Sooner or later, fine furrows and folds of the skin, wrinkles, appear on every woman's face. They can have different depths, but modern cosmetological techniques can make them less noticeable and even remove them completely. Furthermore, thanks to adequate facial skin care, it is possible to delay its appearance for years.
Let's look at the types of wrinkles and the causes of their appearance, as well as ways to eliminate them and prevention methods.
Types of wrinkles on the face
By locationcosmetologists identify wrinkles on the forehead, between the eyebrows and around the eyes, which are called "crow's feet. "
Additionally, there are nasolabial folds, marionette lines that extend from the corners of the lips toward the chin, and small purse-like wrinkles that appear above the upper lip.
In terms of depth, wrinkles are superficial, medium-deep and deep.
- Superficial wrinklesthey affect the top layer of the skin: the epidermis. They are usually small, there can be many of them, and they can occupy a large area. Such folds, forming a network of cracks, most often form due to dry skin.
- Medium-deep wrinklesthey appear when superficial wrinkles develop and deepen in the middle layer of the skin: the dermis. This is mainly due to the fact that special cells called fibroblasts begin to synthesize less collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid.
- Deep wrinklesthey form mainly in the areas of natural folds of the skin. Their development is associated with processes within the skin and subcutaneous fat, muscle hypertonicity, structural features of the face and even genetic predisposition.
Tactics for preventing and combating wrinkles depend on the causes of their appearance, so it should receive more attention.
The main reasons for appearance
There are several main factors that contribute to the appearance of deep pits or fine wrinkles on our skin.
Natural aging
As a rule, after 40 years, age-related wrinkles begin to appear on the face. In response to the decreased production of female sex hormones, collagen production decreases, the rate of cell renewal decreases, and the skin loses moisture and elasticity.
Additionally, gravitational ptosis can occur with age. When the soft tissues of the face are weakened and have lost their elasticity, it becomes difficult to resist the force of gravity, so the oval of the face is deformed, the skin begins to sag, folds and deep wrinkles form.
Active facial expressions
Due to active facial expressions, pronounced wrinkles can already appear at the age of 20. The fact is that our facial muscles are attached to the skin and the skin moves as the muscles contract and stretch. If the facial muscle contracts regularly, over time the skin in the area of its activity stops straightening and a superficial wrinkle forms, which can later turn into a deep one.
Habits that we often don't notice, such as frowning, raising or frowning, squinting and laughing, lead to the formation of wrinkles.
Photoaging
Prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation of the skin causes cellular damage and so-called photoaging. UVA rays interrupt the processes that occur in the epidermis and also destroy collagen and elastin in the dermis. As a result, facial skin becomes weakened, dehydrated and wrinkled.
Improper care
The appearance of wrinkles is often associated with dehydration of the skin and interruption of the exfoliation process of the horny cells of the epidermis. Therefore, skin care, including regular cleansing, nutrition and hydration, is extremely important.
If you don't follow these steps or use the wrong cosmetics, you can prematurely age your face and cause wrinkles to appear.
Furthermore, genetic predisposition and dry skin type can be responsible for the early appearance of noticeable wrinkles.
Aggravating factors
In addition to the main reasons, there are several additional factors that lead to the formation and deepening of wrinkles.
Health problems
Teeth and jaw problems can contribute to the appearance of wrinkles on the skin of the face. Some wrinkles, such as nasolabial folds and nasolacrimal folds, become more pronounced due to swelling and fluid retention in the tissues.
The deterioration of skin quality and the appearance of sagging and wrinkles can be a manifestation of diseases of internal organs, such as endocrine glands, liver, kidneys or lungs.
Fatigue
Constant stress can also lead to the appearance of wrinkles. During severe emotional stress, there is an increase in cortisol production, which slows down the production of collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid by fibroblasts. As a result, the facial skin loses firmness, i. e. the ability to return to its original state after compression, and forms wrinkles.
When stressed, blood vessels in the skin spasm and facial muscles tighten. All this gradually leads to the appearance of wrinkles.
Bad habits
Any bad habits affect the beauty of our face.
Passive lifestyleit worsens vascular tone and lymphatic drainage, making the skin less elastic and prone to the formation of wrinkles.
Late going to bed and constant lack of sleeplead to dehydration of the skin and cut into the precious time the body uses to restore the epidermis. The fewer hours you sleep a day now, the more wrinkles there will be on your face in a few years.
Bad nutritionages the skin. Strict diets, especially with insufficient amounts of protein, lead to the skin having nowhere to draw material from to build tissue. And the abundance of carbohydrates in the diet, including sweets, causes "sugaring" of collagen fibers, which is why they become brittle and lose elasticity. All this leads to premature aging and the formation of wrinkles.
