Fine lines, sagging skin and wrinkles are all concerns that many deal with as they age, as skin loses collagen and elastin.
And now an expert has explained what your wrinkles could really be revealing about your skin and lifestyles.
Dr Ginni Mansberg, skin expert, celebrity doctor and founder of ESK Skincare, told FEMAIL that aging and exposure to the sun could have a detrimental impact on skin.
The doctor recently revealed new ‘miracle product’ for combating the signs of aging without heading to a clinic for Botox.
A British expert Dr Ginni Mansberg told FEMAIL what your wrinkles could really be revealing about your skin and lifestyle (stock image)
There are other factors at play too, including your hormones, genes that predispose you to wrinkling, and lifestyle factors like smoking and excessive drinking.
However, what you may not know is that different types of wrinkles can reveal more than just our age, they can reveal what’s happening in our skin and health.
Dr Ginni explains what these are…
YOU’RE SLEEP DEPRIVED
Looking tired usually refers to dark circles and redder, more swollen eyes, plus pale skin.
If you thought that poor sleepers had it bad already with this hazards on the complexion, think again.
Sleep deprivation can also give you more fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes.
This is because during sleep the body rests and regenerates through the elimination and replacement of dead cells.
Sleep allows encourages the growth of more collagen and elastin, so if getting your eight hours wasn’t already a priority, think about your fine lines.
YOU’VE SPENT TOO MUCH TIME IN THE SUN
‘Hands down the best thing you can do to prevent wrinkles is avoid the sun’s UV rays, especially UVA,’ said Dr Ginni.
The skin expert explained that even small amounts of UVA can cause a lot of skin damage and ‘that’s why’ the best option is using sunscreen ‘every single day.’
She advised looking for a broad-spectrum sunscreen, which protects against both UVB (burning) and UVA (ageing) rays.
What is useful to know is that is that the ageing rays are here 365 days of the year and they penetrate glass.
She said: ‘This is why your sunscreen should be used every day, even when you’re not headed to the beach or outdoors for prolonged periods of time.
‘Many dermatologists recommend physical sunscreens over chemical sunscreens. Physical sunscreens, ingredients like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, reflect and scatter UV radiation rather than absorbing them as chemical sunscreens do.
‘They’re particularly recommended for sensitive skins. Of the two, zinc oxide offers better UVA protection than titanium dioxide.’
YOU MIGHT NOT BE LIVING A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE
Lifestyle has a lot to answer for, it could be blamed for a myriad of health related issues both physical and mental.
Now is could be one of the ‘two major factors’ that determine how soon you begin developing wrinkles.
Dr Ginni explained: ‘While you can’t alter your genes, you can make changes to your day-to-day life to help slow down ageing.’
A healthy lifestyle and skincare routine can help you can preserve your youthful skin as best as possible.
Factors such as smoking speed up the ageing process and reduce the production of collage and elastin that support your skin.
‘Even the act of smoking can cause wrinkles as dragging on a cigarette can lead to wrinkles around the mouth.’
Dr Ginni described how it’s not only smoking and alcohol that can accelerate skin ageing but a diet deficient in proteins, vitamin C and zinc can also contribute.
She said: ‘There’s emerging evidence to support the idea that a diet full of sugar and saturated fat accelerates skin ageing, by accelerating inflammation in the skin.’
YOU’RE SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME ON YOUR PHONE
One of the most common types of facial lines are crown’s feet, which typically appear around the corners of our eyes.
Dr Ginni explained that this skin is extremely delicate and usually the first place for fine lines to appear.
She said: ‘These tiny wrinkles might also be known as “smile lines” since they’re the ones that form when we grin.’
And while she insisted you should not avoid smiling she said it’s worth knowing that if you are squinting to see devices like phones and laptops, or if you suffer with bad eyesight, you may be deepening your crow’s feet.
YOU ARE STRESSED
Stress is to blame for many things and has often been linked to our skin, as a culprit for exacerbating a number of skin conditions including psoriasis, eczema, acne, and hair loss.
When the body produces cortisol, which is a hormone known to have a negative impact on collagen in your skin.
Cortisol reduces the amount of collagen and elastin in our skin, which can consequently cause premature sagging and fine lines.
It has also been suggested that cortisol can increase oil production in your skin glands, which can lead to clogged pores and acne breakouts.
Try reducing stress through healthy habits like walking, baths, reading and spending more time in nature.
YOU’RE HORMONAL OR SUFFERING FROM MENOPAUSE
‘As most menopausal women will tell you, menopause means havoc for your skin,’ says Dr Ginni.
But seeing as menopause happens when both natural skin ageing and premature skin aging (which is mainly caused by cumulative exposure to the sun) are starting to set in, it’s hard to tease out how many of the changes in your skin are due to ageing and how many to menopause.
She explained: ‘In menopause, as oestrogen levels fall, skin quickly loses collagen, weakening its structure and thinning the skin.
‘It all happens pretty quickly. In fact, studies show that women’s skin loses about 30per cent of its collagen within the first 5 years of menopause.
‘And after that, we continue to lose a further 2per cent of our collagen every year for the next 20 years.’
In postmenopausal women, you get almost negligible oestrogen levels. This low oestrogen seems to turbo charge your wrinkles.
Lots of studies have found that wrinkles increase in number and depth the further you get from the start of menopause.
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