The 5 Most Common Facial Wrinkles and How to Treat Them

The funny thing about wrinkles is that we never give them much thought before we have them. We simply gallivant through our childhood and youth with our wrinkle-free faces, completely oblivious to the inevitable droops and lines and folds that we’re bound to run into sooner or later. Then, out of nowhere, it’s as if we wake up one day with creases in our skin that we didn’t have before, and just like that… We’re older. 

I’m sure some people are able to move on from this realization without giving it much of a second thought. For many of us, however, we become consumed with finding ways to rid ourselves of these telltale signs of aging, and to prevent even more of them from showing up in the future.

That said, not all wrinkles are created equal, and how to best treat and prevent them varies depending on what is causing them in the first place. The verdict is still out on just how many types of wrinkles there are, so we’re going to break them down into 5 of the most common ones and explore how you can both treat and prevent them so that you can defy nature and hold on to your youthful appearance for as long as possible.

Type #1: Expression Wrinkles

Expression wrinkles are essentially just what they sound like: Wrinkles caused by the expressions we make with our face. They tend to show up as what we colloquially refer to as laugh lines and crow’s feet, as well as the vertical and horizontal lines on our foreheads.

As the muscles in our face move when making certain expressions, little tiny creases are formed. When we’re younger, the skin has enough elasticity to help the skin bounce right back into place. As we get older and the elasticity decreases, the creases caused by the expressions tend to stick around a little longer, eventually becoming permanent.

Keep in mind that for many people, expression wrinkles are something they choose to be proud of, particularly if they happen to be caused by years of pleasant expressions such as laughing and smiling. Treatment and prevention typically involve the use of Botox and/or fillers.

Type #2: Dry Wrinkles

There’s a reason why almost every skincare regimen involves keeping the skin hydrated and moisturized, and that’s because oil plays a key role in keeping our skin healthy. Of course, you don’t want the oil to be so excessive that you begin to break out, but there’s tremendous value in making sure that the moisture of your skin is consistently replenished. To help keep dry wrinkles away (and potentially reverse any dry wrinkles you may already have), look for facials, treatments, and other products that will keep your skin moisturized and hydrated. 

Type #3: Gravitational Folds

As we age, we start to lose a significant amount of collagen in our bodies. And as the collagen decreases, that thing we call gravity starts to have its way with our skin and begins to pull it down away from the muscles on the face. These types of wrinkles typically show up on the upper eyelid and the jowls, causing these areas to droop.

While there is no way to prevent these altogether, there are treatments available to help minimize their appearance. They range from over-the-counter treatments such as creams and masks, to more clinical treatments like injectables and fillers. In more extreme cases, surgical procedures like a facelift can also be a viable option.

Type #4: Elastic Wrinkles

These wrinkles are caused by the loss of elastin in our skin, a natural occurrence of getting older. However, one of the main contributors to speeding up this process is excessive sun exposure, particularly when it leads to sun damage. These typically show up on the cheeks, the neck, and the upper lip.

The best way to prevent these wrinkles is by avoiding spending too much time in the sun, and particularly avoiding sunburns at all costs. For skin that’s already damaged, treating it with a light chemical peel can help remove the upper, damaged layer of skin to reveal the younger-looking skin living beneath the surface.

Type #5: Compression Wrinkles

Unlike the other wrinkles that are primarily a simple byproduct of aging, compression wrinkles are the ones most easily prevented by changing certain habits. As the name suggests, compression wrinkles are caused by the skin being compressed, most commonly when sleeping with your face on a pillow.

I’m sure all of us have had the experience of waking up from a solid night’s sleep with lines imprinted on our face from the pillow. When we’re younger, these lines typically smooth out rather quickly. However, as we get older, they may start sticking around quite a bit longer, and if you have a habit of sleeping on the side of your face every night for decades on end, these lines can start to become permanent.

The best way to prevent compression wrinkles is to find a way to sleep on your back so that your face isn’t compressed while you sleep, as well as using a hydrating moisturizer at night. If you insist on being a side sleeper, using silk pillowcases have also been known to help minimize compression lines.

Tips To Prevent Wrinkles

While there may no way to prevent wrinkles altogether, you can do yourself many favors by making healthy lifestyle choices, such as the following:

• Drink lots of water
• Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet
• Don’t smoke
• Get plenty of sleep
• Wear sunscreen
• Avoid squinting
• Avoid sun damage caused by sunburns and overexposure 

Embrace Your Skin

So there you have it! 5 of the most common types of wrinkles you’re bound to experience at some point in your life as you age, and some tips on what you can do to keep them at bay.

But remember, getting older is a privilege and wrinkles are inevitable. Given there’s only so much we can do to prevent them, it might do us a bit of good to learn how to embrace them as much as we can, and to view them as reminders of the life we’ve lived.

If you’re interested in learning about more advanced treatments for wrinkles in a clinical setting, check out this video to learn about the Best Skin Rejuvenation Doctors in Beverly Hills to see if they have treatments that would be right for you.

- BJ