To smoke- one of the main bad habits that affect the appearance of your face. Tobacco smoke contains many harmful compounds that lead to skin diseases, dehydration, loss of antioxidants in the skin and poor blood flow. Smokers have a much higher risk of developing deep wrinkles than non-smokers.
Wrinkles often appear due to a combination of several reasons.
Methods for treating wrinkles
There are many techniques to smooth out wrinkles and make the skin firm, fresh and luminous again.
Facial massage
Thanks to a good manual and hardware massage, you can improve blood circulation and lymphatic drainage, saturate tissues with oxygen, stimulate the regenerative processes of the skin and eliminate swelling.
In addition, manual massage allows you to relax deep muscles, return them to their previous length and position and thus straighten facial wrinkles.
One course of procedures gives a pronounced effect, but even after one session wrinkles become less noticeable and the face looks fresher and younger.
Despite the apparent harmlessness of massage, this method of wrinkle correction has contraindications. It is impossible to stimulate blood circulation and lymphatic drainage in case of oncology, blood diseases and swollen lymph nodes for any reason. In addition, massage is contraindicated for neuralgia and skin problems: exacerbation of herpes, purulent inflammation and allergies.
People prone to allergic reactions should not use essential oils when massaging their face.
Acid peels
Superficial and medium peels, performed using acid-containing cosmetics, are effective in fighting wrinkles.
Superficial peelinghelps exfoliate the upper keratinized cells of the facial skin, accelerate the epidermis renewal process, even out the texture and color of the skin and eliminate small superficial wrinkles. Salicylic, lactic or glycolic acid or a mixture of lactic and salicylic acid is usually used for this procedure.
Medium peelingpenetrates deeper into the dermis, stimulating the active synthesis of collagen and hyaluronic acid, skin renewal and the smoothing or reduction of medium-deep wrinkles. It causes flaking and the appearance of crusts, requires a recovery period and the use of special care products, but has a more pronounced effect. To remove wrinkles, post-acne and other skin problems with its help, glycolic, trichloroacetic or yellow peel acid are often used.
However, without knowing how to apply peeling correctly, dermatitis can be caused even with a slightly acidic product. Therefore, it is better to contact a cosmetologist for the procedure.
Botulinum therapy
To eliminate crow's feet, facial wrinkles on the forehead, between the eyebrows and in other areas, injections of drugs based on botulinum toxin are actively used. It temporarily immobilizes the muscle that forms the wrinkle, its fibers relax, acquire their previous length, and the skin fold also straightens.
The effect lasts six months, after which the procedure must be repeated.
Botox itself is not dangerous and does not cause intoxication, since microscopic doses of neurotoxin are used to smooth wrinkles. But the correction of wrinkles should be carried out only by a professional, a cosmetologist who knows the structure of the face well, since if the drug is administered incorrectly, complications are possible.
The most unpleasant side effects include ptosis of the eyelids, drooping of the eyebrows and reduced mobility of the lips.
Plasmolifting
With the help of injections of plasma with a high platelet content, obtained from your own blood, it is possible to stimulate the skin's regeneration processes and eliminate wrinkles.
Platelets contain growth factors that activate the production of collagen and elastin by fibroblasts. Thanks to them, the plasma lifting restores firmness and elasticity to the skin, helps eliminate expression lines and age-related wrinkles, provides a lifting effect and improves the complexion.
The same technique is used to stimulate hair growth on the head.
Plasmolifting is safe, since the patient's own cells are used as a drug..
But such anti-wrinkle injections, like any cosmetic procedure, have contraindications. These are hemorrhagic disorders, taking antithrombotic drugs, oncology with metastases and purulent inflammatory diseases of the skin.
Mesotherapy
Mesotherapy is effective for correcting wrinkles and preventing aging - introducing into the desired area microinjections of hyaluronic acid, vitamins, amino acids and other useful substances, selected by a cosmetologist based on the needs of the facial skin.
In addition to the components of the drug, microtraumas caused by a thin needle have an effect. They stimulate the skin's regeneration processes and the production of collagen and elastin.
Mesotherapy is useful for hydrating dry skin and combating the first signs of aging, including superficial wrinkles.
It has a short recovery period: the bumps that remain on the skin after injections disappear after a few days.
The result of the course of procedures, namely the reduction of the depth of wrinkles, lasts for a year and a half.
But, in addition to the traditional contraindications, mesotherapy is not suitable for those suffering from serious kidney diseases. And it is important to remember that there is a risk of an allergic reaction to the drug.
Smas lifting
The SMAS facelift, whose effect is comparable to facelift plastic surgery, helps eliminate superficial and medium-deep wrinkles, make nasolabial folds less pronounced and improve the shape of the face.
