When your face muscles get bigger and stretch out your skin, then consider that you have wrinkles. This is one problem faced by so many people in general and aging people in particular. In many places, those who have wrinkled faces are looked upon as aging people. There are those who stay physically fit to maintain that aspect of youthfulness but they constantly find themselves battling with wrinkles which always reveal that they are aging. Facial fitness is one thing that an aging person will not succeed to maintain 100%. It is very common to see aging people searching for anti-aging chemicals in cream bottles while some go as far as getting themselves injected with anti-aging substances or using laser procedures. One thing you should take note of is that wrinkles do not only appear because people are aging. There are always other contributing factors which act as forerunners to prepare a place for wrinkles. Therefore, you can always fight wrinkles even before you start aging. Let us begin with the causes of wrinkles.
Causes of wrinkles
Age: One natural aspect of the aging process is that wrinkles start appearing on your face. So as you get older, your skin becomes weaker, thinner, drier and less elastic as a result of insufficient collagen and therefore, the skin becomes unable to protect itself from damage which will, in turn, lead to wrinkles and lines on the skin. If you consider the number of years that aging people have lived, it is enough for their skin cells too to have diminished. These diminished skin cells will no longer be able to keep the skin fresh and youthful and thus the multiplication of wrinkles on the face and on other parts of the skin.
Facial expressions: Facial expressions like frowning, smiling and squinting when practiced repeatedly, can lead to wrinkles at a much younger age. Frowning and smiling and squinting are exercises everyone has learned and are capable of doing it almost all the time. Frowning pulls down your face muscles and contracts your muscles repeatedly and this leads to forehead wrinkles. How does this happen? Frowning regularly means you are giving your face a regular workout. When you frown, two lines show up on your forehead from furrowing your brow or crow’s feet from narrowing your eyes. This same process happens when you smile and even more when you squint that is to struggle to see something by lowering your eyes or stressing them to try looking hard. When you do this, you stress your face muscles. Research has shown that every time someone makes use of a facial muscle, a groove forms under the surface of the skin. The wrinkles may not be visible at a much younger age because when you use the muscles, the skin springs back but as you get older, the skin loses its flexibility since springing back when you are aging becomes more difficult and less frequent, resulting to more permanent grooves and more forehead wrinkles.
Constant exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays or light: People get exposed to ultraviolet light each time they do outdoor activities, therefore this is an environmental factor that can cause forehead wrinkles. When you always get exposed to these sun rays, it increases your chances of developing forehead wrinkles much earlier. This ultraviolet light accelerates destruction and breaks down the collagen and elastin fibers in the skin which forms the connective tissue of the skin. When the body is regularly exposed to sun rays, the elastic collagen fibers become rigid and fragile leading to the destruction of their basic structure. This phenomenon is termed solar elastosis. These fibers support the skin and are found just beneath it. When the UV light breaks down this layer, it causes the skin to become weaker and less flexible. It is at this point that the skin is left without support and wrinkles begin to appear. People who indulge in outdoor jobs like; hawkers, gardeners, farmers and many others are mostly affected by the ultraviolet light which will lead to early forehead wrinkles. Many research studies show that about 70% of the wrinkles that appear on peoples’ faces are as a result of the amount of sunlight their skin is exposed to throughout their lifetime.
Smoking: when you smoke, you make way for premature forehead wrinkles and wrinkles around the eye. How does this work? There is always a reduction of vitamin C in the blood of smokers. Vitamin C is an indispensable component in the production of the collagen fibers which take charge of the elasticity and appearance of a healthy, fresh and youthful skin. As a smoker with a constant reduction of vitamin C in your blood, it, therefore, means that the proper production of collagen in your body will be affected because of a deficiency in vitamin C. Non-smokers have a better chance because they allow for the proper production of collagen which in turn protects their skin.
Stress: people get stressed at one point in time or the other. When you get stressed for a long time, it leads to increased secretion of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. The stress hormones in turn aid the acceleration of many processes that are associated with aging. These processes according to Jenny Hills, a researcher, include suppression of normal synthesis of connective tissue, an increase in the size of the face, alongside other osteoporotic processes that destroy bone density and causes changes in bone structure. That is the reason why your face will look quite different from when you were much younger. Stress mostly causes forehead wrinkles and wrinkles around the eyes.
Lack of sleep: wrinkles around the eye appear partly because you do not get enough sleep. Staying up late frequently without getting enough sleep will be clearly evident on your face because you stress the muscles on your face in general and your eye muscles in particular. The moment you keep on resisting sleep, you continue to stress your face muscles. Lack of sleep causes wrinkles because when you sleep, the pituitary gland in your brain secretes growth hormones which are important in keeping and renewing various body tissues including the skin tissue. What this implies is that when you do not get enough sleep, your skin tissue will not be renewed or the growth hormones will not have time to renew your skin tissue and therefore you will start having wrinkles when your skin wears out.
