Causes of Facial Wrinkles

Changes in your skins texture is just one of the three aspects of facial aging that combine to make us look older (the other two being droopy skin and volume loss). Skin texture changes can include a number of things, depending on your genetics and lifestyle, including wrinkles, scarring, and sun damage.
Wrinkles are perhaps the most noticeable aspect of facial aging and skin texture changes, and are the aspect most often associated with visible aging. In order to understand how wrinkles can best be treated, it is important to understand how they form in the first place.

One obvious cause of wrinkle formation is gravity. Gravity pulls on our skin constantly, and as we age, collagen and elastin in our skin deteriorates, allowing the skin to fall more easily. Gravity is responsible for the development of jowls, drooping eyelid wrinkles, and even the elongation of the nose and earlobes as we age.
Facial expressions that we repeat can also lead to lines and wrinkles. The upper layers of skin will bind to the muscles below, and as we make the same expressions over and over, folds and wrinkles will develop in the skin due to the repetitive movement.
Smoking is another lifestyle-related cause of wrinkles. Even if the wrinkles are not visible in smokers as young as 20, under microscope they will be visible. The wrinkles are caused by the repeated motion of making the sucking face with the lips, and squinting the eyes against the smoke. Additionally, smoking will give your skin a yellowish hue and a leathery complexion. Even if you have been a habitual smoker for years, quitting will reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles on the face.
The sun is probably the biggest cause of wrinkles and any other skin texture changes. The effects of the sun on skin is called photoaging. The sun destroys elastin in the skin, which is the protein that allows our skin to snap back after changing position.
Your sleeping position can also cause wrinkles, if you sleep on your face repeatedly. The sleep lines that are pressed into your face can become etched into the skin. For women, they most frequently appear on the chin and cheeks, while men will usually find them on their foreheads.
Many of these causes of wrinkles are lifestyle-related and can be avoided. Not smoking, using sunscreen whenever you are in the sun, and sleeping on your back are all ways to help prevent the formation of wrinkles. If you already have them, we will be discussing ways to combat their appearance throughout the month.
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