By BR Kellie
Nature gives you the face you have at 20. Life shapes the face you have at 30. But at 50, you get the face you deserve. – Coco Chanel
Something strange is happening to my body. Little lines are appearing on it, and not just every now and then, it’s happening on a regular basis. It’s like I wake up and * boom * there goes a few more lines etched around my lips and my eyes. The existing ones have deepened, especially on my forehead, where soon they’ll be giving the Mariana Trench a run for its money. It’s kind of like how one day you see an ant or two in your kitchen and then the next day they’re swarming over every inch of your meticulously clean kitchen counter * cough *.
I know what’s causing these little lines too. Partly it’s because I’m far too happy. My little human makes me smile all the time, which is totally causing the crows feet around my eyes. We spend far too much time having mummy/daughter kissy kissy moments, which is to blame for the vertical lip lines (I’ve never smoked, so no blame can be laid there). Other causes? Well the small valley running between my eyes can be blamed on being a particularly grumpy teenager, followed by general life/job stress in my 20s. And the last cause of these new and wholly unexciting lines? The march of time. There’s no denying it, I’m getting older. I’m on the slide-side to 40 and gravity, environmental factors and a well-lived life is taking its toll.
So what’s a girl to do? Get her Wrinkle 101 on! And find out which lines can be reduced, eliminated and put on hold, that’s what!
First question? What causes wrinkles? Especially the ones you get when you’re still relatively young?
Lifestyle can play a huge factor in premature wrinkling. If you’re a sun bunny chances are you’ll end up a wrinkled sun bunny. The sun’s UV rays are known to break down both elastin and collagen in the skin, and when that happens your skin starts to sag and that, in the long run, causes wrinkles.
Smoking is another way to increase your chances of wrinkling earlier. Not only does it dehydrate the skin, making it easier for wrinkles to form, it also hinders blood from reaching the surface, therefore depriving skin of oxygen and precious nutrients. And the chemicals in cigarettes are known for playing havoc with the all-important collagen and elastin our skin needs to keep looking plump and youthful. As for all that repetitive squinting from smoke getting in your eyes and lip puckering from sucking, well that doesn’t help stop wrinkle formation either.
Sleeping (I know!?) can also cause wrinkles. If you’re waking up from sleeping to find grooves in your face (and trust me the older you get the longer they take to disappear during the day), those grooves over time if you don’t change your sleeping position will go from sleep lines to proper wrinkles.
Being free and easy with your facial expressions can cause premature ageing too. Repetition of movement, from eyebrow raising and lip pursing to smiling and frowning, causes areas of the skin to crease and over time those creases become more prominent.
And of course there’s genetics. If you’re in your twenties and already seeing forehead wrinkles or wrinkles forming under your eyes go stare at your parents or grandparents and see if they’ve got them too, because chances us you’ve inherited them from them.
So what’s a gal to do? The biggest one is to avoid the sun unnecessarily. If you’re heading out, slop on that sunscreen, slap on a hat, and hide in the shade while repeating to yourself “The Sun! It’s buuuuurns!” If you smoke, cut down or stop.
If you’re a side-sleeper the best way to avoid sleep-induced wrinkles is to sleep on your back. If sleeping on your back is not an option due to pregnancy, back issues, health problems like sleep apnea, you can always invest in a satin pillowcase so your skin can slide over it, rather than get stuck in a cottony rut.
If like me you lose every poker game because your face is one big old expression, well, you can try and control your expressions by practicing a Mona Lisa-style countenance.
As for genetics? You can just try and prolong the inevitable. If corrugated iron foreheads run in your family, try not to lift your brow too often. If crows feet appear out of nowhere, start using eye cream early and try not to squint too much.
But let’s be honest, we can apply moisturisers and oils and serums galore, but there’s no easily escaping the passage of time. As we age our skin is going to wrinkle, some more than others, but at least we now have some idea how we can slow its progression over our face and body - and I sure wish I’d known about some of them, mainly keeping out of the sun, a whole lot earlier.
So tell me, are you already on wrinkle patrol and taking as many measures as possible to stop them coming earlier than necessary? Have you been doomed to certain wrinkles thanks to hereditary factors? Or are you not bothered by them at all, and see them more as marks of a life lived to the fullest? Chat away ….
I am constantly on wrinkle patrol. I didn't know that about satin pillowcases time for me to invest in one I'm a foetal position sleeper and can never stay on my back no matter how hard I try. I definitely need to up the water too I am using much more SPF now than ever but the damage of lots of running in my teenage years without SPF may have taken its toll