30-Second Summary
- Expression lines occur as a result of repetitive facial movements over the years.
- There are 7 different types of expression lines, namely forehead lines, frown lines, bunny lines, crow’s feet, laugh lines, lip lines, and marionette lines.
- Expression lines can be treated with moisturizers, hyaluronic acid, antioxidant creams, Botox treatment, or dermal fillers.
There are a plethora of well-known anti-aging remedies in the world of dermatology. We all know that we can’t miss our eye cream. Also, retinol is life-altering. We’re told to wash our make-up and schedule regular facials. But even after all that is said and done, we find a few lines creeping as we look in the mirror in the morning. And you begin to wonder, what’s causing this?
Why do we get wrinkles?
Table of Contents
Wrinkles fall into two categories: dynamic and static. Dynamic wrinkles are temporary wrinkles that are formed while making a facial expression. These wrinkles can become permanent over time. Static wrinkles start from a loss of elasticity within aging skin. These wrinkles are signs of skin aging.
There are many types of wrinkles: expression lines, elastotic wrinkles, compression wrinkles, gravitational folds, and astrophic wrinkles. Let’s talk about expression lines.
While most wrinkles are caused by factors such as free radicals, loss of collagen, and genetics[1], expression lines are different. They are simply the result of repetitive facial expressions over the years.
Pretty much anything can cause our facial muscles to contract and cause deep wrinkles after repeated use. Your skin’s like a piece of paper that creases deeper and deeper each time it’s folded. Each time you make a facial expression, a line is formed. Here are the most common wrinkles we get from our expressions.
The 7 Different Types of Expression Lines
- Forehead Lines. The movement in the frontalis muscle is responsible for your forehead wrinkles. It contracts when we raise our eyebrows, pulling the forehead skin upwards. This creates a horizontal line that appears across the forehead, which we call forehead wrinkles.
- Frown Lines. The corrugator supercilii is the muscle that creates your frown line. It extended from the bone near the top of the nose to the underside of the skin just above the mid-portion of the eyebrow. Contraction of these muscles will form a vertical line near your eyebrow.
- Bunny Lines. Flexing the upper fibers of the nasalis muscle[2] on the lateral nose created the formation of Bunny Lines. They appear on the sides and along the bridge of your nose. By repeatedly scrunching your nose, smiling, or laughing, you can trigger the nasalis muscle to move, creating bunny lines.
- Crow’s Feet. It is a wrinkle that forms on the outer corner of the eye that results from the movement of the orbicularis oculi muscle. This muscle surrounds the eye and is in charge of closing the eye. When the muscle is flexed, it tightens around the eye and pulls the skin forward. This action causes crow’s feet to form.
- Laugh Lines. Used to help close the mouth, the orbicularis oris is a muscle that is responsible for your laugh lines. When frowning, smiling, or laughing, the orbicularis oris creates a parenthesis around our upper lip. This creates laugh lines, also known as nasolabial folds.
- Lip Lines. As opposed to the laugh lines, lip lines form around the perimeter of the mouth. When you purse your lips, the orbicularis muscle tightens, causing wrinkles to appear around your mouth. These lines are often caused by pursing your lips such as when sucking a straw or smoking.
- Marionette Lines. This line frames your chin vertically. They start on the outer corners of your mouth and down to the edges of your chin. While the wrinkles are subtle and impossible to trace, they create a show between your chin and cheek, which results in a droopy jowl appearance.
How to Treat Expression Wrinkles?
When it comes to treating expression wrinkles, it all comes down to collagen. To help fight the signs of skin aging, you need collagen to fill in the lines. Whether you’re looking to smooth your lines through skin products or medical treatments, there’s always something for you.
Moisturizers. Specialists recommend[3] using an overnight cream and a daily moisturizing routine to keep your skin hydrated. Skin that is deeply moisturized is flexible and can hold its shape better over time. Drmtlgy is one of the many skincare lines, which have intensive hydrating substances that penetrate deeper layers of the skin.
Hyaluronic Acid. An acid that has been shown to fill gaps in your skin’s moisture barrier. It results in plump skin that is soft to the touch. Hyaluronic Acid is proven[4] to be a promising biomedicine that rejuvenates the skin and reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Antioxidant Creams. These creams can help your skin fight against the damage of oxidative stress. Skin creams infused with antioxidant ingredients such as green tea extract and vitamin E may help stimulate new skin cell growth. Creams rich in antioxidants, such as Drmtlgy, may be able to help inhibit free radical damage.
Botox and Dermal Fillers. If you want to go straight to the hard stuff, there’s Botox and fillers. Botox can help minimize the appearance of lines, while dermal fillers can add fullness to the area. These treatments have become more popular in recent years for the skin and have a low risk of complications.
Are Expression Wrinkles Inevitable?
The short answer is yes. Expression wrinkles are a normal part of the aging process. As we express our emotions, lines form and create the story of our life. Over time, these lines become ingrained in our skin.
But there are treatments to fend them off or reduce them, from simple remedies such as using the best anti-wrinkle cream right down to medical treatments such as Botox or facelifts. If you’re looking to reduce wrinkles, there’s always a way to do it. For example, facelift surgery is a procedure for tightening the skin from the jawline to the cheekbone and lifting sagging facial tissues and muscles. During the operation, the doctor will make small incisions to gently lift underlying structures to remove sagging skin around the cheeks, get rid of jowls, and diminish deep facial wrinkles.
In most cases, facelift surgery doesn’t completely remove wrinkles on your face. But it can significantly reduce the appearance of wrinkles, which helps create a much younger appearance. Lastly, the results of a facelift surgical procedure may last for many years. Hence, if you want to undergo this anti-aging surgical option, find an experienced and reliable facelift plastic surgeon who can perform the procedure for you.
Prevention is Key
While anti-aging treatments such as creams, lasers, and Botox are effective, even the best anti-wrinkle cream won’t result in eliminating wrinkles permanently.
Prevention is the best course of action. Use anti-aging products early-on to keep your skin at its best. Always cleanse and moisturize your skin daily. Live a healthy lifestyle and, most of all, don’t forget the SPF.
There are several ways to combat ageing in the summer, including:
- Wear sunscreen: Protecting your skin from the sun is one of the most effective ways to prevent ageing. Use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 and reapply every two hours.
- Stay hydrated: Drinking plenty of water helps keep your skin hydrated, which can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
- Use a Serum: Products like Swiss serums can help combat ageing by providing your skin with essential nutrients and antioxidants. You can check out the Swiss serum.
- Eat a healthy diet: A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats can help keep your skin looking young and healthy.
- Get enough sleep: Getting enough sleep is essential for your overall health, including your skin. Aim for at least seven hours of sleep per night.
By following these tips, you can help combat aging and keep your skin looking young and healthy.
Final Thoughts
Aging has a huge impact on the appearance of the skin. One of these significant effects is the occurrence of expression wrinkles. Simply put, expression wrinkles usually develop when you make the same expressions repeatedly. Although they naturally disappear after making certain expressions, they tend to stay even after muscle contractions as you age. This can affect your skin’s ability to maintain its smooth and young appearance.
Hence, if you think you have expression wrinkles, keep the information mentioned above in mind, and you’ll know exactly how to manage them using nonsurgical and surgical treatments.
