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The Complete Guide to Wrinkles

Woman looking at her face in the mirror.

When do Wrinkles Start to Appear?

Due to various factors, you can notice fine lines on your body and face as early as your 20s. As your body ages, wrinkles start after age 25, but the age group most often seeks wrinkle treatments between 40 and 50. Wrinkles deepen by age 65 and become quite severe (often irreversible).

skin comparison illustration: younger skin vs aging skin

What Causes Wrinkles?

Aging process is the most common reason for wrinkles, but external and internal factors are at play when you begin to notice fine lines. As you age, your skin naturally becomes less elastic, producing less collagen and elastin. In addition, fat in the deeper layers of your skin diminishes, and the lessened production of natural oils causes your skin to be drier. As your skin becomes more slack, less full, and less elastic, wrinkles and fine lines can appear.

What causes wrinkles illustration

Some of the other main causes of wrinkles include:

  • Hormonal changes. As we age, our hormone levels change. This can decrease oil production in the skin and reduce elastin in the skin.
  • Stress. When the body is exposed to environmental stress (such as harmful toxins) or emotional stress (causing furrowed brows and loss of sleep), this can lead to a breakdown of collagen in the skin and inflammation.
  • Sun exposure. Prolonged UV light exposure or tanning beds damage the DNA in skin cells, causing inflammation, age spots, and deep lines.
  • Smoking. Smoking damages collagen and elastin in the skin, drying out the skin and causing hyperpigmentation or a dull, uneven appearance.
  • Poor health and diet. If you don’t get enough vitamins and minerals, collagen production can decrease, and internal bodily stress will create wrinkles.
  • Lack of hydration. When you don’t get enough water in your system – or you drink a lot of alcohol and dry your skin out – moisture is pulled from everywhere. This causes the skin to become thinner and less firm.

What are the Different Types of Wrinkles?

There are three main types of wrinkles, which include:

  • Dynamic wrinkles. These wrinkles show up when you express emotion, often appearing in the corners of your eyes and around your mouth. They disappear as quickly as they appear, but the repeated motions can cause fine lines.
  • Static wrinkles. These wrinkles are the lines left on your face after the repeated motions of dynamic wrinkles, meaning they stay on your skin long after you emote. They can also be caused by sun exposure, smoking, and dehydration.
  • Wrinkle folds. When you approach your 50s, you will notice sagging around your jawline and deepened creases around your nose and cheeks. This creping only happens to older individuals and often requires a deeper treatment.

How to Prevent Wrinkles

There are many preventative measures you can take to avoid wrinkles forming while you are still in your 20s or 30s, including:

  • Avoid squinting. Squinting due to not wearing sunglasses in the sun or seeing clearly at work can cause wrinkles around your eyes and nose. To prevent squinting lines, wear sunglasses and try not to repeat the motion when frustrated.
  • Be careful with sun exposure. Too much sun can damage the collagen in your skin, causing your skin to thicken and feel rough, with deep wrinkles and age spots becoming more visible.
  • Maintain a stable weight. When you lose fat in your body, you also lose the collagen that keeps your skin firm and plump. Weight fluctuations can cause droopy, wrinkled skin.
  • Practice skincare. Washing your face gently twice a day and using serums and moisturizer twice a day helps retain your skin’s moisturize and wash away impurities. You should also apply sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher daily, regardless of the weather.
  • Sleep and rest. Not only is getting the recommended 8 hours a night great for your mind, body, and skin but there are also some tricks you can do while you sleep to benefit your skin. Avoid sleeping with your face pressed into your pillow – practice sleeping on your back to get the most out of your beauty sleep. Cutting your sleep short can cause your skin to wrinkle and sag early due to stress.
  • Smoking and vaping cause wrinkles. Besides age, nicotine and smoke lessen the blood flow to your skin, causing you to have a dull, wrinkled appearance. Smoking and vaping also slow down the rate at which your body can produce collagen and create lines around your mouth where you draw the smoke or vapour.

Where do Wrinkles Appear Most Often?