Excessive intake of alcohol: Those who drink alcohol excessively are more likely to get more wrinkles around the eye. This is because excessive alcohol causes bulged eyes and has a considerable influence on the eye sockets. Too much alcohol amounts to damage of the skin color and skin texture. It affects the skin due to the accumulation of toxic breakdown products in deeper skin layers. At this point, your capillaries and sometimes veins become visible and your cheeks become red.
Low consumption of fruits and vegetables: Fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C like oranges and berries are essential to the proper production of collagen. As mentioned above, collagen protects the skin cells and fibers. Therefore, when you have a deficiency of fruits and vegetables, you risk getting wrinkles like the wrinkles around the eye. Fruits and vegetables like cucumbers and spinach are the main sources of antioxidants in our routine diets. With the absence of these antioxidants in the body, we become exposed to accelerated oxidation which damages our bodies. Fruits and vegetables also contain soluble dietary oxidants like lutein, beta-carotene, and lycopene. These dietary antioxidants neutralize the oxidative damage associated with very long exposure to the sun by reaching the deeper skin layers called the dermis.
Depression: Depression comes with many other negative habits like lack of sleep which will not give enough time for your skin cells to be renewed, it also comes with personal neglect and poor nutrition that has damaging effects on your skin among which aging is one of them. It is also bad because it makes you to age rapidly. Researchers have reported that prolonged feelings of blues, sorrow and frustration have the ability to shorten telomeres which are structures found in all cells in the body that affect the body in a number of ways, among which is the lifespan of the body cells. The moment your body runs short of the telomere, the genetic material in all cells known as DNA become affected because it stops cell division and causes cell to die prematurely. The shortening of telomeres and the constant augmented aging of cells is most common and visible in tissues which are divided at a faster rate like the hair and skin tissue.
Dehydration: Water has a controversial effect on the skin. When you drink water, you stay hydrated, maintaining a soft and moist skin. When your body stays without water, it begins to shrink. Let us use an example of a bean seed. When it is put in water, the seed remains smooth inside out but when you take it out of the water, it shrinks and becomes wrinkled. Then you see the coating of the seed twisted. The same thing that happens to your skin. When you become dehydrated, your body can no longer maintain its rigidity. The cells of our skin also depend on water to repair all damages and to function properly. In fact, water just like food is an absolute necessity for the body. Equally, you may not drink water only for your skin but drink water for the proper functioning of your body.
Your body cannot function well when it is dehydrated. Also, keep in mind that water can be gotten in many forms, so if you do not like drinking water in its original form very often, then try getting water from fruits and vegetables regularly. You should consume fruits such as watermelon, cucumbers, apples, oranges, and mangos and vegetables like tomatoes, carrots, and spinach. These fruits and vegetables will keep your body stay hydrated and prevent your skin from shrinking.
How to prevent wrinkles
Stop chewing gum: You may wonder how chewing gum causes wrinkles on your skin. Now, this is how it works. When you chew gum, you force your mouth to wriggle in different directions and shapes. For those who chew gum on a daily basis, you may begin to notice a pronounced muscle at the bottom of your jawline. What you should know is that these muscles once formed are tremendously difficult to work on. So rather than chewing gum all the time, probably to keep your mouth refreshed or just for fun, try other alternatives like breathe strips, mouthwash, and mint. You can try anything, so long as it is not gum. When you forgo the habit of constantly chewing gum, it will go a long way to prevent you from getting wrinkles at an early age.
Quit smoking: Smoking has several effects on your skin and your entire body. Quit smoking because it makes you look older by restricting blood flow to your skin. It is important that you forgo this habit if you want to keep a youthful skin.
Reduce the quantity of sugar you consume: Apart from the many other effects sugar has on your body like increasing your waistline, provoking diabetes, and many others, sugar can also always damage your skin. Here is how it happens, when you consume sugar, the sugar molecules bind to tissues through a process known as glycation. When this happens, harmful new molecules are created in the bloodstream which damage collagen and elastin fibers responsible for keeping your skin intact.
Regular exercises: Exercises are relevant as they make the human body relaxed. During exercise, the body communicates. In the process, all organs are kept active. When the body is active, it serves as a self-defense mechanism against all sorts of complications. Since the mind automatically relaxes during exercise, it thus becomes possible for possible wrinkles to be eradicated. A free and relaxed mind guarantees free thought. By thinking freely, one naturally fights against any possibility of developing wrinkles.
