Why we get fine lines and wrinkles

Genetics, time and daily life will all take a toll on your skin, and you will notice that your skin changes as you get older. Not all wrinkles and lines are your face are unavoidable though, and there are some easy changes you can make to minimise premature aging.

It’s no coincidence that wrinkles are most noticeable on areas of the skin such as your face, neck and hands, which are usually exposed to sunlight on a regular basis. But that doesn’t mean you have to live in a dark cave forever.

Spend a minute or two putting on some SPF protection when you’re going to be outside for a prolonged period, particularly in the summer, and you’ll greatly reduce the damage done to your skin by the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. It’s also important to keep in mind that unlike visible light, radiation isn’t blocked by clouds. So even if you can’t see that part of the light spectrum, it can still see you.

Getting some sun on your skin is good for you, stimulating the production of vitamin D and just generally feeling nice, but there can always be too much of a good thing. The sun’s ultraviolet radiation damages your skin’s collagen and elastin in the same way that smoking does, and like an old dried out elastic band, your skin will stop bouncing back over time. Use SPF of 30 or higher, reapply it regularly on sunny days in particular, and you can enjoy the sun and the great outdoors without sacrificing your skin’s health.

Smoking is also a factor that can result in skin damage, both because it reduces the blood flow to your skin, but also because it damages the collagen and elastin in your skin. When damaged, vital parts of your skin’s composition are less effective when it comes to maintaining your skin’s structure, and the result is sagging and wrinkles.

At risk of sounding like a cosmetics ad, you can also reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles on your skin by using moisturiser. As you age your skin produces less natural oil, meaning the skin will become drier over time, and the cells will be less well hydrated. Applying moisturiser on a regular basis will help to keep your skin better hydrated and essentially have the same effect as fluffing a pillow. Using moisturiser doesn’t prevent wrinkles from forming, but the “fluffed” cells will make lines on your skin less visible. Unlike a cosmetics ad we’re not going to tell you what moisturiser to use- pick one that you like and that works for you and use it regularly.

Most of us have busy lives, and so it can seem like a bit of a chore to apply moisturiser and SPF every day alongside everything else we need to do. You can do yourself a favour and save some time (and space in your bathroom cabinet) by buying a moisturiser that includes SPF protection. One cream that has multiple benefits is definitely a win-win.

An entire industry has built up around anti-aging and wrinkles, and it’s easy to see why. Nobody wants to look old before their time, and the tips we’ve given in this article will give you a good chance of minimising the skin damage that leads to wrinkles and lines. Not all wrinkles are avoidable, particularly expression lines, but it’s certainly not worth stressing about. If the worst thing you can say about your appearance when you get older is, “I look like I smiled and laughed a lot”, then it will probably have been a life well lived.