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What Even Are Wrinkles?

They happen to the best of us, but what exactly are they?

By Julia BensonPublished 4 years ago 3 min read
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To understand wrinkles, we need to understand our skin.

Your skin is held together by three main components: collagen, elastin, and glycosaminoglycans (GAG). When any one of these three structures are damaged or lose strength, the overall structure of your skin is weakened. When there's not enough structure to hold your skin in place, it "falls down" creating the appearance of wrinkles. Although wrinkly skin appears to be made of more skin than smooth skin, that's not the case. The skin in wrinkles is spread further due to a lack of structure.

Why do wrinkles even happen?

First, let's look at the intrinsic reasons for wrinkles. Once you're out of your teens and early 20's, your body begins to produce less and less collagen as you get older. One of the three critical proteins giving your skin its strength.

On top of producing less collagen, your skin begins to produce less elastin with age. This, as the name suggests, helps with skins elasticity. For example, when you smile and frown, elastin helps your skin bounce back.

However, intrinsic aging isn't the main cause of wrinkles.

Extrinsic aging is. The speed of extrinsic aging can be controlled by lifestyle. For example, how you eat, your stress level, and where you live can all affect your skin. One of the most common ways to speed up the appearance of wrinkles is to be exposed to UVA or UVB rays. Keeping the skin exposed to UVA and UVB rays can diminish the strength of your collagen and elastin cells. Without proper sun protection or the use of tanning beds, wrinkles can appear faster.

A second cause of wrinkles is smoking and drinking. It's not only bad for your internal organs (the skin is your bodies biggest organ!), it also speeds up signs of aging by restricting blood flow to the skin. Effectively, smoking suffocates your skin by starving it of oxygen and other important nutrients that aid in the production of collagen and elastin. Like smoking, drinking also plays a role in the dehydration of the skin. Alcohol deprives the skin (and your entire body) of moisture, hence the horrible hangovers.

How can I prevent wrinkles?

To protect yourself from wrinkles, you need to properly equip yourself for the activities that could put you at risk.

La Roche-Posay Broad Spectrum 60 SPF Sunscreen $36

LRP's sunscreen is broad spectrum - meaning it protects your skin from both UVA and UVB rays. SPF 60 also puts the product at way above the FDA's minimum recommendation for burn protection.

Coola Setting Spray With SPF 30 $36

Now that your body is protected from wrinkles, we can't forget about the face. Coola's SPF 30 setting spray can be used after applying a face of makeup, or used on its own for SPF protection and moisture boost. Ingredients like plant STEM cells and hyaluronic acid are antioxidants and boost hydration levels by over 50x!

Drunk Elephant Intensive Hydration Anti Wrinkle Serum $60

Drunk Elephant is a favorite for their anti-aging products because, well, they actually work. This serum includes B5 - an ingredient that replenishes vitamins and helps to keep your face moisturized throughout the day.

iS Clinical Youth Serum $150

Not only does your skin need to be hydrated to prevent wrinkles, it needs help with elasticity. iS Clinical claims their serum, “provides immediate skin tightening, as well as long term anti-aging results, so you get immediate gratification as well as long term help”. A bonus is that it can act as a primer under makeup, meaning you don't have to forgo your beauty routine for better skin.

HUM Collagen Love $40

HUM is known for their wide range of beauty supplements that unlike some, actually work. With a triple collagen peptide complex, hyaluronic acid, and vitamins C & E, HUM will not only prevent wrinkles, but help your skin GLOW!

skincare
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About the Creator

Julia Benson

Sharing my ideas and spilling the tea on the makeup and fashion industries!

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