Everyone experiences wrinkles to some degree at some point in their life, but have you ever sat back and thought about where exactly wrinkles come from and how they can be prevented? Understanding the cause of something is certainly the first step in understanding how to prevent it.
What Are Wrinkles?
If you’re lucky enough not to have any, wrinkles are the lines and creases that appear on the skin most commonly around the eyes, mouth, neck and forehead. Your skin is an organ and has many uses, such as protecting other organs, helping keep you warm in winter and cool in summer, and even helping to prevent infections.
What Causes Wrinkles?
The skin is made of three layers: the epidermis, the dermis and the hypodermis. When skin is newer, aka younger, it retains moisture very well and is highly elastic. This keeps skin smooth and supple. Over the years, the body produces less collagen and elastin, which are responsible for the elasticity and moisture retention of youthful skin. This is when sagging and wrinkles begin to plague the skin.
Although age is the most commonly known cause of wrinkles, there are actually a few other causes as well.
Smoking and Drinking Alcohol
When you smoke, the skin experiences a reduction in blood supply, and when you drink alcohol, it causes dehydration, another problem if you want to avoid wrinkles. Not to mention, years of smoking can cause extra wrinkles around the mouth from the repeated use of those muscles when smoking.
UV Exposure
Exposing skin to UV light through the use of tanning beds, sunbathing or time out in the sun with no skin protection can damage the skin and cause wrinkles, because the UV rays break down the collagen and elastin in skin.
How to Prevent Wrinkles
One of the most common questions we get here at the Advanced Eyelid Surgery Center is how to prevent wrinkles. We all want to look youthful forever, so it makes sense we’re all looking for ways to keep skin in optimal condition.
The most important thing you can do to prevent wrinkles is to protect skin from harmful UV exposure by wearing protective clothing, hats, sunglasses and sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher. Eating a healthy diet, staying hydrated and keeping skin moisturized are also very important when it comes to skin health.
For more information on wrinkles or to discuss the many solutions we offer for wrinkle treatment, call our office today at 817-778-4444.
