Nov 20, 2019

A New Take on “How to Get Rid of Wrinkles”

“How to get rid of wrinkles” is a commonly searched term. And although I personally care about preventing and treating existing fine lines and wrinkles that I have, I’m not exactly trying to get rid of all of my wrinkles. I want to put it out there that fine lines and wrinkles aren’t all that terrible. My fine lines and wrinkles represent the times I’ve laughed, been surprised, felt sad or anxious, etc. They represent the decades of memories I carry with me every day. There’s this stigma around aging and looking older, but I’m also growing wiser and want to look and feel like the healthiest version of myself at any age. To do that, I do recognize that I still want to take care of myself and look and feel fresh. In other words, it’s important for me not to want to entirely “get rid of my wrinkles,” but educate myself on the causes and what I can do to prevent and treat them to be the best version of myself.

What are the major causes of fine lines and wrinkles?

Sun exposure

UV exposure can account for 80% of visible facial aging signs. Although not conducted with a diverse group, here is a study on the effect of the sun on visible clinical signs of aging in Caucasian skin.

Smoking

There have been many studies on the impact of smoking on premature facial aging. Here is a study on facial changes caused by smoking: a comparison between smoking and nonsmoking twins.

Air pollution

Floating particles in the air like smoke, dust, and carbon dioxide can damage your skin where it becomes visible over time. By collecting in and clogging your pores, they can also cause your skin to breakout. Read this study on environmental stressors on skin aging.

Poor sleep and stress

There have been many studies on skin aging and its connection to stress and sleep. Based on past studies, we can conclusively say that yes, both stress and chronic poor sleep affect premature skin aging. See studies on brain-skin connection: stress, inflammation and skin aging and Does poor sleep quality affect skin aging?

Dehydration

Drink up! Lack of water consumption conclusively affects premature skin aging. You can read more about how Dietary water affects human skin hydration and biomechanics.