5 Myths About Skin Aging and Wrinkles
Medical review by Camila Yepes, PA-C
No one wants to look older than they are. But with so many myths about wrinkles, it can be hard to know what’s true or how to keep your skin looking as smooth and youthful as possible.
Camila Yepes, PA-C, a board-certified physician assistant at Water’s Edge Dermatology, debunks some of the most common misconceptions about wrinkle prevention and treatment and explains what it really takes to keep fine lines and creases at bay.
Myth 1: How much you wrinkle depends mainly on your genes
Fact: Your genes play a role in how your skin ages, but how quickly you develop wrinkles depends mostly on sun exposure.
“You may have good genes, but if you’re not protecting your skin from ultraviolet rays, that’s going to cancel out any genetic advantage you may have,” Yepes said.
Consider what causes wrinkles. They happen because the fat in deep layers of the skin shrinks with age, and because the skin naturally thins and becomes less elastic. Spending too much time in the sun makes things worse by speeding the breakdown of collagen and elastin, proteins that make skin look plump and firm.
Getting too much sun exposure isn’t the only lifestyle factor that encourages wrinkles. Smoking and over-consuming alcohol do, too, Yepes noted.
So even if your parents look great for their age, don’t assume the same will be true for you. To prevent wrinkles, use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher every day, skip the cigarettes and vape pens and curb any excessive drinking.
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Myth 2: Botox is always the best treatment for wrinkles
Fact: There are two main types of wrinkles, and Botox is effective against only one of them.
“Botox is a good treatment for dynamic wrinkles, such as crow’s feet and forehead lines, which are caused by muscle contractions that happen with repetitive facial movements,” said Yepes. Botox injections work by temporarily paralyzing the muscles so they can’t contract.
But Botox won’t do anything for the other type of wrinkles, called static wrinkles. These develop due to the loss of elasticity and fat in the skin. Examples of static wrinkles include neck wrinkles, wrinkles under the eyes and marionette lines, which start at the corners of the mouth and extend to the chin.
If you’re bothered by static wrinkles, ask your dermatologist about wrinkle treatments that help minimize them, including retinol cream and dermal fillers such as Juvéderm and Restylane.
Myth 3: Facial exercises are good for preventing wrinkles
Fact: Repetitive movements lead to dynamic wrinkles, so facial exercises and “facial yoga” aren’t going to take years off your face.
“Performing these movements could actually make dynamic wrinkles worse because you’re forcing your facial muscles to contract,” Yepes said.
Whole-body physical exercise, on the other hand, can benefit the skin.
“People who exercise regularly usually look younger than those who don’t,” Yepes noted. Chalk up the benefits in part to better blood flow, which means that more oxygen and nutrients reach the skin and cellular waste and toxins are whisked away faster.
Myth 4: People with oily skin wrinkle less
Fact: People often associate dry skin with wrinkles, but generally speaking, oily skin is just as prone to developing these hallmarks of aging.
“Dry skin sometimes looks older because lack of moisture can make wrinkles and sagging look more prominent, but oil production has nothing to do with how quickly the skin ages,” Yepes said.
One caveat: There’s some evidence that people with oily skin do tend to have shallower forehead wrinkles, thanks to a greater density of sebaceous (sebum-producing) glands in the forehead, which is associated with thicker skin.
If dry skin is making you look older, you may need to use a more effective moisturizer. “Look for one with hyaluronic acid, which is particularly effective at maintaining moisture,” Yepes suggested.
Myth 5: Collagen supplements can reduce wrinkles
Fact: Collagen loss plays a major role in skin aging. But if collagen supplements work for treating wrinkles or sagging skin, there’s no good evidence to prove it.
“Good nutrition is important for the overall health of your skin, but taking extra collagen can’t firm sagging skin,” Yepes said.
Some studies have shown slight improvements in skin appearance with collagen supplementation, but these studies were small and sponsored by the product manufacturers. In reality, it’s not clear whether collagen supplements even enter the bloodstream. Acids in the stomach may break them down before they get there.
“If you want to build collagen, it’s better to use topical products that have been demonstrated to do so, such as retinol cream and vitamin C serum,” Yepes advised.
Written by Jessica Brown, a health and science writer/editor based in Brooklyn, New York. She has written for Prevention magazine, jnj.com, BCRF.org, and many other outlets.
How to Prevent Wrinkles While You Still Can
Medical review by Denise Guevara, DO
If your face is still as smooth as a baby’s bottom, you probably aren’t thinking about wrinkles. Unfortunately, everyone gets them eventually, partly because as the body ages, it produces less collagen and elastin, proteins that keep the skin firm and elastic.
But if you act now, you can delay the development of wrinkles and enjoy young-looking skin longer. Here, Denise Guevara, DO, a board-certified dermatologist at Water’s Edge Dermatology, shares her best tips for staving off these telltale signs of aging.
Use sunscreen daily
You probably know this, but it bears repeating: Wearing sunscreen is one of the best ways to prevent wrinkles.
“Exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays is one of the main causes of premature wrinkles because they damage collagen and elastin, among other harmful effects,” said Dr. Guevara.
Sunscreen plays a particularly large role in preventing wrinkles in people with fair skin. A study published in Clinical, Cosmetic, and Investigational Dermatology concluded that UV rays appeared to be responsible for 80% of signs of aging facial skin in Caucasian women. (The sun takes less of a toll on dark skin because the skin contains more melanin, which provides some natural protection.)
Regardless of skin color, everyone should wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 every day, both to prevent wrinkles and to reduce the risk of skin cancer, Dr. Guevara noted.
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Wear sunglasses
Wearing sunglasses protects the skin around your eyes from UV rays and guards against wrinkles by making you less likely to squint.
“Crow’s feet, which are the wrinkles that form at the outer corners of your eye, are dynamic wrinkles, meaning they develop as a result of repetitive facial movements such as squinting,” Dr. Guevara explained.
If you need regular prescription glasses, it’s important to wear those too in order to limit squinting. Be sure to get regular eye exams as well. You may not realize right away that your vision has gotten worse and that you’ve been squinting more than usual.
Quit smoking
Smoking and vaping cause premature facial wrinkling in several ways. They interfere with the body’s ability to produce collagen and cause blood vessels to narrow, which prevents nutrients from being delivered to the skin. Smoking is also a major contributor to dynamic wrinkles.
“When you smoke, you make repetitive facial movements, such as pursing your lips and squinting,” Dr. Guevara said. “Over time, this creates wrinkles around the mouth and eyes.”
Quitting smoking won’t reduce wrinkles that have already appeared, but it can prevent them from deepening.
Sleep on your back
If you regularly sleep on your side or stomach, you may develop more wrinkles than someone who sleeps on their back.
“Resting your face on a pillow creates compression, which reduces blood flow to the areas of your skin and neck that are in contact with the pillow, depriving them of nutrients,” said Dr. Guevara. “This causes wrinkles to develop on the affected areas as time goes by.”
Can’t sleep on your back? You can minimize compression by sleeping on a softer, bouncier pillow.
Use retinoids
These vitamins A derivatives are commonly used to reduce and prevent wrinkles by increasing collagen production.
“Retinoids are like insurance against future wrinkling,” Dr. Guevara said. “You can start using them in your 20s to prevent wrinkles, though some people begin applying them in their teens because retinoids are also an effective treatment for acne.”
Your dermatologist can prescribe a retinoid, or you can use an over-the-counter retinol product. Retinols are weaker versions of retinoids. The option you choose comes down to what your skin can tolerate. Retinoids are very exfoliating, so you may prefer retinol — and lower-concentration retinol at that — if you have sensitive skin.
Apply a moisturizer that contains hyaluronic acid
Almost any moisturizer can temporarily plump the skin and diminish the appearance of fine lines, but using a moisturizer that contains hyaluronic acid can also help prevent wrinkles. Not only is hyaluronic acid particularly effective at drawing moisture into your skin, but it also helps maintain the integrity of the outer layers of skin, but Dr. Guevara also explained. These layers referred to as the skin barrier, provide protection from external factors that contribute to premature aging, such as pollution.
You can start using a moisturizer with hyaluronic acid at any age, but it becomes increasingly important as you get older, as the hyaluronic acid that is naturally present in the skin decreases over time.
Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost products contain hyaluronic acid, as does wederm Pure Hydration hyaluronic acid serum.
Add vitamin C serum to your skincare routine
Vitamin C serum helps prevent wrinkles by protecting skin from damage caused by unstable molecules called free radicals. These are generated when skin is exposed to harmful elements, such as UV rays and pollution.
“Free radicals cause premature aging because they break down collagen and elastin in your skin,” Dr. Guevara said. “This leads to wrinkles as well as other signs of aging, such as sagging skin.”
Ideally, you should start using vitamin C serum when you’re in your early 20s. But if you’re older and have wrinkles already, vitamin C serum is recommended to help diminish their appearance.
Eat a well-balanced diet
Eating fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C and other antioxidants can help stave off wrinkles.
“In addition to neutralizing free radicals, fruit and vegetables also have a high water content, and hydration plays a key role in making the skin look firm,” Dr. Guevara said.
Limit foods that contribute to premature aging, such as those high in sugar. When sugar combines with fats or protein in the blood, harmful compounds called advanced glycation end products, or AGEs can form. AGEs can accumulate in the skin’s collagen and elastin and interfere with their functioning.
Consider “preventive” Botox
Botox injections treat wrinkles by temporarily paralyzing certain muscles. That effect also helps prevent dynamic wrinkles such as crow’s feet and worry lines on the forehead.
“Even if your skin is still smooth and firm, you may want to consider getting Botox injections by the time you’re in your late 20s in order to start minimizing facial movements that contribute to dynamic wrinkles, such as grimacing and frowning,” Dr. Guevara said.
Written by Jessica Brown, a health and science writer/editor based in Brooklyn, New York. She has written for Prevention magazine, jnj.com, BCRF.org and many other outlets.