What Causes Wrinkles?

AGING FACTORS

SUN

The worst external factor is that of sun damage or 'photo-aging', as the sun is the most 'aging' thing around. Although some people may think that tanning on sun beds or at tanning boutiques will lessen the damage done - the truth of the matter is that all tanning is detrimental to your skin.

Not only will tanning and the sun create more wrinkles than normal, but will generally cause premature aging, as well as age spots, spider veins, freckles, rough and leathery skin, skin cancers etc.

If you are fair skinned and blonde, you will suffer even more from sun aging, with dark haired and dark skinned people getting the better end of the stick, yet they as well will suffer damage and aging from the sun.

The one problem is that sun aging is not immediately detectable, and after years of tanning, the nagging lines and wrinkles and a dried-up, rough and uneven skin will be your reminder of your sun-filled days.

The reason for this is that the sun breaks down the collagen in your skin and also impairs the formation of new collagen, and apart from this it also attacks the elastin in the skin.

For this reason try and limit your sun exposure and if you need to be in the sun make sure that you use a good sunscreen or sun-block to protect your skin.

SMOKING

Although it cannot be contested that smoking is dangerous to your health, that it is a leading factor in lung cancer as well as a whole range of other medical problems, it also impacts on the way that you look.

Akimichi Morita and his colleagues at the Nagoya City University Medical School have shown that cigarette smoking may upset the body's mechanism in skin rejuvenation.

The important factor here is that the collagen, which forms the connective tissue, is damaged.

What Morita shows in his research is that cigarette smoke causes an increase of matrix-metalloproteinase’s (MMPs), which is the enzyme that breaks down old skin to make place for the new, yet it causes less collagen to be formed in the skin.

Popular belief also proclaims that smoking destroys vitamin C (ascorbic acid), and this process is also thought to promote wrinkle formation, since collagen cannot be formed in the skin if there is a shortage of vitamin C.

The amount of vitamin C destroyed per cigarette smoked varies, depending on whom you talk to, but general consensus seems to be that one cigarette destroys about 50 mg of vitamin C.

Decades ago, the vitamin C promoter and Nobel laureate, Linus Pauling, as well as Adelle Davis, the very popular nutritionist, already advocated an increase of dietary vitamin C intake to counteract the toxic affects that smoking and environmental pollution have on the body.

So, if you do not want to quit smoking for the sake of your health, then maybe consider doing it for the sake of your looks.

FACIAL EXPRESSIONS

Wrinkles appear at places where constant and repetitive movements of the facial muscles contract, and to illustrate this, imagine a piece of sponge rubber, which is constantly folded at the exact same spot.

The sponge, like your skin, will eventually start forming a 'wrinkle' at that spot, and each time the sponge, or your skin, is moved, it will wrinkle at that specific point.

These are particularly visible if the skin is dry, under-hydrated and is lacking in moisture, and is aggravated if the skin is damaged by sun aging.

Although some dermatologists advocate that careful facial exercises will cause wrinkles, we do not hold the same belief, as facial exercises are controlled movements, which are only repeated for a short period of time and do not involve the normal frown lines of the face.

Facial wrinkles are caused by the skin folding at the same spot hundreds of times a day, and most of the time the person is not even aware of the fact.

If you have a nagging frown line, and do not wish to use something like Botox to 'freeze' the muscle, you could apply a small piece of masking tape over the skin when it is relaxed.

Each time that you frown, the masking tape will contract and you will be made aware of the fact that you are frowning.

GRAVITY

Gravity constantly pulls on our bodies and after a couple of decades it also takes its toll, which can in some cases be corrected with plastic surgery, or can also be combated by ensuring that the muscle tone of your face stays in peak condition.

At this point we believe that well controlled facial exercises can assist in counteracting this by keeping the skin and facial muscles well toned. (Exercises in last post)


SLEEPING POSITIONS

Sleep lines that are formed by resting your face on a pillow can also affect your smooth unlined face over a period of time.

For this reason it is best to try and sleep on your back, since the facial skin is not stressed in any way. Some people opt for soft pillows to minimize this problem, and a soft pillow cover, like satin or silk, can also help to minimize the effect.

ENVIRONMENT

A dry and climate controlled environment in which so many of us live today, with air-conditioning and heating in either the office or home, can also impact on the health of your skin.

An excessively dry environment will rob your skin of moisture and will contribute to an under-hydrated skin. This can be easily remedied by using a humidifier, which replaces the moisture lost through climate control.

Humidifiers are relatively cheap, and apart from assisting the health of your skin, will also help with other problems caused by very dry air, such as sinus etc.

DIET

Diet has a dramatic and profound effect on the way your skin looks and ages.

We do not believe that fad diets should be followed and a well balanced diet will contribute the most to an unlined face.

We do however believe that certain vitamin supplements can have a profoundly positive effect on the skin, for instance here we can look at adding vitamin E, A, D and once again vitamin C, as it is vitally important to the health of the collagen in your skin.


WATER

Adequate intake of water (not tea, coffee, cola, and juice) must be adequate to keep your body hydrated and functioning well.

You can do without food for longer than you can without water, and your skin will also quickly show if your water balance and hydration levels are not at an optimum level.

Some people complain that they do not like the "taste" of water, if this is the case, simply adding a drop or two of lemon juice to the water could make it taste better.

It is of very little value to supply your skin with hydration, emollients, etc on the outside, if you fail to look at the internal needs as well.

Good daily skincare and living a healthy life will contribute greatly in you keeping your good looks and with this in mind, you can check out Omega Mend from Dabeestuff.