We all get wrinkle as we get older. They're a normal part of aging. Let's find out what causes wrinkles and explore the treatment options.
Here are the factors that cause
wrinkle - Age - As you get older, your skin becomes less elastic and more fragile. Decreased production of natural oils dries your skin and fat in the deeper layers of your skin diminishes. This causes loose and saggy skin.
- Sun Damage - Too much exposure to sun damages your skin, and that leads to wrinkles. You should stay out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and wear a sunscreen with a SPF 30 every day, even in the winter and cloudy weather.
- Smoking - Smoking accelerates the normal aging process of your skin, contributes to wrinkles.
- Facial Muscle Contractions - Lines between your eyebrows (frown lines) and lines jutting from the corner of your eyes (crow's feet) are thought to result from facial muscle contractions. Smiling, frowning, and other habitual facial expressions make these wrinkles more prominent.
Treatments available for wrinkle: Medical treatments - Vitamin A Acid (Retin A): This is available by prescription and helps in treating aging skin and fine lines.Antiwrinkle creams containing tretinoin must be used.
- Alpha-hydroxy acids: These include glycolic and lactic acid. Wrinkle cream containing these acids are quite safe and cause no more than mild and temporary irritation. They produce only slight improvement though.
- Antioxidants: These include anti ageing creams that contain the vitamins A, C, and E, as well as beta-carotene.
Cosmetic procedures, wrinkle treatment - Glycolic acid peels: These peels can make a very slight difference in the intensity of fine wrinkles.
- Deeper peels: These peels use ingredients like salicylic acid and trichloroacetic acid and penetrate deeper into the skin. Deeper peels do a better job of smoothing fine lines. Such peels do not require anesthesia.
- Laser resurfacing. Energy from laser removes the top layer of skin, causing a slight but unnoticeable skin "wounding." This promotes collagen-production system, resulting in smoother, more wrinkle-free skin.
- Plastic surgical procedures: Surgical facelifts, brow lifts, and similar operations can be very helpful for selected patients.
- Botox: Injection of botulinum toxin, can paralyze muscles that produce the "frown lines" on the forehead, fine lines around the eyes, and other wrinkle. The effects last several months and must be repeated to sustain improvement.
- Fillers : Dermal fillers are injected into the skin to increase volume and flatten wrinkle. There are filler substances such as hyaluronic acid (Restylane, Juvederm) which can last six to nine months or even longer.
