Wrinkles: What They Are And How They Come

“If you don’t have wrinkles, you haven’t laughed enough”

– Phyllis Diller

Wrinkles are a common feature of ageing. However, unlike wisdom and a sense-of-accomplishment, many seniors would prefer not having them.

What They Are

“Wrinkles are creases, folds, or ridges in the skin,” writes Christian Nordqvist.
“They normally appear as people get older, but they can also develop after spending a long time in water.”

They come at two different levels: fine surface lines and deep furrows. The former is caused by ultraviolet (UV) light and the latter is caused by muscle contraction [1].

What Causes Them?

According to the Mayo Clinic, the following factors are accountable:

• Age – with age, your skin gets dryer and loses fat, which creates a wrinkled appearance.
• Ultraviolet (UV) light exposure – UV light ruins your skin’s connective tissue, which causes your skin to sag and wrinkle.
• Smoking – smoking can speed up the natural ageing process and hasten wrinkles.
• Repeated facial expressions – “Each time you use a facial muscle, a groove forms beneath the surface of the skin. And as skin ages, it loses its flexibility and is no longer able to spring back in place.”

There are many treatments for wrinkled skin out there. But, as you can tell, there may be something you can naturally do to improve your situation, like protecting yourself from UV light exposure and stopping to smoke.

What are your thoughts on treating or preventing wrinkles?

Please share in the comments below.

[1] https://www.medicinenet.com/wrinkles/article.htm