The device for this procedure emits ultrasound that penetrates deep into the skin to the muscle layer and stimulates the production of collagen and elastin.
The cosmetologist specifically treats the areas of the face with wrinkles for 30-90 minutes. In this case, the patient feels heat, slight tingling and tightness of the skin.
The most pronounced effect, including the correction of facial wrinkles, is achieved about six months after the procedure and lasts more than a year. In this case, just one session every few years is sufficient.
Contour plastic
Another option for correcting wrinkles is contour plastic surgery. During the procedure, a filler is injected under age and expression lines: a biodegradable hyaluronic acid gel or a person's own fatty tissue. The injection fills the void, smoothes the skin and gives the face a younger look.
The same technique is used to restore the harmonious proportions of the face, including the contours and volume of the lips.
The effect of non-surgical contouring lasts up to two years.
But this is a fairly serious procedure for eliminating wrinkles, which should be performed only by a professional doctor and only with certified drugs. A poor-quality filler, incorrectly selected density or inadequate injection under a wrinkle can lead to the opposite effect: the appearance of irregularities and even tissue fibrosis or disruption of facial expression.
Fractional photothermolysis
Fractional photothermolysis can be used to eliminate wrinkles of any depth and restore skin elasticity. The procedure uses a fractional laser. Its beam, divided into small rays, penetrates deep into the skin and damages it promptly, stimulating regeneration processes and activating collagen production.
Since the laser works in a certain phase and does not treat all the tissue, recovery is very rapid.After the procedure, red spots briefly appear on the face, but serious heat burns do not occur.
Even after just one session you can notice a pronounced rejuvenating effect and the disappearance or reduction of wrinkles.
The procedure is moderately painful and involves a recovery period.
Laser peeling
In addition to fractional, i. e. targeted, photothermolysis, general laser peeling is used to combat wrinkles, during which the entire face is treated evenly. It exfoliates dead cells layer by layer, evaporating areas of tissue and the depth of the impact can be superficial or medium.
The effect of the anti-wrinkle procedure is similar to acid peeling, with the difference that a laser is used instead of acid for exfoliation.
Several sessions of laser rejuvenation can smooth out fine lines and reduce deep wrinkles of age and expression.
But more damage occurs after medium laser peeling than after fractional exposure, so a longer recovery period is needed.
To choose the optimal procedure to combat wrinkles, it is best to consult a cosmetologist. He will evaluate the condition of the skin of the face and the general condition of the body, indications and contraindications for the use of various cosmetic methods against wrinkles and recommend the most effective and safe method.
Prevention of wrinkles: advice from a cosmetologist
The formation and deepening of wrinkles can be prevented by properly caring for the skin and replacing some bad habits with healthy ones.
Care that will keep your skin young
Care that includes high-quality cleansing, moisturizing, nourishing the skin and protecting the face from ultraviolet radiation will help delay the appearance of wrinkles.
To exfoliate old cells, cosmetologists recommend using acids.
Cosmetic products with hyaluronic acid are particularly suitable for hydrating the skin and preventing wrinkles.
To stimulate collagen production and preserve its fibers, you should pay attention to cosmetics with retinol, peptides and antioxidants.
In addition to basic care - creams that protect the skin of the face during the day and restore it at night, you can also use serums with concentrates of useful substances to prevent wrinkles.
Instead of choosing cosmetics by trial and error, it is better to make an appointment with a cosmetologist. He will write the optimal care program for you, selecting the products suited to the needs of your skin.
Habits that will help delay the appearance of wrinkles
A few more tips will help slow down the formation of wrinkles.
- Dream. To regenerate facial skin it is useful to sleep at least 7 hours a day.
- Waterfall. To activate the metabolic processes of the skin, you need to drink enough water - about 2 liters per day.
- Nutrition. Building healthy, firm, wrinkle-free skin requires a balanced diet rich in proteins, fatty acids and vegetables. At the same time, it is important to limit flour and sweets.
- Training.For good blood circulation and lymphatic drainage in the facial area, you need to move. Not only all sporting activities are suitable, but also outdoor walks.
- Relaxation. To prevent wrinkles, it is important to learn to relax your facial muscles. Both a visit to a massage parlor or self-massage, and psychological practices will help with this.
- Calm. To prevent premature skin aging and the appearance of wrinkles, it is advisable to learn to deal with stress and let it enter your life as little as possible.
Proper care and lifestyle changes will improve the health and appearance of your facial skin, as well as reduce the number of wrinkles that will appear in the future.
Trust experienced cosmetologists, take care of your appearance, sign up for cosmetic procedures in professional centers with qualified doctors.