Wrinkles might just be one of the several signs of aging on your face, but they are often what gets the most attention. Injections, surgery and skin treatments such as chemical peels can all help reduce the appearance of wrinkles on your skin and take years off of your appearance.
While fighting the wrinkles you’ve already got is one way to deal with the signs of aging, you might also want to protect yourself against the wrinkles that haven’t appeared already.
Don’t Move a Muscle
Some treatments, such as Dysport and Botox, help ease the appearance of certain wrinkles by limiting facial movements. The main ingredient in those injections, botulinum toxin, cuts off communication between the nerves and certain muscles in the face. When the treated muscles don’t move, the wrinkles created by facial expressions ease and fade away after a few days.
Theoretically, you can duplicate the results you’d get from Botox or Dypsort by training yourself not to make certain facial expressions, such as not frowning or crinkling your eyes with a laugh or smile. Although not easy to do, it’s also not unheard of. According to the Daily Mail, Tess Christian, a 50-year-old British woman, decided at a young age that she would limit her facial movements to keep her skin from aging. After not laughing or smiling for four decades, her skin is very smooth.
Christian isn’t the only person to limit facial expressions to maintain a youthful appearance. Kim Kardashian has also said that she avoids smiling in her photos to keep her skin smooth. You can try to train your facial muscles not to move, or opt for an easier solution by choosing Botox or Dysport to temporarily ease your wrinkles when needed.
Use Retinol
Retinol helps reduce wrinkles on your skin by increasing collagen production and boosting cell turnover. You can find it in a variety of skincare products, from those available only with a prescription, to those available over the counter. The stronger form, tretinoin, is able to work more deeply than a more mild form of retinol, found in an over-the-counter product, but has a number of potential side effects and drawbacks that make it not the right choice for everyone. Your surgeon can help you decide whether a prescription retinoid product or a more mild version is right for you.
Quit (or Don’t Start) Smoking
Tobacco use is terrible for your skin. The ingredients in tobacco break down collagen and elastin, the proteins that give your skin structure, leading to more wrinkles and sagging at a younger age. Even if the many other problems smoking can cause aren’t enough to get you to quit or to convince you not to start, the havoc it wreaks on your looks might be.
Avoid Sun Exposure
Spending a lot of time in the sun is another major cause of wrinkles and other signs of aging. If your goal is to minimize wrinkles, the best place to start is with limiting your sun exposure. That means avoiding long days spent on the beach without any sort of sun protection. It also means using a sunscreen daily, even when it’s cloudy, or when you’ll only be outdoors for a few minutes. You can further protect yourself from the sun by wearing sunglasses with UV protection and by looking for clothing or swimwear that also offers UV shielding.
Catch Some ZZZs
How you sleep, what you sleep on, and how much sleep you get can influence how many wrinkles you end up with. Sleeping on your back is often the way to go if you want to avoid sleep lines, which form and can become permanent, after years of pressing your face to the pillow every night. If you can’t fall asleep on your back, no matter how hard you try, you might think about switching your pillowcase. Satiny pillowcases are less likely to create creases and wrinkles on your face.
Of course, it’s not called beauty sleep for nothing. The more sleep you get, at least seven or eight hours a night, the better able your body is to repair and restore itself, helping your skin stay more youthful looking for a longer amount of time.
Eat More Fat
If you want to keep wrinkles away, a low fat diet will not help. Your skin actually needs fat to look its best. Fat is also needed for your overall health. That doesn’t mean it’s time to start eating French fries all the time, though. Some types of fat, such as omega 3 fatty acids, are better for your skin than others. Stick to foods that contain unsaturated fats or fatty acids, such as salmon, avocados and nuts. While fries do have a lot of fat, they are also high in starch and simple carbohydrates, which can actually contribute to the signs of aging on your skin.
Get Fresh Air
Living in an urban area can increase your risk for premature wrinkles and other signs of aging, thanks to air pollution. While you might not be able to move to the countryside, taking vacations in the country air can help. Another way to protect your skin from pollution is to make sure you wash it daily, particularly at night. Skincare products that contain antioxidants, such as vitamin C, can also reduce the effect pollution has on your skin’s appearance.
Whether or not you’ve noticed your first line or wrinkle, working with an aging face specialist can help you keep wrinkles at bay and preserve a youthful look. In Virginia and Maryland, specialist Dr. Jessica Kulak can help you determine which products or treatments will best help you fight the signs of aging. To schedule a consultation with Dr. Kulak at her practice in Virginia, call (703) 481-0002. For a consultation in Maryland, call (301) 222-2020 today.
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