What Factors Cause Wrinkles and How Can You Minimize Them?

Wrinkles are inevitable as you age.  While you may be able to lessen the intensity of wrinkles with some good health habits, having a proper skin care routine can also help reduce their appearance.  Here’s some information about the causes of wrinkles and what you can do about them:

What are the leading factors that cause wrinkles?

  1. Sun exposure. The UV rays from the sun can wreak havoc on your face, neck, hands and forearms.  Even small amounts of exposure can build up for long-term damage.  Often people associate sunscreen with warm or hot weather, but in reality, the sun’s rays can be just as or even more damaging in cold weather, particularly when it is reflected by water and snow.
  2. The makeup of your skin has been passed down to you through your family’s generations.  All skin becomes less elastic and more fragile over time because it produces fewer naturally moisturizing oils.  As our bodies age, we also tend to lose layers of fat near the skin’s surface which will cause it to be loose and appear saggy.  How your specific skin ages is encoded in your DNA.
  3. Chronic smoking deprives your skin of oxygen and nutrients, creating lines, wrinkles, sagging skin, and discoloration.  There are over 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke and many of them damage skin cells, collagen, and elastin.
  4. Believe it or not, the facial expressions you make over time create lines and crevices in your skin—just like folding a piece of paper repeatedly.  A groove forms beneath the surface of the skin when muscles are used, and as the skin ages, it’s less flexible and doesn’t bounce back into place as easily.  Regardless of its effects, we do not recommend you discontinue smiling and laughing to avoid these types of wrinkles!

What can you do to protect your skin and minimize the factors that cause wrinkles?

  1. Protect your skin from the sun. Wearing a daily sunscreen with minimum 30 SPF—even in cool weather—is a great start to protecting your skin.  On sunny days, choose to sit in the shade and wear clothing or a fun hat to protect your face, neck, and arms from the sun.  Avoid sun tanning outdoors or in tanning beds.
  2. Eat well. Your skin relies on vitamins and nutrients to produce healthy skin cells, build collagen, and produce moisturizing oils.  Eating a well-rounded diet and drinking plenty of water will help your skin look and feel healthy—plus your body will feel better in other ways, too.
  3. Sleep well. Just like getting the proper food nutrition, your body needs solid sleep to be able to heal itself and manufacture new cells.  Getting a good night’s sleep will help your skin replenish itself, plus you’ll feel more alive and rejuvenated the next day.
  4. Stop smoking. No matter how long you’ve smoked, quitting the habit will improve your skin’s tone and texture.
  5. Use quality moisturizers. Applying a moisturizer as part of your daily and nightly skin care routines helps your skin retain water and then makes your skin more plump and flexible—both of which minimize the appearance of tiny lines and creases.  Choose your skin care products wisely as many inexpensive, big-box-store products actually contain chemicals that counteract the benefits of moisturizing ingredients.

How do you choose the right moisturizer?

Our professional staff at Organic Elements Spa can help you select the right moisturizer for your specific skin type and needs.  Here are just a few examples of the products we have available for you in our physical store and our online boutique:

  • Eminence Red Currant Protective Moisturizer SPF 30 – This product combines the protective element of SPF 30 with our exclusive Youth Shield Antioxidant Complex to reduce the visible signs of minor skin damage while hydrating and invigorating your skin’s appearance.
  • Eminence Bright Skin Moisturizer SPF 30 – Stone crop, bearberry, GigaWhite and a natural hydroquinone alternative help to lighten dark spots to create a more even complexion while SPF 30 protects your skin from UV damage.
  • Eminence Eight Greens Whip Moisturizer – Flax seed and yucca extract help provide vitamins and minerals to nourish your skin and return it to its healthy tone and youthful appearance.

Contact us today and we’ll help you put a skin care regimen in place that your body will love and will help to minimize factors that cause wrinkles.