result, loose skin can create the appearance of wrinkles. In short, aging makes your skin sag.
Why Does Skin Change?
Aside from aging, there are several reasons why your skin starts to change over time. These changes also play a vital role in the appearance of wrinkles on your body. To drive the point home, here are some changes that create wrinkles:
1. Less Fat
Fat loss is inevitable when you start to age. More often than not, your face and cheeks will lose fats as you get older, making your skin sag and your cheeks more hollow. Since there is less fat, your face will also have lesser volume. Because of the absence of volume, your skin will start to drape over. You will still have the same amount of skin, but it’ll cover less so your skin starts to fold.
2. Less Bone
A lot of things do change when you age, and your bones are no exception. It may come as a surprise, but your skull actually shrinks once you hit 60. When you’re still young, your body naturally makes a new bone. All of your old bones are broken, and all the minerals found in it will be broken down and evenly distributed to other parts of your body. But as you age, your body’s ability to create new bones also declines, and this can result in a decrease in overall bone mass. The combination of having a smaller skull but having the same amount of skin can mean looser draping (aka wrinkles).
3. Less Collagen
You can buy several products from the market that contain collagen. And if you’re wondering why, here’s the reason: collagen is one of the most plentiful proteins found in your body that is responsible in giving your skin structure. You will lose collagen whenever there is inflammation on your skin or when you’ve had an injury that affects your skin. When you’re still young, your body will replenish collagen the moment it’s broken down. But your body won’t function the same when you start to age.
As you continue to live, your collagen continues to break down, and the rate of this degradation increases. Your body won’t be able to provide collagen as fast, and more collagen is broken down. This imbalance can result in more wrinkles.
How Can You Minimize Wrinkles?
As mentioned, wrinkles are natural, and seeing these all over your face isn’t unusual. All people who go through aging will have wrinkles at some point in their lives. If you’re already seeing a lot of wrinkles or fine lines on your face, the following tips can help reduce their appearance:
1. Avoid The Sun
Sunlight can provide a lot of benefits to the human body, but too much of it can also be harmful. As one way of minimizing wrinkles, avoid going out in the middle of the day whenever possible. Some studies have claimed that the sun has a greater impact compared to heredity when it comes to the body’s wrinkle production.
2. Always Wear Sunscreen
If going out is vital to your daily routine, always wear sunscreen. If possible, you should never leave home without applying a good amount of sunscreen on your body, especially your face. Sunscreen can prevent wrinkles and protect you from skin cancer and other skin diseases.
3. Get As Much Sleep As You Can
Sleeping is your body’s way of recharging and repairing damaged tissues and muscles. But are you aware that sleeping can also do wonders for your skin? When you lose sleep, your body naturally produces excess cortisol. This hormone breaks down healthy skin cells in your body. If you get enough sleep, you’ll produce more human growth hormones, which help your skin remain more elastic and thick.
It’s Natural
There are a lot of ways on how you can minimize wrinkles. Aside from the information in this article, you can also seek the help of professionals. But no matter what kind of treatment you’re planning to use, keep in mind that wrinkles are natural and there’s no reason to be ashamed of having a few lines!