Be flexible: A key attribute for human development is flexibility. On a daily basis, one is likely to encounter different people who have different modus operandi. One thing is certain: people never reason the same. So, one must learn to accommodate the varied opinions of others in a social system. Getting angry at every instance does not help. Notwithstanding, it is common today that in struggling to ascertain one’s position, there is a tendency to develop body mechanism that builds against the opinions of others. This is not healthy. Hence, by listening to others, one gives a fair chance of avoiding unnecessary contractions in the central nervous system. Such contractions are most likely to result in wrinkles. As human beings, therefore, people must learn to accept their strengths and weaknesses, evaluate opinions of others, and itemize where they can conveniently fit such ideas into daily communications. In fact, there is no perfect explanation for any single phenomenon. To avoid the possibility of developing wrinkles, therefore, one must learn to be flexible in thought and action.
Get rid of wrinkles naturally
Drink a good quantity of water: You should drink about 10 glasses of water every day. Much water in your system will go a long way to flush out toxins from your body and help your body to become glowy, fresh, and healthy. Water can also make your skin plump up and this will fill the wrinkled areas temporarily. So water can be considered as a natural wrinkle remover though it may not be a permanent solution it will help you get rid of wrinkles naturally rather than making use of chemicals which will later result to adverse effects on your skin. You may not want to drink 10 glasses of water in its original form per say therefore you can increase your daily intake of beverages such as tea, coffee, fruit juices and other flavoured drinks.
Apply natural moisturizers: Stay away from chemical moisturizer because they may act as wrinkle removers but will always have side effects on your skin. You should always try to get rid of wrinkles naturally by applying a few drops of natural products. You can apply few drops of coconut oil or olive oil for example to your skin and body twice each day. Applying these oils will help your skin to maintain moisture and plumped up to aid the reduction of wrinkles on the face. Apart from coconut oil and olive oil, there are other natural moisturizers or wrinkle removers like; aloe vera, shea butter, castor oil, rose oil and hemp oil. These products will help you get rid of wrinkles naturally.
Strengthen muscles in the targeted area of your skin: Make it habit to stretch the muscles on your neck, around your eyeballs, your lower eyelids, and the muscles around your lips. This will not only help to reduce the appearance of wrinkles but will prevent them from appearing in future. When working the muscles around your eyeballs, place your index fingers on the outside of your eyes and place your middle fingers in the centres of your eyebrows. Work the muscles by pushing them up and down. It is as simple as doing a massage. This exercise will serve as a natural wrinkle remover if you constantly repeat it twice on a daily basis.
Limit your exposure to the sun: When you are out doing outdoor activities, cover yourself with sunscreen or ultraviolet clothing and make sure to always put on hats on sunny days. Wear sun shades when you are outside in order to avoid squinting. Remember that when you squint, you develop wrinkles around the eye. Equally, avoid too much contact between your eyes and the computer or your phone screen. You can also wear preventive glasses when reading small text directly exposed to bright lights. Exposure to sunlight is an environmental factor that can lead to the acceleration of wrinkles on the skin but you can always control your exposure to UV light. On the other hand, this does not mean that you should try to completely stay away from sunlight because that is not even possible. A few times, you be exposed to sunlight especially light that rises in the morning in order for the vitamin D in your body to be synthesized.
Get regular massages: You can stimulate and relax yourself by getting professional massages. If you cannot afford it, you can always do it on your own. Massage is a natural wrinkle remover which can boost the nutrients in your skin and relieve you from stress and is one method on how to remove wrinkles. Recall that stress is one of the causes of wrinkles, therefore, you should relieve stress by getting regular massages. While getting your massage, you can apply a bit of your favourite lotion and then apply some amount of firm but gentle pressure on the area you are massaging. Another thing is that you should always focus more on those areas that are prone to wrinkles like the neck, the areas around the eye, around your lips, and your forehead. Do this regularly and the benefit is that when you get a massage, you relax your muscle, relieve stress and then feel like you have found some inner peace, especially when someone else like a professional does it for you. Others can ask their husbands, children, brothers, and sisters to do it. But the bottom line is you relieve stress more when someone else does it. Did you ever believe that massaging could be a natural wrinkle remover? Surely not. But it works like magic and saves you the stress of using anti-aging chemical which may be expensive and even ineffective.
Consume foods rich in vitamin C: One of the ways on how to remove wrinkles is by consuming foods rich in vitamin C like chili peppers, mangoes, broccoli, pineapple, tomatoes, and strawberries. Foods rich in Vitamin C can protect your skin from UV damage that causes wrinkling and vitamin C builds collagen which makes the body look firmer and fresher, therefore, you should incorporate foods rich in vitamin C in your diet in order to get rid of wrinkles.
These methods on how to remove wrinkles should be followed with utmost discipline and determination. With these few steps on how to remove wrinkles, you can act as your own doctor and help yourself even at home without having to spend much or stress a lot. The methods on how to remove wrinkles are very simple and can be practiced by anybody at any time. All you need do is to be strict about your diet, eradicate certain bad habits you had incorporated like smoking. Then you must have effectively learned how to remove wrinkles.