Wrinkles can appear anywhere on the body and face, especially as we age. However, the most common areas in which wrinkles appear include the:

Where do wrinkles appear most often illustration

  • Forehead. Worry lines or horizontal lines on the forehead are the most common type of wrinkle formed by furrowed brows due to concentration or worry. Forehead wrinkles often appear in our 30s.
  • Nose. “Rabbit” or “bunny” wrinkles form around the corner of your nose when you scrunch your nose repeatedly.
  • Eyes. Crow’s feet are the wrinkles on the outer corners of your eyes when you laugh or smile, often appearing in our 30s and 40s as our skin loses collagen.
  • Mouth and Lips. Various wrinkles can form around the mouth area, including nasolabial folds (which form from the bridge of the nose to the corner of the lips due to repeated smiling and sagging) and mouth wrinkles (which form due to smoking or aging). Smile lines can be seen as early as your 20s and deepen with age and sun exposure.
  • Chin. Chin wrinkles run from the corners of the mouth to the chin and can also be referred to as marionette lines. They can be caused by aging, smoking, and/or sun exposure.
  • Neck and Chest. Wrinkles appear on the neck and chest because of sun damage, gravity, and/or poor skincare – along with, of course, skin aging.

How to Get Rid of Wrinkles

The most popular non-invasive wrinkle reduction treatments available at SpaMedica are injectable wrinkle relaxers, dermal fillers, non-surgical facelifts, and laser skin resurfacing.

Injectable Wrinkle Relaxers

Injectable wrinkle relaxers like Botox can reduce the appearance of wrinkles by inducing temporary relaxation of facial muscles. At SpaMedica, wrinkle relaxer vials are injected into the treatment area, which can be the forehead, neck, or around the eyes, to relax muscles and temporarily smooth the appearance of the face. Patients will require repeat follow-up treatments to maintain their more youthful appearance.

Do you know that in 2022, over 9 million Botox treatments were administered globally? To find more, visit our Botox usage statistics research.

Dermal Fillers

Dermal fillers are gel-like substances injected into the skin to plump and firm the treatment area. Dermal fillers are a great non-invasive option to treat under-eye wrinkles, thinning lips, low cheekbones, and fine lines and wrinkles. There are also permanent dermal filler options whose results can last for up to five years. SpaMedica often opts for dermal fillers with hyaluronic acid as their results are long-lasting, reversible if necessary, and effective. The most common risk associated with dermal fillers is facial swelling for a few days following your treatment.

Dermal Fillers Before and After Gallery – Photo 124

Non-Surgical Facelift

Non-surgical facelifts come in many forms, most commonly as thread lifts. This involves a doctor creating tiny incisions in the cheeks and forehead, lifting the skin upward with plastic threads to reduce the look of wrinkles and sagging. A short recovery is associated with thread lifts, but if you want a completely non-invasive option, contact the SpaMedica team today and book a consultation to learn more about your choices!

Laser Skin Resurfacing (Wrinkle Removal)

Non-ablative laser resurfacing involves lasers that heat deep layers of the skin without damaging its surface, improving signs of aging and triggering the body’s natural healing response which stimulates collagen production extremely effectively. You will see a reduction in fine lines, large pores, dark spots, and uneven skin texture. Every laser treatment boasts different results, addresses different concerns, and has different processes, so speak to your SpaMedica consultant about which treatment is best for you and your needs.

A fractional CO2 laser treatment passes microscopic columns of energy into deep layers of the skin, stimulating the production of new collagen and elastin. Skin cells will grow back stronger and firmer, resulting in smoother and more evenly toned skin and reducing the appearance of wrinkles.

Ways to Remove Wrinkles Long-Term

SpaMedica offers deep treatments that help reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles long-term, including facelifts, blepharoplasty, lip lifts, cheek lifts, cheek implants, brow lifts, and facial fat grafting.

Facelift

A facelift, also known as rhytidectomy, is a popular and effective way to restore youthfulness to the face by reducing and eliminating the appearance of wrinkles. During a facelift procedure, which is performed under local anesthesia with IV sedation or under general anesthesia, your surgeon will make incisions within the ear and behind the ears, as well as at the temple or scalp. Your skin is then carefully raised from the face and neck area, and liposuction under the chin or fat grafting to the face is performed if required. Excess skin is then carefully removed and sutured.

Blepharoplasty (includes Asian Blepharoplasty)

Blepharoplasty, commonly referred to as eyelid surgery, is an effective way to lift your eyes and deepen their crease, making them look more animated and youthful. The eyes are one of the first areas to show signs of aging with sagging eyelids, puffiness, and under-eye circles. Rejuvenate tired eyes and aging concerns with eyelid surgery.

