Types of Wrinkles and expression Lines

Too much sun exposure and lifestyle habits, like smoking or not using protective sunscreen, increase the early appearance of wrinkles. To properly prevent and treat wrinkles, it is important to have a clear understanding of the different types of wrinkles that can appear on our skin.^50,59

Causes of wrinkles

Wrinkles are caused mainly by the loss of elastin, collagen and hyaluronic acid in our skin. Our skin gradually becomes thinner and drier and loses elasticity that was once beneficial for maintaining our youthful appearance.^42,50,59

What are the treatment options for wrinkles?

Fortunately, many different safe and effective wrinkle treatment options are available that can be used to improve the appearance of skin wrinkles.^27,60
Treatment depends on the cause and severity of wrinkles, our age and personal preference, recovery time and cost of treatment.⁵⁰
Mini-invasive (meaning that the body is not invaded or cut open as during surgery) wrinkle treatment options that help smooth wrinkles or make them less noticeable include:^50,59-65

• Botulinum toxin
• Dermal fillers
• Laser treatments
• Chemical peels
• Mesotherapy and mesolift
• Cryotherapy
• Cosmeceutical

What are expression lines?

Facial muscles are different to all other muscles in that they attach directly into the skin, allowing us to make expressions. Expression lines are simply the result of repetitive movements of our facial muscles that gradually reduce our skin's elasticity and crease our skin. For example, smiling, frowning or squinting can all cause expression lines to appear on our face.^42,56,66

The different types of expression lines

Quite creative names are used to describe the expression lines on our face: crow’s feet, marionette lines, barcode lines, bunny lines…

Examples of expression lines, categorised based on where they are located, include:⁴²

• Nasolabial folds (laugh lines or smile lines)
• Glabellar lines (frown/scowl lines)
• Periorbital lines (crow’s feet)
• Forehead lines
• Bunny lines (lines and wrinkles that appear on the top part of the nose, named because they resemble the bunny’s characteristic nose twitch)
• Perioral lines (lip lines, smoker’s lines or barcode lines)

What are the treatment options for expression lines?

Unless we decide never to show any expression again, there’s not much we can do to prevent these lines. Expression lines are treated differently depending on the area of concern.
Crow's feet are usually treated with botulinum toxin, whereas dermal fillers are usually used for nasolabial folds.⁶⁶
Chemical peels and lasers treatments may also be helpful to improve the quality of the skin in these areas and reduce fine lines and wrinkles.⁵⁰

Improving skin quality

Achieving an overall better skin quality is also important as during ageing.
Treatments such as mesotherapy or skin/beauty boosters maintain and restore a healthy and youthful texture to our skin, along with increasing hydration to improve our overall skin quality.^97,98,100
These treatments are an excellent complement to other non-invasive wrinkle treatments previously mentioned.^98,65,48

What are the most common signs of skin ageing in young women?^{26,50,54,58,60,92}

As early as our mid-twenties, we may start noticing the early signs of ageing:

• Our skin will show the first signs of dryness
• Faint creases start to appear on the face, usually across our brows and around our eyes 
• The production of collagen may begin to slow and skin elasticity to weaken 
• Then those creases start to settle in as full-fledged wrinkles.

Wrinkles do not show immediately, so prevention is often overlooked. However, these signs may differ from person to person, depending on our genes and lifestyle.

Which daily routines help prevent the signs of skin ageing?

Three main factors have been proven to induce skin ageing:⁵²

1. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation
2. Smoking
3. Pollution

To help prevent our skin from ageing prematurely, we should integrate the following important steps into our daily routine:

• Stop or refraining from smoking
• Properly cleanse, tone and moisturise the skin each morning and night
• Minimise ageing around the eyes by using eye creams
• Eat a balanced, healthy diet and drink plenty of water
• Avoid drinking too much coffee
• Consume alcohol in moderation
• Engage in regular physical activity
• Always apply creams and serums in an upward motion
• Massage our face
• Do facial exercises/gymnastics
• Get at least 6-7 hours of sleep daily
• If possible, sleeping on our backs avoids sleep lines, which may turn into permanent wrinkles