Blepharoplasty - Before and After Gallery – Photo 9

Lip Lift

A subnasal (lip lift) uses small incisions to remove some skin between the lip and nose. This lifts the upper vermillion lip to expose more of the pink portion. Lip lifts are an effective way to increase the volume of the upper vermillion lip, decrease the length between the nose and upper lip, and enhance a youthful appearance by reducing the look of fine lines and wrinkles.

Cheek Lift

SpaMedica offers two types of cheek lifts. The option selected depends on the needs of the patient.

Open Cheek Lift

An open cheek lift is a traditional option. The surgeon makes incisions above the ear. The incisions are hidden in the hairline. Then, the cosmetic surgeon repositions the fat and removes excess skin. An open cheek lift is recommended for patients with advanced signs of aging.

Endoscopic or Minimally invasive Suture Suspension Cheek Lift

Patients needing a subtle correction of fine lines and wrinkles can undergo an endoscopic cheek lift. The surgeon makes small incisions in the mouth and within the temporal hair to insert a camera and tools to complete the surgery. The surgeon looks at images from the camera and uses tools to reposition the tissue. The surgeon does not remove excess skin with this technique but re-suspends the cheek tissue.

Cheek Implants

Cheek implants, or cheek augmentation, involve increasing the insertion of solid, preformed, shaped cheek implants to improve the volume of the midface to create more aesthetically pleasing proportions. The procedure can be accomplished by moving the bones forward, with artificial firm implants surgically implanted on the bone, or with soft injectable gel or micro fat grafts.

The most skilled shaping techniques involve long-lasting, safe, reversible injectable gels or fat grafting to create optimal cheek and chin balance. Soft tissue fillers can be tailored and contoured to the specific needs of the facial proportions, whereas solid implants have limited sizes and versatility.

Brow Lift

As we age, the effects of gravity force our brow and face to droop and fall, changing our appearance. This gravitation descent applies to all areas of the face, and vertical descent is applied to the neck, face, and cheeks. Still, the forehead and brow are often the first areas to show descent and signs of aging, including fine lines and wrinkles.

Fortunately, these effects can be reversed with a brow lift procedure. A brow lift procedure elevates aging, heavy eyebrows to a more youthful, rested, elevated and smoother appearance. Forehead wrinkles are lessened, and a younger, refreshed look will emerge.

Facial Fat Grafting

Micro fat transplantation (also known as facial fat grafting) is a procedure that takes fat cells from an area of the body you don’t want or need. The fat cells are prepared and then transplanted through injections to areas where fat contouring and shaping are required. This plumping and firming treatment is great for reducing the looks of fine lines and wrinkles.

Fat grafting to the face helps restore lost volume and shape to diminish wrinkles and depressions in the skin. Facial fat grafting is a good option for contouring, shaping, and plumping up problem areas on the face, such as the cheeks and lips. Micro fat transfers can also be used to fill hollows around the eyes, temples, and cheeks, and to contour the jawline.

SpaMedica is Your Solution for Wrinkle-Free Skin

At SpaMedica, our team of registered nurses, clinicians and cosmetic surgeons are experienced, professional, and well-equipped to design a wrinkle and fine-line treatment plan for you. Whether you’re opting for a more dramatic procedure, such as a facelift, or a more subtle treatment plan, such as injectables or dermabrasion, we will work with you every step to ensure your treatment will deliver optimal results.

With decades of experience and accolades across the country and beyond, SpaMedica is the right choice for your facial rejuvenation. Our team will help you choose a treatment plan to restore your self-confidence, improve your self-esteem, and improve your overall quality of life. Contact the clinic to book your wrinkle treatment consultation today and get excited to put your best face forward!

FAQ

What is the difference between fine lines and wrinkles?

Fine lines are shallow, small lines that typically appear as early signs of aging, often resulting from repeated facial expressions. They are less noticeable and can often be managed with good skincare practices. Wrinkles, on the other hand, are deeper and more pronounced, developing from prolonged exposure to aging factors like sun damage and lifestyle habits. Wrinkles represent a more advanced stage of skin aging and may require more intensive treatments for improvement.

By SpaMedica Infinite Vitality Clinic Non-Surgical

The team at Toronto's SpaMedica comprises a distinguished group of Canada's top dermatologists, nurses, and technicians, specializing in non-surgical cosmetic procedures. With a wealth of experience and credentials, the team expertly delivers anti-aging, body contouring, laser skin, skincare, and vaginal treatments. Known for their commitment to patient care and exceptional results, the medspa team continues to lead the industry in innovative techniques.
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